Beyond Billables: Lessons from Top Law Firm Partners omslagafbeelding

Beyond Billables: Lessons from Top Law Firm Partners

Beyond Billables: Lessons from Top Law Firm Partners

Van: Stephen Rodney
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The legal sector thrives on talent, but how do you ensure partner success, both generally and in relation to how new hires integrate and succeed? Hosted by Stephen Rodney, founder of IntoGreat Coaching, which provides tailor made integration programmes for laterals and, previously a veteran of partner legal recruitment. Beyond Billables is the essential podcast for law firm leaders and in house GCs. Stephen draws on both his recent coaching experience and his previous recruitment life as a co-founder of a leading recruitment boutique (including being responsible for one of the UK's largest-ever team moves), to look at the essential elements necessary to produce both successful partners and also other senior lawyers and to look at the critical challenge of effective senior lawyer integration. Join Stephen as he speaks with successful partners, other industry experts and legal innovators. Follow Beyond Billables to ensure you absorb the lessons told by the successful partners interviewed!Copyright 2026 Stephen Rodney Bildung Kunst Ökonomie
Afleveringen
  • Why Winning a Lateral Partner Bidding War Can Be the Wrong Move for Your Law Firm

    Why Winning a Lateral Partner Bidding War Can Be the Wrong Move for Your Law Firm
    20 Oct 2026
    In this episode of Beyond Billables: Lessons from Top Law Firm Partners, host Stephen Rodney sits down with Will Normand, Head of Asset Management and Funds Partner at Travers Smith, to discuss what makes a successful law firm partner, how legal leadership has evolved, and the challenges facing firms in an increasingly competitive and AI-driven market. They explore the importance of adapting to change, building strong teams, developing future partners, and balancing short-term financial performance with long-term growth.Will reflects on his journey from training at Herbert Smith to becoming a partner at Travers Smith, where he has spent more than a decade developing his practice and taking on wider leadership responsibilities. Drawing on his experience of growing teams, supporting lateral hires, and navigating changes in the legal market, he explains why authenticity, perspective, trust, and clear communication are essential to effective leadership. He also shares his views on AI's potential to improve legal services, the risks it presents for junior lawyer development, and why a partner's lasting legacy should be measured by the people they help succeed rather than the deals they complete.Expect to Learn:Why successful law firm partners must continually evolve their practices to respond to changing markets and opportunities.How authenticity, perspective, and clear communication help partners become more effective leaders.Why trusting and empowering team members creates stronger practices and opportunities for long-term growth.How increasing competition and short-term profit pressures can affect law firms' ability to invest in future success.How AI could transform legal service delivery while creating challenges for training and developing junior lawyers.Why transparency, cultural fit, and realistic expectations are essential for successful lateral partner recruitment and integration.How focusing on people's development, career progression, and personal fulfilment can create a meaningful leadership legacy.Episode Breakdown with Timestamps:[00:00] – Teaser[01:04] – Introduction to Will Normand & His Legal Career[02:35] – Why Successful Partners Must Evolve with the Market[04:02] – What Makes a Successful Partner: Authenticity and Perspective[07:15] – Leadership Lessons: Building Strong Teams and Trust[11:58] – How Competition and Profit Pressures Have Changed Law Firms[17:25] – AI’s Impact on Law Firms, Efficiency, and Junior Lawyer Development[27:40] – Lateral Partner Recruitment: Cultural Fit and Integration[41:12] – Building a Lasting Legacy Through People and Their Success[46:32] – Closing Remarks and ThanksConnect with Will Normand:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-normand-b4684b56/?isSelfProfile=false Company's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/travers-smith/Company's Website: https://www.traverssmith.com/ Connect with Stephen Rodney:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenmrodney/Company's Website: https://www.intogreatcoaching.co.uk/Company's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intogreat-coaching/ Connect with IntoGreat Coaching:Website: https://www.intogreatcoaching.co.uk/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intogreat-coaching/Listening Links:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5itRkdqnE9iUG7XuVXfur9Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-billables-lessons-from-top-law-firm-partners/id1847593311YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StephenRodney-i8l
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    47 min.
  • How Leading a Global Law Firm in an Era of AI Talent and Constant Change with Kath Roberts

    How Leading a Global Law Firm in an Era of AI Talent and Constant Change with Kath Roberts
    13 Oct 2026
    In this episode of Beyond Billables: Lessons from Top Law Firm Partners, host Stephen Rodney sits down with Kath Roberts, Chair of Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP and co-chair of the firm’s Global Board, about leading a large law firm through change. They examine the client and people skills behind successful partnership, the governance role of a chair, AI’s effect on legal training, and how firms can support lateral hires.Kath traces her journey from professional negligence litigation to managing financial services work, leading the Cardiff office and becoming chair after 30 years with the firm. Her experience of changing practice direction, managing teams and working across a global firm informs her view that adaptable careers, thoughtful supervision and empowered teams are essential to sustainable legal leadership.Expect to Learn:How embracing an unexpected career change can reveal strengths that a linear career path may not.Why strong client relationships and strong people skills are equally fundamental to successful partnership.How firms can use AI while continuing to invest in supervision, feedback and the development of future experts.The role of cultural alignment, shared strategy and ongoing effort in making a global firm relationship work.How a clear business case, focused early plan and sustained support can help lateral hires succeed.Why empowerment requires both playing to your strengths and enabling others to contribute theirs.Episode Breakdown with Timestamps:[00:00] – Teaser[01:13] – Welcome & Introduction to Beyond Billables with Kath Roberts[05:30] – The Contested Chair Election: Five Candidates and Hustings[08:44] – What Makes a Successful Partner: Clients, People, and People Skills[13:40] – Constant Change: From No Computers to AI Transformation[19:36] – Why Accountants Took PE and Lawyers Haven't (Yet)[24:55] – When Plans Change: Client Contacts Move, and New Opportunities Emerge[31:54] – Best Moments: 25-Year Client Relationship and Watching People Grow[35:45] – Career Longevity: Why People Want to Stay and Why It's Overstated[39:29] – Future Factors: Geopolitics, AI, and Responding with Resilience[41:35] – Three Non-Negotiables: Over-Deliver, Empathy, and Enjoy the Journey[43:43] – Closing Remarks and Thanks Connect with Kath Roberts:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-roberts-3404253/Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eversheds-sutherland/home/Company’s Website: https://www.eversheds-sutherland.com/en/globalConnect with Stephen Rodney:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenmrodney/Company’s Website: https://www.intogreatcoaching.co.uk/Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intogreat-coaching/Connect with IntoGreat Coaching:Website: https://www.intogreatcoaching.co.uk/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intogreat-coaching/Listening Links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5itRkdqnE9iUG7XuVXfur9?si=cd8ec898274442d9&nd=1&dlsi=6ff13118ea1a44b4Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-billables-lessons-from-top-law-firm-partners/id1847593311YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StephenRodney-i8l
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    44 min.
  • What the Best Law Firms Are Doing Differently in the Age of AI | Reena SenGupta

    What the Best Law Firms Are Doing Differently in the Age of AI | Reena SenGupta
    6 Oct 2026
    In this episode of Beyond Billables: Lessons from Top Law Firm Partners, host Stephen Rodney sits down with Reena SenGupta, who leads RSGI, about how AI is reshaping legal services. They examine AI’s shift from adoption to infrastructure, the changing relationship between law firms and in-house teams, pricing, knowledge management, and the capabilities lawyers need to develop.Reena draws on more than 30 years in the legal sector, beginning with Chambers & Partners before establishing her own company in 2001. As the creator of the ranking methodology used by Chambers & Partners and the FT Innovative Lawyers programme, she brings a research-led perspective on how firms, legal teams and individual lawyers are responding to technological change.Expect to Learn:How to assess AI by the commercial and legal outcomes it produces rather than the number of prompts used.Why AI efficiency may expand legal work and create new tasks rather than lead directly to lower headcount.The capabilities lawyers need to develop, including contextual advice, leadership, boldness and the ability to connect disciplines.How accessible institutional knowledge can help firms develop lawyers more quickly and deliver more contextualised advice.Why value-based billing requires law firms and in-house teams to work together to define the value of legal work.How leaders can encourage AI empowerment by reducing fear and helping lawyers see how technology can improve their professional capability.Episode Breakdown with Timestamps:[00:00] – Teaser[01:33] – Welcome & Introduction to Beyond Billables with Reena SenGupta[06:01] – Major AI Studies: Harvey, Deloitte, Pursuit, and the FT[11:33] – The Jevons Paradox: Why AI Is Expanding Legal Work[19:02] – Multidisciplinary Teams: AI as an Enabler of Institutional Knowledge[26:11] – The Indian Partner with 20 Agents: Productivity Exploding[31:33] – Mind the Gap: Clients and Law Firms Discussing Value[38:11] – The Frozen Middle: Enabled but Not Empowered[45:13] – Success Beyond Billables: The 75% Associate Walkout Example[48:56] – Norm Law and Private Equity: Conflicts and Structure[49:33] – Closing Remarks and Thanks Connect with Reena SenGupta:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reena-sengupta-0719bb4/Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rsgi-co/Company’s Website: https://www.rsgi.co/Connect with Stephen Rodney:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenmrodney/Company’s Website: https://www.intogreatcoaching.co.uk/Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intogreat-coaching/Connect with IntoGreat Coaching:Website: https://www.intogreatcoaching.co.uk/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intogreat-coaching/Listening Links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5itRkdqnE9iUG7XuVXfur9?si=cd8ec898274442d9&nd=1&dlsi=6ff13118ea1a44b4Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-billables-lessons-from-top-law-firm-partners/id1847593311YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StephenRodney-i8l
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    50 min.
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