I didn’t grow up with law in my life. I come from a non-professional background and my parents didn’t go to university. When it came to choosing what to study at university, I was passionate about history, but my dad told me a history degree would limit me to teaching. Young and naïve, I took his word and explored other options.
At the time, I was obsessed with Rumpole of the Bailey, which was about a criminal barrister doing incredible cases, and at the end of the day, he’d head down Fleet Street and get drunk. I thought, ‘What part of that doesn’t look like a great career?!’
If I had my time again, I might have considered investment banking as a career. I love business, connecting people, and doing deals, which is why I’ve really enjoyed being managing partner.
Running a law firm is a lot like running a mafia crew — without the killing.
Looking ahead, I’m very passionate about education – so I’d like to do more of that. I’d also love to use my experience to help change the legal profession for the better. If it keeps operating like it did 100 years ago, it risks being overtaken by other industries.
I love the law; it’s given me a fantastic career, I married a lawyer and one of my daughters is a lawyer, as are many of my friends. I want the industry to succeed, but if it doesn’t embrace change – for example in the people it takes in and new technology – then I worry it won’t.
Before becoming managing partner I brought a team of 50 people into DLA Piper to build a global intellectual property and technology practice – I’m really proud of achieving this and building something with longevity.
As managing partner by far the best part has been embedding values into the business. It was one of the first things I tackled. Before, we had this long, perfectly punctuated values statement, the kind only lawyers could write, but no one could actually tell you what it said. So, we simplified it into something that people could really engage with. What I’m most proud of is that we did this from the bottom up. Every office held town halls and roundtables, with anonymous feedback facilitated externally so anyone could say whatever they wanted. I remember someone warning me, ‘What if it turns out people think the managing partner is an idiot?’ And I said, ‘Well, shouldn’t I know if everyone thinks I’m an idiot so I can stop being one?’
I want the industry to succeed, but if it doesn’t embrace change then I worry it won’t.
The most important thing I’ve learnt in my career – and people might laugh because I know I can be seen as a bit egotistical – is be humble. It’s so important. The best trait to have is authenticity. If you’re authentic, people will accept any message, even if it’s one they don’t want to hear.
I remember around the time of George Floyd, I recorded a vlog about racism and the firm’s values. There was a lot of input on what to say from various teams because it was such a sensitive issue so it was scripted. People weren’t happy because it didn’t feel like me. Two days later, I literally tore up the script on screen and said, ‘Now, let me tell you what I really think. You might not agree with every word, but this is it.’ The response was completely different. No one expects everyone to think the same way, but they do expect values, honesty, and authenticity.
I’m Jewish. People might look at me with prejudiced assumptions because I’m a white middle-aged man who went to Cambridge. They don’t know that my mum left school at 16, or that my dad worked on the docks, or that I had a speech impediment as a child, or that as a Jewish child growing up in Hull I experienced racism.
I worry that the next generation of law firm leaders is entering a world too obsessed with cutting costs and maximising profits. I don’t underestimate the importance of these goals—they absolutely matter— but there’s so much more to it.
My brother, who sadly passed away, was an oncologist. I remember sharing a beer with him before he died, and we talked about what he did versus what I do. How is there any comparison? Not to belittle what lawyers do, but it serves as a reality check: I’d hate to think that someone’s only motivating factor is their bottom line or getting to the top, hitting that 20 million dollars.
It’s like Steve Jobs said: ‘I don’t want to be the richest guy in the graveyard’. Lawyers need to think about what good they do – without the lawyers lots of good couldn’t happen, and we should remember that as a profession.
I really think one of the ways the legal sector is going to thrive is through the chance to expand horizons. Law needs to expand its thinking. In law firms generally, the mindset is quite restrictive; people don’t tend to like change.
How many times do you hear the phrase ‘lawyers and non-lawyers’? How can you have a non-anything? These ‘non-lawyers’ are experts and are incredible, yet they’re reduced to a non-something—it’s obscene. Law has to be prepared to embrace that wider concept and that broader thinking, which in turn will help them embrace technology and give the business an opportunity to do more. I want to help that agenda.
Honestly, I have no idea where DLA Piper will be in 20 years, but I believe we are in a unique position among law firms to expand beyond pure legal services into broader professional advisory services. My vision is for DLA Piper to become a comprehensive professional services firm. While pure black-letter law is important, I see sector-specific and commercial advisory knowledge as equally vital, and I’d love to see us broaden our scope in that direction. If DLA Piper leads the way in this expansion, we’ll be in an excellent position. However, if no law firm embraces this shift, I think we’ll see consulting firms, tech companies, and accounting firms step in and take that market share from us.
There’s no doubt the hardest thing I had to deal with as managing partner was our cyber-attack, it was much harder than geopolitical issues like Russia or than Covid-19. This was different because it felt like we were the only ones with our own personal cloud over our heads. It stripped us of our ability to operate because we couldn’t communicate.
I literally tore up the script on screen and said, ‘Now, let me tell you what I really think.’
The actual incident lasted only about three days but in my head it felt like five years. My biggest lesson from this was never think a cyber-attack won’t happen to you—it will. It’s not about prevention; it’s about mitigation. I understand that now. I also learned this is where culture and values matter. Our people were fantastic; the loyalty and dedication to the cause were incredible. Our brother and sister law firms were also magnificently supportive. It shows there is camaraderie in the business –one that we don’t usually do well enough as a sector.
Outside of law, my inspiration was definitely my mum and dad. They didn’t have a professional background or loads of money, but they invested in our education and support.
All my family-first mindset came from my parents. I have a huge problem with people missing out on core family events for the sake of work. We’re a big firm; we can always find ways to ensure the work is covered. You only get one chance to watch your child in the school play or that rugby match, whatever it is – that’s so important.
I think people see me as supportive and authentic, as someone who will roll up my sleeves, work hard, and get involved. I think you should never give someone a job you’re not willing to do yourself. That said, like a lot of ambitious people, I know I can be a control freak, irritable and impatient. The only thing I’ve learned to do is accept that’s in my nature and then apologise to people. I find that as long as people know that it comes from a good place, and you’re sensitive to it and genuinely apologise for it, they will forgive you. I also hope people see me as creative; I certainly think of myself as creative; I try hard to think differently and challenge my team to think more creatively as well.
The advice I give my kids now is what I’d give to my younger self: don’t rush. I was always rushing for the next step—I didn’t need to be. Don’t try to plot it all out. Life just doesn’t work like that. Most of all, enjoy the experience. There have been hard times in my career, but for the most part, it’s just been brilliant. I’ve met pop stars, been on film sets, managed big businesses, been at the UN, Buckingham Palace, the Presidential Palace in Poland, and even shared a stage with Nelson Mandela—these are just incredible experiences I could never have hoped for. So do something you enjoy, and remember to enjoy it. If you do something you enjoy, you never work a day in your life.
I worry that the next generation of law firm leaders is entering a world too obsessed with cutting costs and maximising profits.
I think stress and burnout is a serious issue in our profession and I would like to see us pay attention to that. I think it’s a symbiotic thing; I would like clients and the legal profession to come together to think about a code of practice or charter. There are ways of working that are acceptable and ways that aren’t.
I’ve got my favourite film permanently downloaded on my phone and watch it over and over. It’s A Man for All Seasons, about the life of Sir Thomas More – playing into my history passion there.
My favourite TV show has to be The Sopranos. I’m pretty convinced that running a mafia crew is a lot like running a law firm—but without the killing. There are so many people issues and things that people get worked up about, and you have to manage all of that. It’s great; I love the show.