New hire and role bolsters Lodders’ in-house HR team

Lodders has boosted its in-house Human Resources (HR) operation with the creation of the new role of Training & Development Manager.

Training and development specialist Andrew Busst (pictured) takes on the new role, working alongside Lodders’ HR Director Sarah Naffine who coordinates the creation and delivery of Lodders’ strategic and operational HR support and initiatives, and talent management activities.

As Lodders’ Training & Development Manager, Andrew will initially focus on refreshing the firm’s induction and onboarding processes – much of which is currently done remotely and online because of COVID-19 restrictions.

He will identify professional development requirements and opportunities for every member of staff working across its specialist corporate, business and private client legal teams, and work with them to create individual and personalised training/learning and development programmes that will fulfil their full potential.

Andrew brings years of dedicated training and development experience to the new role. He joins from automotive supplier Brose, where he was most recently Training & Development Coordinator, managing the training team, apprentice, graduate, development and talent programmes for over 700 employees. Among the key projects he managed was the creation of an induction process, and construction of the first Training Centre in Europe in the sector.

Andrew also has legal sector experience from ten years as a Legal Executive at Birmingham law firm Beynon & Co.

Talent management

Commenting on joining Lodders, Andrew says: “Lodders is a highly progressive firm, and it is rare for a law firm to have a role dedicated to overseeing training, something really refreshing, appealing and exciting. The role allows me to maximise my experience in a way that will add real value to the firm, its people, and talent management strategy.

“My role is ultimately as a support function to all departments, and identifying training needs across all employees so that everyone has progression opportunities available to them that will be engaging and ultimately deliver success and growth for the firm. Most face-to-face learning is being made digital thanks to COVID-19, and I know my systems-based knowledge and expertise will support how the firm has and continues to pivot to online onboarding new recruits and training for its team.”

Tailored professional development

Lodders’ managing partner Paul Mourton explains: “Lodders continues to be passionately committed to resourcing, supporting and investing in our solicitors, particularly when we can develop and grow our own – a strategy that supports our investment in learning and development and the firm’s succession and future plans. This rationale is a key part of Andrew’s recruitment, and he will add focus and energy to tailored development for our new starters, trainees, apprentices, fee earners and support staff.”

Sarah Naffine adds: “Andrew joins the team at such an important time in the firm’s 230-year history – we have a number of new, exciting initiatives already in development and under implementation across the firm, which will take Lodders’ talent management, learning, development, internal communications and overall strategic HR support to a whole new level. As a multi-site firm, it is important that we continue to maintain the scale and focus of our growth strategy and values of a modern and progressive firm, and its people are at the heart of these.”