Positive Steps to Recovery With… Freeths Head of Corporate, Leon Arnold

2. I’m now the Head of Freeths Corporate nationwide and whereas it would take me days, if not weeks, to complete Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds meetings, I’m now doing all three before Monday

lunchtime! I am also speaking to my colleagues around the country more than I would otherwise which has been great not just from a bonding point of view but also from a work efficiency point of view…we’re getting more done.

3. I see more sharing of information and expertise more regularly than ever before both within teams and across teams. It’s somehow easier now that physical barrier – travel – has been taken out of the equation.

4. We do miss the office camaraderie and cross fertilisation of ideas – maybe we’ll have team days and certainly a change of scenery will help stimulate some different thoughts. I do miss visiting a

manufacturing client and breathing in the environment…it does help you to get to know your clients. However, I am speaking to clients more so whilst I am losing on one hand I’m gaining on another. It’s been an opportunity for us to have lots of off the clock conversations with clients and whilst every client is different, it’s great to get to know our clients better so we can help them with other areas of their business and personal lives. That’s great in enabling us to reinforce our position as trusted advisers.

5. The Freeths Hub has been a huge positive for our clients and massive praise must go to those that put it in place. A lot of our larger clients, who have access to similar hubs provided by other firms, have heaped praise on the Freeths Hub saying that not only were we quick off the mark in getting it set up, but that it’s full of great content and updated weekly.

6. Exercise has been a big thing in our house and I would encourage anyone who hasn’t exercised to get in the routine of getting out in the fresh air. My daughter’s a swimmer and has been climbing the walls at home so I said to her we should do some swimming exercises at home – I end up dripping wet as if I had been swimming! I was also due to run the Marathon du Médoc in September, but that’s obviously been cancelled. I have been doing quite a bit of running (and a little bit of wine drinking). It’s safe to say I’ve been practising in lockdown for both!