Meet The Team: Karl and David

Meet The Team: Karl and David

With two amazing teams from KE Costs and Paramount Legal Costs coming together to form Peak Costs this year, we wanted to go behind the scenes with team members from both sides of the merger who have been working closely together. We’re introducing some of the names and faces of the new Peak Costs team, finding out what they think makes Peak Costs so powerful, and what it means for our team and our clients.  

In the first of our ‘meet the team’ series, we sat down with Costs Lawyer and Marketing and Communications Manager Karl Robson (formerly of Paramount Legal Costs) and Costs Lawyer, David Hughes (formerly of KE Costs), to find out a bit more about what makes them tick, and what exciting things they see for the future of our firm!  

We kicked off by finding out about their role at Peak Costs, where their journey started and what it is like working closely together!

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Karl

I joined Paramount about six years ago, starting as a costs lawyer. When we started building our LinkedIn pages, I supported with that, which grew into marketing the firm, which then grew into being invited to become part of the management team. Which was around the time we started the process of merging the firms.

It's been a really good process. We looked at what we wanted from the merger, what we were aiming to achieve. We started out working on the brand, which was amazing. The difficult part is bringing all those hopes into reality!

It’s great working together! He and I are very similar in terms of what we're hoping to achieve and what we want out of it. It's been really valuable to bounce ideas off some great people. And with David, it has been massively helpful, especially with his coaching background. The way David looks at personal development and growth, and how we can implement what we’re trying to achieve on a wider scale, that’s been brilliant.

David

Before KE, I'd worked for huge international firms where it was very corporate. I felt like I was trying to fit into something that didn't feel quite right. Then, starting working with KE, I saw the potential, the fact that we were doing really good work, but also the way that we work together. Having worked at large firms and other places, I saw that this supposedly small firm was doing better work than I've seen elsewhere it makes you want to shout about KE and the people who work there.

When I found out about the merger, I knew the people at Paramount had a great reputation within the industry. It might sound corny, but there was a synergy straight away. I quickly realised that we were two very principled firms, trying to do the right thing in a different way. It felt like that's what I'd been working towards, and that's what I've been trying to achieve.

In terms of the values, it's exactly where we want to be - professional but never too corporate. The idea that I keep coming back to is: “people like us do things like this”. I love that, because it goes back to principles and ethics - what would you do if no one was looking?

That’s what I want us to achieve and be proud of. I’ve worked in places where there were very slick value statements. It looked really good, but I didn't feel like it was being lived. I’m on a bit of a personal mission to make sure that our values are lived and that we’re the role models for them

Bringing two sector-leading firms together has formed a powerful, people-first business built to raise the bar for costs law. We asked Karl and David what they see Peak’s superpower to be, now that we’ve joined forces.

Karl

It's the people, it's the individual people. It really is. I think our superpower is that everybody has an opportunity. Like we said on the team day, everybody is a part of this. We can only operate if every individual is invested in what we're doing. And going back to the values, what David said is right: we all have a responsibility to act in line with the culture we’re trying to set.  

We won't be for everybody. We know that, and that's absolutely fine. But we want to be different. We want each individual to be empowered to do what they want to do.

David

I think the superpower, probably for me, is authenticity. When you go into law, you can be trained to think a certain way, and it can be very rational and objective. But I actually think your emotions are a superpower. It's knowing what you like, what you want, how you respond, how you react. I used to try and hide it a lot, or try and fit in; I was trying to avoid doing things I wasn't comfortable with. I think with Peak, we know what we are, we’re good at it and we’re comfortable in our own skin.

Of course, like Karl said, there are going to be some people who don't follow us, and that's fine. But the ones that do, they'll know that we'll challenge in the right way and we'll fight for them, and it's an absolute collaboration. There's no us and them. It's working together to get the best results we possibly can.

If you had to pick one of the “People like us” values that resonates most with you, which one would it be?

Karl

Like I mentioned with the superpowers, ‘People like us empower each other’ is the one value that resonates loudly with me. Both for our clients and our team, I'm hoping our superpower is going to be the empowerment of individuals and individual growth.

David

I think the whole idea of “people like us” is massive. It ties into everything. It's an inclusive thing, because ‘people like us’ can be whatever they want to be; it's about authenticity. As long as you’re trying to do the right thing, people can do the right thing in different ways. We're all in, and we're all trying to do the best we possibly can with whatever we've been dealt.

We're creating a sense of togetherness and tribe, where everybody's included in their own authentic way in a space where they get the backing and the room to grow in the way that's right to them.

One of the things that has been a priority for Peak Costs from day one is people first, from clients to the amazing people who work at Peak. Karl and David shared with us why they would recommend Peak Costs to anyone looking to join our firm and what has been gained by the two firms merging.…

Karl

You can choose your own adventure! You can build what you want to build. Obviously, we have more resources, that’s a biggie, but I think for people coming into the business, it’s all about being able to choose what you do and shape your own role to an extent.

David

I remember 15 years ago, getting apprenticeships off the ground was quite a difficult thing to do. With the potential we have at Peak, we could build that in the next three to five years. So, if you're talented, and you've got a bit about you and you’re prepared to work hard and do your best - I think you can go a very, very long way here.

And of course, there’s so much that has been powered by the merger, what do you feel clients gain from the new, super-powered Peak Costs?

Karl

For me, the difference with Peak is about the long-term partnerships and relationships we build. I think this goes back to authenticity and the idea that we work with people, not for people. Getting to know people on a personal level, understanding what they want and need.

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David

From my point of view, I think we're setting ourselves up to challenge things, show that we do things better and get great results. I think if we're challenging clients in the right way, everyone wins.

Some clients just want you to do the job and get on with it, and some clients want to be tested; they want to improve, and they want to go further. And I think, if we can drive each other forward, then collaboratively, we'll get such great results.

And it does tie into authenticity as well. I think it has to be a case of challenging and getting the right results because the way we see it, it is a fight for justice. Our clients are doing work for individuals who deserve access to justice. And the job we do helps our clients do that important work. So, we have to fight for every penny. And we do.

It's not seeing cases and money, it's seeing the people behind the case, and why it was necessary and important. I think once our clients see that we see it that way, I think they know we're invested.

Both Karl and David have been absolutely instrumental in building the Peak Costs brand from the ground up. We’re looking forward to introducing more of our bigger, stronger team to you and getting to know everybody better! If you’d like to find out more about Peak Costs and what we’ve been up to, check out our insights and events page on our new website. And if you want to find out more about working with us get in touch with the team on our contact page here.

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