Neil Franklin – Working at Rollits

I joined the firm, then known as Rollit Farrell and Bladon, in 1991 having previously been a partner at a smaller firm in Hull. My reason for choosing Rollits at that time was due to its strong reputation for quality and integrity in the city and wider area and I hope and believe that this still is the case. Also I liked the people who I knew at the firm, and that is so important.

Over the years I have seen many changes at the firm including a change of name by way of the incorporation of Rollits LLP in 2010.

We had just moved in to new premises at Wilberforce Court on High Street when I joined in 1991 and at that time these were so modern. However times have changed and when we moved into our current and very modern offices at Citadel House in 2016 I took to the open plan offices immediately.

I far prefer these new open plan offices to the old way of lawyers having their individual offices and walls between each other. This way I can hear and see what colleagues are doing, help them in their daily work and learn from others. My favourite part of the job is assisting more recently qualified colleagues in growing their legal knowledge and careers. I work alongside trainees, paralegals, solicitors and secretaries in our Property Department and spend a fair percentage of my day in supervising and checking work of team members. That way we continue to ensure the quality and yet the team can continue to grow and develop. It is a wonderful feeling to see the progress of younger colleagues.

Another aspect of the job that I really enjoy is the interaction with people - colleagues, clients, potential clients, business contacts and fellow professionals. This happens in a variety of ways - through doing work together, considering clients business and future plans, discussing the market and much more besides with fellow professionals and attending networking events and conferences.

Over my time at the firm, the social responsibility aspect has increased. We vote for a charity of the year each year and support that with money raising and other methods. We also care n=more for our staff than we (and most others) did 30 years ago. Our Employee Forum is made up of staff members and funded by the firm. We have a health and wellbeing week every year and a variety of social events which have in recent times included an 8 week yoga programme, a visit to a vineyard, a visit by a fish and chip van after work and a summer barbeque. People seem to enjoy working here and that is really special for me to see. Many of our younger colleagues socialise with each other both at lunch and in their own time on weekends and evenings.

Our main asset is the people who work here and I do genuinely enjoy coming to work every day to work with, and where possible help those around me.