Kieran Lomas originally planned a career in forensic science, but is now a key leader at a nationally recognised firm
A fascination with science turned into a passion for law for Kieran Lomas. The Braun Bond & Lomas director originally planned a career in the field of forensic science – however, he found himself more interested in law papers at University and chose to continue down the legal path.
Today, he is a key leader at a nationally recognised boutique law firm with a broad range of experience in all areas of dispute resolution. He regularly appears in the District and High Courts, has appeared in the Court of Appeal on multiple occasions, and assisted with cases in the Supreme Court.
In this interview, Lomas talks about the satisfaction of helping clients out of “knotty” situations, how his firm manages employee wellbeing, and how he deals with a challenging year.
What made you choose a career in law?
I chose to study law initially as part of a science and law programme at University. I had been fascinated in forensic science for years and initially I had plans to study and then work in that field. I saw the study of law to be a natural accompaniment to the science programme and that’s what first drew me to it. As it turned out, the sciences never held my attention, and I tried other areas of study to see what interested me while continuing with the law programme. In the end, I found that it was actually the law papers that were most interesting, and so it was more luck than anything else that led me to a career in the law.
What do you love most about your job?
It’s always satisfying to be able to help a client out of a particularly knotty situation. Collegiality is also very important to me. I’m in business with people I’ve been good friends with for over 10 years, and I consider myself to be very fortunate in that regard. I am also a massive fan of the Devil’s Own.
What is going on at the firm? Are there any new programs and initiatives that you’re particularly interested in?
We strive to have a great workplace culture, and a large part of that involves ensuring that there is a focus on the wellbeing of our staff, both mental and physical. This month, we’re focussing on physical wellbeing and we are offering staff time during work hours to participate in group fitness activities. We’re hoping to roll out opportunities like that throughout the year.
What has been your proudest accomplishment in the last year or so? Or what’s the biggest lesson you learned in the past year and what advice can you give fellow lawyers about it?
It is a gross understatement to say that this year has been more challenging than most. Lockdowns and riding the alert level wave has been something that we certainly weren’t specifically prepared for, but we already had systems in place that allowed us to transition from the office to the home office within 24 hours. I am immensely proud of our team and the way in which they handled that upheaval, particularly as it came at one of the busiest sustained periods of time our firm has faced. What I will take away from 2020 is that no matter how tight you hold on, you cannot control the uncontrollable. Your focus needs to be on what you can do, not what you cannot do.
What are the challenges you expect in the business of law, going forward?
Although change was already in the air, the COVID-19 pandemic and the proliferation of technology that responded to it will, I think, change the way we work forever. The traditional flow of talent off-shore for a working OE, particularly at the junior and intermediate level, will likely be stemmed due to travel restrictions, so attrition rates may sink. But it’s inevitable that firms will need to adapt to changing expectations of how work is done if they want to attract and keep talent. Rather than being the exception, remote working, contactless meetings via video conferencing, and flexible working hours may end up being the rule. I think that actually offers up a range of interesting opportunities for greater engagement with employees. As a father of a toddler, I am also particularly interested in looking at how we can leverage the technology to make it easier for new parents to decide how they share and balance work and parenting, if that’s what they choose to do.
What should the profession and law firms focus more on?
When I started practicing, senior lawyers in the firm I worked at placed a strong emphasis on collegiality and building and maintaining relationships within the profession. There were frequent stories of issues being resolved over the phone simply because the lawyers involved had known each other for 20-plus years and there was mutual trust and respect. If you visited a certain local bar on a Thursday at 5:00pm, you could be sure to find a number of the local profession meeting up for a drink and a chat. Those events and others like it offered an opportunity to meet other members of the profession who you may come across on the other side of a matter in practice, or who you may find you need to lean on for advice. However, those opportunities seem to be few and far between these days (not just because of COVID-19), and I fear that is for the worse, and changing work practices may accelerate the isolation of members of the profession, even within firms.
What are you looking forward to the most in the coming year?
Travel. Fingers crossed.
