Interview with...
Having recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in Germany, Allen & Overy’s managing partner talks about the challenge of handing over from one generation to the next
You joined the firm back in 2008. In your opinion, what’s changed most since then? A&O has seen significant growth in Germany since I joined. This is certainly the most relevant change as it has meant that, as a firm, we had to design and implement more elaborate structures and processes to manage a larger …
Continue reading “Astrid Krüger: Injecting new brain power”
Interview with...
The Oslo-based partner and head of dispute resolution talks about the recent Schjødt-Hamilton merger that is set to create a one-stop for clients in Scandinavia
As a business, how has Schjødt evolved since you have been at the firm? What has changed most over the years in Schjødt is that there is a need for the firm to be organised and run in an optimised manner, since the response time in regards to many of the assignments are often quite …
Continue reading “Per M. Ristvedt: The benefits of being ‘first’”
Interview with...
Diaz, Reus & Targ’s administrative managing partner shares her candid thoughts on her work, the impact of diversity, and what she thinks sets them apart
As administrative managing partner you lead the administration of Diaz Reus’ 27 global offices. Can you tell me a bit more about how you came to be in the role? I have had this title for two and a half years now. I started as an associate at Diaz Reus in 2009. When I started …
Continue reading “Marta Colomar-Garcia: Diversity is our strength”
Interview with...
Katrina Edge, head of Ogier’s banking and finance practice in Europe and Jersey, on why offshore firms need a global approach
What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients? Our focus is on delivering market-leading client service by being the most advanced offshore firm in digital service delivery and innovation. We have rolled out an award-winning, cross-jurisdictional initiative to streamline our transaction processes, promote a culture of continuous improvement and ultimately …
Continue reading “Katrina Edge: Our focus on innovation, collaboration and flexibility is a key differentiator”
Interview with...
The Hong Kong-based head of Carey Olsen’s corporate practice on why lawyers must continuously think outside of the square, why there is more to the offshore world than sun, sea, and palm trees, and why you should think quality over quantity when it comes to client interactions
What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients? We’ve made two major changes recently, both of which will be of great benefit to our clients. The first main change has been the launch of our Hong Kong corporate practice. We were previously an insolvency, restructuring, and litigation practice only from …
Continue reading “Michael Padarin: There’s creativity in law”
Interview with...
Senior Partner John F Wilson discusses why timely, efficient, and excellent client service is his firm’s competitive advantage
What do you see as the main points that differentiate McKinney, Bancroft & Hughes (MBH) from your competitors? Firstly, responsiveness. All of our lawyers are under strict directives to respond to every client email within 24 hours. We can say we have excellent attorneys, while we believe our attorneys are the best in the Bahamas, …
Continue reading “John F Wilson: We have a culture of efficiency”
Interview with...
Ferbrache & Farrell advocate and partner talks about unfair perceptions, cybersecurity and innovation, and working in a family minded partnership
What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients? We have tried to change and adapt to the constant evolution of technology, whilst maintaining our traditional partnership ethos (based on the collective of all our individual members of our team of just under 20 people). Those changes have seen us adopt …
Continue reading “Gavin Farrell: The offshore world is still a shady place? Just not true”
Interview with...
In August, Norton Rose Fulbright launched a new legal operations consulting practice led by former Barclays legal executive Stéphanie Hamon. As she tells The Legal 500’s senior research analyst, Peter Tweedley, Hamon intends the practice to provide management and operational advice to in-house legal teams at major financial institutions and corporations, and explains its likely impact on rival legal businesses
Peter Tweedley: In a growing market of alternative legal service providers and specialist legal technology companies, including consultants, what can a law firm bring to the table? Stéphanie Hamon: Legal operations consulting is a relatively new field of expertise and there is a limited pool of experienced talent who can deliver this advice. A …
Continue reading “The natural evolution of legal services”
Interview with...
Kennedys’ first global managing partner discusses the priorities of her new role, highlights the firm’s recent international expansion, and reveals what gives her the most job satisfaction
What will you be focusing on as global managing partner, and what do you hope to accomplish or change at the firm that will benefit its lawyers, staff, and clients? As global managing partner, I will be working closely with Nick Thomas, our senior partner, on the strategic and operational management of Kennedys’ global network …
Continue reading “Suzanne Liversidge: Leaders should be true to themselves”
Interview with...
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle’s Oman managing partner discusses collegiality, why the Middle East shouldn’t be a training ground, and advises junior lawyers on why they shouldn’t solely focus on getting ahead
How would you define your firm’s culture and how important is firm culture to you? Curtis is the world’s longest established international law firm. It is New York headquartered, but extremely international in its outlook. Curtis recruits the brightest lawyers from diverse backgrounds a large proportion of our partners in the US and elsewhere are …
Continue reading “Simon Ward: The importance of local knowledge”
