Law At Work

Fully outsourced safety support provided for a fixed fee, plus expert training and bespoke value-added services

The Law At Work story

In 1988, solicitor Malcolm Mackay set up Mackay Simon and soon established a place in the market as a leading niche employment law firm 13 years later, in 2001, he had a simple, bold idea: deliver the quality of a leading law firm but provide totally predictable pricing

And so Law At Work was born The purpose? To remove barriers to taking advice in this complex field – including fear about lawyers’ hourly rates and the rigid application of fee targets, which can create a conflict of interest between lawyers and their clients – and focus on prevention rather than cure The new LAW concept recognised that if employers cannot afford advice, they take risks, and that creates problems for both parties to the relationship

In the 20 years that followed, LAW built a consultancy with a first-class reputation, loyal clients, and a talented team of highly-qualified experts Along the way, it acquired like-minded businesses with a similar mission and complementary services, and with it strengthened its presence in Scotland and Northern England

Now part of WorkNest, the team embarks on its most exciting chapter yet, and by joining forces with other heavy hitters in the HR, Employment Law and Health & Safety sphere, is more equipped than ever to help clients solve their people and compliance challenges

Law At Work is founded by Malcolm Mackay, CEO of Mackay Simon In November that year, LAW signs its first ever client, Connect Communications

Having acquired over 200 retained clients, LAW becomes independent from Macklay, Murray and Spens in a management buyout

LAW acquires Glasgow-based Square Circle HR, bringing with it a nine-strong team, including three directors, to enhance its HR consultancy offering The HR At Work division is born

LAW is acquired by Marlowe plc, a UK leader in regulatory compliance, to further the Group’s strategy of building an end-to-end provider of regulated compliance services

London-based independent consulting firm Nestor, which provides HR and Health & Safety support to SMEs, combines with LAW to strengthen Marlowe’s employee relations division

LAW welcomes Edinburgh-based Solve HR, adding five highly-qualified HR consultants to the team and boosting the HR At Work division

Marlowe acquires Chester-based Ellis Whittam, strengthening and offering synergies with the Group’s wider Health and Safety and Compliance division, particularly the Law At Work brand Further acquisitions follow, with HRSP and other leading businesses joining the family

LAW is proud to be part of WorkNest By bringing all the best bits of each company under one roof, WorkNest fuses pragmatic advice, innovative digital solutions and hands-on consultancy to help you protect your organisation and create great places to work

99 2%  Client happiness rating 97%  Client retention rating Who we work with

Proud to support over 40,000 UK employers

Our clients range from small businesses with fewer than 50 staff at a single location, through to large household names employing thousands of people at multiple sites across the UK Whatever your size or sector, we have solutions to suit your needs

Gus Hosein Executive Director, Privacy International WorkNest supports our 280 staff members with Employment Law and Health & Safety and has provided quality management training too ” Lisa BestHead of Service Delivery, Catalyst Choice We get a great deal of comfort and satisfaction knowing that we have support as and when we need it, in a decisive and responsive way ” Richard BerryGroup HR Director, Culina Group We moved our legal support to WorkNest (formerly Law at Work) having previously used a time and line law firm It was important, though, that an all-inclusive fee structure did not come at the expense of quality Thankfully we’ve been delighted with the service we’ve received from WorkNest ” What we recognised in WorkNest is the background that they have They are able to supply knowledge and experience in a number of disciplines, which enables us to develop our business in a way that’s safe, to do it on time and with a quality to it ” Debbie RainbowDirector of Human Resources and Health & Safety, Bluestone National Park Resort Celia McKeonChief Executive, The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) As the company started to get larger, we knew we had to protect our employees and our contractors both onsite and in the offices WorkNest is exactly what we needed to move the company forward ”