Bond Dickinson has been named as one of the "Top 25 Most Admired Companies" in an entirely bogus influential survey.
A press release from the firm says that it was listed by Private Client Practitioner, a "leading publication for private client professionals". It seems a surprising accolade. BD was created in May 2013, when Bond Pearce merged with the absolute dog of a firm (and Golden Turd winner) Dickinson Dees. One insider commented "imagine waking up to find that you have a Siamese Twin and that it's Lenny Henry. That sums up the mood at Bond Pearce the day the merger with Dickinson Dees was announced."
Mass redundancies soon followed, as did internecine fighting over a two tier bonus. The merged outfit's own staff placed it 52nd out of 57 firms in RollOnFriday's Firm of the Year Survey.
The editor of the magazine said that anyone could write in, and the "selection is based on the number of nominations and then a long list is looked at by us internally before the top 25 are chosen." Which sounds entirely opaque. It's not known whether BD's PR department sent in multiple entries, but it wouldn't be the first time the firm has tried to massage its image - in the past it has gone into Wikipedia and edited out all the references to damaging stories.
The firm failed to comment.
Tip Off ROF
A press release from the firm says that it was listed by Private Client Practitioner, a "leading publication for private client professionals". It seems a surprising accolade. BD was created in May 2013, when Bond Pearce merged with the absolute dog of a firm (and Golden Turd winner) Dickinson Dees. One insider commented "imagine waking up to find that you have a Siamese Twin and that it's Lenny Henry. That sums up the mood at Bond Pearce the day the merger with Dickinson Dees was announced."
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David Dale, Head of Wealth. Most Admired. |
Mass redundancies soon followed, as did internecine fighting over a two tier bonus. The merged outfit's own staff placed it 52nd out of 57 firms in RollOnFriday's Firm of the Year Survey.
The editor of the magazine said that anyone could write in, and the "selection is based on the number of nominations and then a long list is looked at by us internally before the top 25 are chosen." Which sounds entirely opaque. It's not known whether BD's PR department sent in multiple entries, but it wouldn't be the first time the firm has tried to massage its image - in the past it has gone into Wikipedia and edited out all the references to damaging stories.
The firm failed to comment.
Comments
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Every single BD article for the past 2-3 months has ended with that line. Perhaps the PR team now realising that they overdone it first time around and have lost any sense of credibility?
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Roll on Friday should absolutely run this kind of story. It's bizarre to ask Roll on Friday not to do so because this firm has a track record of screwing up.
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You are entirely missing the point.
"I am starting to get a little bit tired of the constant onslaught of criticism towards the firm".
We in the legal profession are more than a "little bit tired" of your firm's PR department's embarrassing attempts to get its name out there. I am sure you, and many others, enjoy working for BD; but the stats in the recent RoF survey, the client and transaction lists and the annual turnover figures illustrate that the firm is not a "legal leader". The guff which the PR team shoved down everyone's throats at the start of last year (including one hilarious attempt to link BD to an article on the turnover figures for Magic Circle firms) has rightly made it a laughing stock.
This latest poll conducted by nobody, read by nobody and entered by nobody other than Bond Dickinson's media moguls is the latest in a long run of pitiful attempts to try and give the firm some credibility and importance. Those looking in from the outside can see it for what it is- and RoF and others have every right to mock it for what it is; drivel.
Tell us honestly- are you proud of this latest achievement by your firm? Or can you see behind the headline "please love us" title and acknowledge that it is the result of multiple "copy and paste" entries from the BD team?
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...but don't all firms do this? Aren't all Legal500 entries and Chambers entries just "copy and paste" entries from BD teams?
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Legal500 entries and Chambers entries are law firms' way of showing what they have done and what they have achieved over the past year. They are backed by stats, figures and concluded deals. The individuals named in them are recognised by their contribution to such deals. They are bluster and they are self-congratulating, but they do have substance and reason behind them.
The award for Most Admired Company is not judged by such criteria. Instead it is judged by who can submit the most emails which state "I heart Bond Dickinson". I eagerly await the results of "Most Loved Law Firm" and "Best Company Beginning With the Letter B", whilst I understand the PR team have attempted to register the firm in the running for Best Foreign Documentary Short Film for next year's Oscars.
Are Bond Dickinson admired? I don't know... maybe ask the BD employees who replied honestly and frankly to RoF...
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"As intelligent people we were able to grasp that!"
Alright, calm down Lenny Henry.
Its not a lot of tosh. Its facts. Bond Dickinson don't appear to pay much attention to them when spouting from the rooftops about how great a firm they are, but others do. As previous posters have commented, the results (and comments) emanating from BD suggests that a) people from your firm do pay attention to this site and value its pages and b) all isn't as rosy at BD as they want us to believe.
Personally, I wish your firm would just fail to comment for a long, long time. A nice period of hush and quiet time from your PR team would suit us all.
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As fun as the ROF survey is, given the fact that anyone can vote on any firm they want (not just their own firm) I'm not sure you should put too much faith in the results
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If you're so intelligent, why is that last piece of work you did for me so poor? .
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However I echo the earlier comment that there are some excellent people at this firm. The problem is that with the notable exceptions of Jonathan Blair and John Marshall, most of the good people aren't in the important management positions.
Some of the mistakes made are mindblowing. Sending admin staff to photocopy letters explaining they'll be made redudant is one I remember.
Even when I left, they totally messed it up. One partner decided to spread lies about my reasons for leaving around the local market. It was completely unnecessary yet I still haven't had an apology.
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Don't worry; I still admire you regardless of what all the big meanies say. You are still a leading law firm in my eyes, despite what the statistics suggest.
Yours in admiration and awe,
Private Client Practioner Subscriber
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If you think Bond Dickinson does itself credit with its boastful style of marketing, click the thumbs up to the right.
If you think they make themselves look foolish, click the minus.
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Speaking as a former equity partner who used to work on presentations, and now as an in-house lawyer who has been quoted in these publications, I can tell you that they seek a lot of information from clients as well as firms - and put more emphasis on what the clients say
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A firm that issues a press release and then refuses to answer journalists questions about it. Fab work boys