Pictured: Siobhan O'Shaughnessy and Lisa McGoldrick.
William Fry Recognised for Excellence in People Management at the Professional Services Management Excellence Awards 2025.
William Fry is delighted to announce it has won in the category of "Excellence in Skills Development" at the Professional Services Management Excellence Awards 2025. The firm was recognised for its exceptional contribution to addressing productivity and skills gaps and for delivering innovative interventions. The awards ceremony, attended by nearly 300 senior executives from legal and business services firms, took place at the Institute of Directors in London on Thursday 27 March.
William Fry was recognised for its "STRIVE" coaching programme which offers a novel alternative to the traditional method of developing trainee lawyers. The personalised 1:1 coaching programme enables trainees to build self-awareness and make an impactful contribution to the firm. This project was spearheaded by Lisa McGoldrick, Learning & Development Manager, who, along with other members of the professional development team, is an accredited performance coach.
Commenting on the win, Sinead Kelly, Director of Professional Development said, "I am delighted that the firm's trainee coaching programme, "STRIVE", has won this prestigious award. This award recognises our innovative approach to developing our trainee solicitors, offering 1:1 tailored performance coaching. William Fry is proud of our investment in performance coaching as a valuable source of learning".
The firm was also shortlisted in two other categories at the awards:
- For its TechReg Connect software solution, which assists the firms clients with EU technology regulations, offering compliance solutions for data, cybersecurity, content, and AI regulations, including readiness assessments and tailored strategies. This project was led by Leo Moore, Partner and Head of Technology at William Fry.
- For its collaboration with Mercer Global Investment Managers (MGIM) to develop 'best in class' fund documents for MGIM's European fund solutions business – a project led by John Aherne, Partner in William Fry's Asset Management & Investment Funds Department; and
Stephen Keogh, Managing Partner of William Fry, said,
Congratulations to our Professional Development team on this well-deserved win. The STRIVE programme is a shining example of how we nurture our people and help them shape their careers. This achievement truly demonstrates our dedication to providing best in class people development for all William Fry employees."