Strategy
Turning direction into a shared and deliverable strategy
Many law firms are reviewing their strategy in response to changing client demand, pricing pressure, talent dynamics and rising investment requirements. Growth opportunities remain, but they are more concentrated and more competitive than in the past. Firms face harder choices about where to focus, what to stop doing, and how to allocate partner time and capital if they are to remain fit for the future. What matters in a law firm is how strategy, the partnership model and leadership fit together in practice.
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Periods of strategic change place particular demands on firm leadership. We work alongside firm leaders as a trusted and independent adviser, helping partners understand the case for change, remain motivated by future opportunities, and agree a small number of clear and achievable priorities.
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We work with firms to analyse their own performance data, assess where value is being created, and understand which clients, sectors and practices offer sustainable returns. This is then benchmarked against our own data and global elite firms to test assumptions and sharpen positioning.
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Each firm is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Depending on the firm, this may involve working initially with firm leaders to agree a direction and then testing and socialising it more widely, or engaging partners directly through interviews and surveys to build collective input. In all cases, the aim is the same: to translate strategy into practical, implementable and measurable actions that are understood and supported.
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Our work in this area typically includes:
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Analysing changes in client demand, workforce expectations and wider market drivers, including technology and AI.
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Identifying and prioritising growth opportunities at firm, practice and partner level, with a clear view of profitability.
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Building specialisation through focused sector strategies and the development of new service lines.
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Supporting entry into new and higher-value practice areas and markets, aligned with the firm’s strategic and financial objectives.
Clients and markets: Focusing on the right clients, sectors and opportunities
Clients are more selective, pricing scrutiny has intensified, and long-standing relationships cannot be taken for granted. Growth is less about doing more of everything and more about focusing on the right clients, sectors and types of work, and being clear about where the firm can compete and win.
We help firms sharpen their focus and put in place the structures and disciplines needed to deliver it.
Compensation reviews and design: Aligning contribution, reward and firm priorities
Partner compensation is one of the most sensitive and consequential decisions in a law firm. Remuneration systems shape behaviour, signal what the firm values, and influence trust in leadership and governance. As firms grow, diversify and face uneven performance, existing models are often placed under strain, particularly where expectations, contribution and reward are no longer well aligned.
Our work in this area helps firms review and design compensation systems that support strategy and performance.
Business performance: Strengthening the business model that delivers performance
Performance issues are often visible in the numbers, but their causes usually sit in how the firm is organised and run. As firms grow and become more complex, financial performance increasingly depends on the strength of the underlying business model, not just demand for legal services.
Our work on business performance focuses on the practical levers that drive profitability and scalability.
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Governance, structure and ownership: Putting governance in place to support growth
As law firms grow, governance structures that once worked through consensus and informality often come under pressure. Decision-making becomes slower, accountability less clear, and tensions emerge between firm-wide priorities and local, practice or individual interests.
Our work in this area helps firms review and evolve their governance, structure and ownership arrangements in line with their strategy and stage of development.
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