Browne Jacobson says that it has become the first law firm to partner with Plain Numbers – a social-purpose company that works with organisations to promote understanding of numerical information.

The firm’s three-year partnership will see staff trained as ‘Plain Numbers practitioners’.

With support from the Plain Numbers team, these practitioners will implement improvements to the way the firm communicates financial information to its partners, employees and clients. 

Members of the firm’s policy-drafting and distribution team, who work with insurers and intermediaries to ensure that policy documents and other communications can be easily understood by their customers, are also being trained.

Better comprehension

After what Browne Jacobson described as a successful pilot, the firm plans to extend the service to its clients in other sectors — including the public sector, retail and commercial health.

Claire Stripp (head of talent and knowledge at Browne Jacobson) said that the firm understood that numbers and data could be confusing and off-putting to many people but could also be “informative and empowering” if understood.

The Plain Numbers approach is based on the idea that making seemingly small changes to the way that numbers and data are presented can enable organisations to generate a substantial increase in comprehension.

Browne Jacobson operates in Britain and Ireland, where it opened a Dublin office last year.