Author: Kathryn Wylie

When Dan Raymond joined Brandsmiths as Partner and Head of Client Relations, it marked more than a senior appointment, it signalled a shift in how legal advice can be shaped, delivered and experienced.

Dan spent more than 14 years at the centre of a major UK fashion brand making fast decisions where risk, speed, budget and innovation constantly competed. He knows what separates useful advice from theoretical opinion.

"I have worked with a number of law firms and the difference is not always talent. It is alignment. The best advisers understand what is happening inside your business right now and help you make decisions with confidence, not just give you the law."

His belief is simple. Great advice does not start with legal analysis. It starts with understanding.

The reality inside a brand is this: more pressure, less time and little space for theory. During tough trading conditions, decision making changes - it becomes sharper, faster and more focused. Dan sees that as a strength, not a strain.

"You become more ruthless with your time and budget in bad times. But actually, that approach should be the norm. You should always treat the company's money as if it were your own."

He believes this mindset must shape how legal advice is delivered. Not just the substance of the advice, but the format, style, timing and level of contact.

True alignment must start in two places.

Firstly, by understanding the person, not the job title. Get to know the individual who is making the decisions.

Secondly, make sure you understand the business - not in abstract, but in context.

And then there is the most fundamental factor of all… the appetite for risk.

"Understanding the client's appetite for risk is vital. That drives tone, timing, approach, level of detail, fee expectations and even the format of advice. If you do not get that right, everything else is misaligned."

At Brandsmiths, the focus on clarity and opinion already exists. That is what attracted Dan.

Brandsmiths is structuring itself to align more closely with how in-house decisions are made. At River Island, the culture was always customer first. Dan believes the same principle must now exist at the heart of legal services.

Dan is here to close the gap that has existed for too long between how decisions are made internally and how advice is delivered externally.
"I am here to ensure everything we do truly supports the people doing the job I have lived."

There is a choice facing the legal industry. One path leads to advice shaped for law firms. The other leads to advice shaped for the people making the decisions.

Know the person, know the business, know their risk and know how they want to communicate. Then give advice.

Brandsmiths is choosing that second path – putting our clients at the centre of everything we do.