Transforming Legal Services

Janine Waldman & Paul Z Jackson & Michael Graham

Introduction by John Brooker

The Summary

In this video/audio, Michael Graham, Paul Z Jackson and Janine Waldman relate a Solution Focus case study from Reading Borough Council Legal Services.

From it, you will learn simple ways to apply aspects of this project in your own work, and the outline of the programme behind it.

The core shift displayed by the case study is simple; treat each conversation as the unit of change, because when conversations change, culture follows. In this case, small shifts in everyday conversations reduced case time by two thirds, saved tens of thousands per lawyer, avoided unnecessary work, and helped generate hundreds of thousands in recovered debt.

Watch this video if you are asking:

• Where could small, low-risk shifts create large gains in time, cost, or outcomes?
• How can we enable people to take ownership of change in their day-to-day work, not in parallel programmes?
• What conversations in our organisation most need to change, and what would better look like?

The Story

Following a major restructure, Michael Graham’s department faced low morale and pressure to perform. He invited Paul Z Jackson and Janine Waldman to help build the team and develop their leaders.

They designed a programme that combined learning with immediate application. Participants worked on their own live projects, supported by coaching and peer partners, so change happened in real work from the start.

Solution Focus was introduced at three levels:

• The overall approach and stance
• Practical tools
• Single sentence interventions

These were woven together and the single sentence interventions gave people a low-risk way to start using SF, often using familiar tools such as scaling.

Projects were chosen by participants, some working individually, others as teams, and focused on real challenges with meaningful impact.

• One solo project improved how clients prepared legal referrals. This reduced time and cost dramatically.
• Another team project reduced child protection case duration to under 26 weeks, improving outcomes for children, families, and professionals.

What stands out is that the culture change spread through people, not initiatives. Short, focused conversations led to significant and systemic change, including financial gains, increased capacity, and stronger relationships.

Watch, listen and enjoy. An audio version and the presentation are also available below.

Download the slides below

The Presentation

Listen on SoundCloud