FAQs

A(brief) history of the O

  • In 2014, Dan Kayne’s son was born with a heart condition that required immediate life-saving surgery. The surgeon was a leader in the field of paediatric cardiology, but what struck Dan most was the way he empathised with Dan and his wife, Sandra, in the most traumatic of circumstances. He recognised the stress they were under and explained very complex procedures in a simple, understandable and caring way.  In doing so, he made an awful experience that much easier.

    When reflecting on this experience, Dan felt that it highlighted many of the challenges facing the legal industry. Whilst technically excellent, it suffers from that lack of connection with clients.  Dan saw this across teams he had worked with - there was a disconnect between the technical work of lawyers and the commercial objectives of the businesses they supported.

    This wasn’t caused by a lack of technical legal knowledge, but by a lack of willingness and ability to put people and relationships ahead of the law in creating a brilliant user experience.  By adopting a ‘people first’ approach, Dan began to shift the culture and, ultimately, the impact of the legal team.

    O Shaped was born.

  • Dan Kayne founded O Shaped in 2018. From the earliest days, O Shaped has been, more than anything else, an attitude and a mindset. Dan has worked with countless advocates of this approach to legal work, to bring it to life and communicate it across the legal profession.

  • You do! O Shaped is a movement that wouldn’t exist without its community of passionate advocates. This is a growing number of people from across all areas of the legal profession who believe that the O Shaped Mindset and O Shaped Attributes should be the foundation of how we deliver great legal services. By putting that these? at the heart of how they work, they are transforming the legal profession.

    O Shaped Consulting is owned by Dan Kayne. It provides consulting, training and other support services to organisations looking to embed an O Shaped way of working.

    O Shaped Consulting is also committed to supporting, growing and investing in the O Shaped community.

  • O Shaped Consulting is the trading name of O Shaped Lawyer Limited, a company registered in England in 2020. It was founded to:

    ·         provide consulting, training and other support services to organisations looking to embed an O Shaped way of working; and

    ·         fund and super-charge our activities and to dedicate more time and effort to delivering our mission of transforming the legal profession for those that are in it, those that are using it and those that are entering in it.

    O Shaped Consulting is committed to supporting, growing and investing in the O Shaped community.

  • It’s both.

    O Shaped is a movement that wouldn’t exist without its community of passionate advocates. This is a growing number of people from across all areas of the legal profession who believe that theO Shaped Mindset and O Shaped Attributes should be the foundation of how we deliver great legal services. By putting these? at the heart of how they work, they are transforming the legal profession.

    O Shaped Consulting is the trading name of O Shaped Lawyer Limited, a company registered in England in 2020. It was founded to:

    ·         provide bespoke consulting and other support services to organisations looking to embed O Shaped in their ways of working; and

    ·         fund and super-charge our activities and to dedicate more time and effort to delivering our mission of transforming the legal profession for those that are in it, those that are using it and those that are entering in it.

    O Shaped Consulting is committed to supporting, growing and investing in the O Shaped community.

  • O Shaped is a movement, driven and supported by a community that is passionate about driving change in the legal profession.

  • Originally, our mission focused on lawyers within the legal industry, but as we grew and developed, we realised that operating on a ‘people first’ strategy meant including everyone. The legal industry is increasingly about so much more than just lawyers giving legal advice.  Law firms and in-house teams generally consist of a range of talented professionals who work alongside the lawyers.  We want to recognise them on an equal footing.  The O List is one example that shows just how many people across the legal sector can make a difference.   To encourage a healthy ecosystem in the industry, O Shaped is purposefully open to all legal professionals, lawyers, lawyers-in-training, clients and co-workers.

  • Our purpose is to make the legal industry better for those who are in it, those who use it, and those who are entering it.

  • Our vision is a world where ‘people first’ really matters.

Our People

  • We have a Steering Board which provides strategic direction to O Shaped. You can find out more about the Steering Board here.

    We have a Future Board which represents the next generation of the legal profession. They provide valuable insight into legal practice in today’s (and tomorrow’s!) legal world. They are also committed to supporting and growing the O Shaped community. You can find out more about the Future Board here.

    We also have an O Shaped Faculty, made up of a wide range of technical specialists (leadership development, coaches, psychologists and general counsel). They support the work of O Shaped Consulting as well as being passionate advocates of all things O Shaped. You can find out more about the Faculty here.

  • We have just finalised recruitment to the Future Board and there are no immediate plans to recruit to the Steering Board.  However, if you are interested in being involved in either of these boards, please get in touch.  For good governance, we rotate board members and are always on the lookout for O Shaped enthusiasts.

  • Yes.  The Faculty consists of experts in their fields.  They deliver consulting, workshops, coaching and speaking engagements to a range of clients on a chargeable basis.

  • Yes.  The O Shaped Movement continues to attract people from across the legal profession who want to get behind the O Shaped mission and vision for change.  We want as many people as possible to apply the O Shaped Mindset and Attributes and share their experiences as far and wide as possible. 

    Change will only be possible if it is done at scale. That requires support and input from as many people as possible.

    If you are interested in playing a role in driving change, please get in touch with us at info@oshaped.com. 

Our partners – law firms

  • Our founding law firm partners are:

    Our education partners are:

    We also work in partnership with The Law Society of Scotland.

  • Our founding law firm partners are:

  • The founding law firm partners have committed to developing a “people-first” approach to their client relationships and this, in turn, drives their commitment to training their teams to develop an O Shaped mindset and approach to their work. They also invest in the growth of the O Shaped movement and community by supporting a wide range of events.

  • The founding law firms are committed to embedding an O Shaped approach across the firm and with their clients. Like us, they recognise that O Shaped isn’t a one-off training programme or an innovative client interaction, but is an ongoing approach that requires a continuous improvement mindset and a desire to develop their people so they can deliver the very best legal services they can.

  • Absolutely! We are interested in talking with anyone or any firm that sees the transformational opportunities that can be created by being more O Shaped. It is a big commitment for a firm to partner with us, because it is about so much more than wearing the O Shaped badge. It’s about sharing our commitment to positive change internally with your people, externally with your clients and more broadly with the wider legal community.

Our partners – other

  • Our education partners are:

    We also work in partnership with The Law Society of Scotland.

  • Our partners support O Shaped through incorporating the O Shaped Mindset and Attributes into their training, as well as embedding the O Shaped approach into their own cultures.

  • We always welcome conversations with interested potential partners who want to make a difference with their people, their clients and/or the wider legal community.  Please contact us at info@oshaped.com to find out more.

    I’ve heard about O Shaped and have a pretty good understanding of how it works. Can I start using the O Shaped framework in my organisation (and if so, do I have to pay anything?).

    We want people to use the O Shaped Mindset and Attributes as much as possible with their teams.  It’s a great way to think about how to develop people and deliver better outcomes for users of legal services.  We want to hear your stories about how you are choosing to embed them and for you to spread the word.

    If you want to benefit commercially by using the brand of O Shaped then that would require a separate discussion and we would encourage you to get in touch with us at info@oshaped.com.[do you also want to add here another reason for why you need to get in touch – ie if you are interested in incorporating the O Shaped Mindset and Attributes more fully into your way of working over the medium to long term….]

    Beyond the actual courses that have an O Shaped element, what can students do to get more involved in O Shaped?

    There are lots of ways you can become more involved in O Shaped. The key one being: keep trying to adopt the O Shaped Mindset in your everyday work.

    More specifically, you can sign-up to be part of our growing community by providing your email address at the bottom of our homepage.

Our programmes

  • Yes, there are lots of free training and resources. You can find them here.

    There is a growing community of people exploring O Shaped and you can connect with them to share and develop best practice. You can sign-up to be part of our growing community by providing your email address at the bottom of our homepage or you can and meet them in the real world, by joining one of these events.

    O Shaped Consulting also provides bespoke training programmes. The cost of these varies, but we would be happy to talk to you about creating a programme that works for you in terms of content and price. For more information, contact us at info@oshaped.com.

  • Through O Shaped Consulting, we provide one-off workshops and longer programmes which explore the O Shaped Mindset and Attributes, including building relationships, creating value and being adaptable.  Our programmes are suitable for any team looking to develop their people and their legal service, placing people front and centre in that process.

  • We have a wide range of resources that are available to you for free. You can find them here.

    O Shaped Consulting also provides bespoke training programmes. The cost of these varies, but we would be happy to talk to you about creating a programme that works for you in terms of content and price. For more information, contact us at info@oshaped.com.

  • We have a wide range of resources that are available to you for free. You can find them here.  In particular, for in house teams we offer a FREE ONE HOUR slot at one of your team meetings where we explain what O Shaped is and how you can embed the O Shaped Mindset and Attributes in your team.

    O Shaped Consulting also provides bespoke training programmes. The cost of these varies, but we would be happy to talk to you about creating a programme that works for you in terms of content and price. For more information, contact us at info@oshaped.com.

    I

  • You don’t need to complete a course to call yourself O Shaped! O Shaped is an attitude and a commitment to making the legal profession better. If you’re passionate about O Shaped, then please shout about it.

    At present, we don’t have a formal ambassador programme, but this is something that we will continue to explore for the future. 

    O Shaped Consulting and its partners also provide specific training programmes. Sometimes, at the end of these programmes, participants will receive a certificate which acknowledges the time and effort that person has put into the programme, rather than designating them as now being “O Shaped”.  Being O Shaped is a continuous journey of challenging ourselves to be better. So, we never really “become O Shaped”. Instead, we hopefully just get a little bit more O every day!

  • O Shaped Consulting and its partners provide specific training programmes. Sometimes, at the end of these programmes, participants will receive a certificate. These acknowledge the time and effort the person has put into the programme, rather than designating them as now being “O Shaped”. Being O Shaped is a continuous journey of challenging ourselves to be better. So, we never really “become O Shaped”. Instead, we hopefully just get a little bit more O every day!

Our movement

  • You can sign-up to be part of our growing community by providing your email address at the bottom of our homepage.

  • O Shaped provides a variety of programmes, as well as regular events and training.

  • At present, we don’t have a formal ambassador programme, but this is something that we will continue to explore for the future. But there are lots of ways you can become more involved in O Shaped. The key one being: keep trying to adopt an O Shaped Mindset in your everyday work.

    You can sign-up to be part of our growing community by providing your email address at the bottom of our homepage.

  • We have a wide range of resourcesthat are available to you for free.

    O Shaped Consulting also provides bespoke training programmes. The cost of these varies, but we would be happy to talk to you about creating a programme that works for you in terms of content and price. For more information, contact us at info@oshaped.com.

  • We have a wide range of resources that are available to you for free.

  • We’d love to hear from you if you are hosting an O Shaped event. There are lots of ways in which we might be able to support you in making it a huge success.

  • There are so many great organisations and groups that are all striving to make the legal profession better for those that are in it, those that use it and those that are entering it. We’re fully supportive of any group or organisation that is pursuing that ambitious goal and always happy to join forces with others for specific projects where are missions are aligned.

  • O Shaped was born in the UK and that’s still the place where most O Shaped activity takes place. But we’ve heard from people all over the world about how they have been inspired by O Shaped and have adopted an O Shaped Mindset to improve the way they work.

    If you’re from outside the UK, but would like to know more about how O Shaped can transform the legal profession in your country, we’d love to hear from you.

  • Yes! The O Shaped Mindset and O Shaped Attributes can be adopted straight away. We’re confident that an O Shaped approach can help to transform how you work, wherever in the world you are doing that work!

    We are just getting started in terms of building our O Shaped community and the focus of our effort has, up to now, been the UK. If you’re from outside the UK, but would like to know more about how O Shaped can transform the legal profession in your country, we’d love to hear from you.

The O List

  • The O List begin in 2023. Rather than recognising achievement in delivering a big project or winning a litigation, we asked the legal industry to nominate individuals who were outstanding in putting people first and in their consistent application of the O Shaped Mindset and Attributes. These nominees are reviewed by our working group, then anonymised and finally a group of general counsel selects the small group of people who become our O Listers.  The O Listers are recognised at our annual O List Party.

  • If you know of someone who really deserves to be recognised for their O Shaped approach, then please look out for when the nominations are open.