Miranda H.’s Post

Change. A ‘reset’. It’s happening all around the globe. And whilst it’s easy to focus on your own country’s politics, the combined ramifications of these changes on domestic and global economies and businesses (let alone cultures) amidst such uncertainty will be significant. If you’ve not been following what’s happening in France….in the next few days, the second round of general elections will unfold. Its impact could be beyond significant (link in comments for a summary post the first round). Whilst many stayed up late watching our country’s leadership future unfold in the UK, our manifesto choices were - by comparison - differing but not polarising. From a commercial and legal standpoint, below an insightful summary on questions and factors for all businesses to consider. From a personal perspective, thinking of our friends in 🇫🇷.

Exciting news...we found someone worth their ‘weight in gold’! In the last 18 months, since going independent, at Group8 Global we have had our heads down into some exciting and challenging growth projects. Specifically, that’s seen us working on projects in Paris, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Scotland and London across an array of different specialisms. We have always said that we will grow to reflect our clients’ needs, and in January this year we set about reshaping our business plan to ensure we did just that. But finding time for your own growth, when your daily priority is your clients’ growth, is a challenge. Even more challenging to find future team members who have the expertise, drive and skills to provide an elevated quality of service. A team huddle determined that we needed to conduct a search, and we identified the following skills and traits…. we wanted someone who: 🤗 Has ‘expert relationship-building skills’ 🤹♂️ Has ‘the ability to juggle conflicting priorities’ ⚖ Will ‘ fully embed… in the business to plan for what may come next, and…….balance multiple roles with a positive attitude and warm communication style.’ 🤓 Has the ability to manage ‘international hiring complexities that required cross-functional collaboration’ 🌏 Had experience in and had ‘significantly impacted…. hiring efforts across EMEA & APAC’ as regions. 🗺 Was ‘particularly adept at navigating (both parties)…through the final interviews and decision-making stages’; 🏔 Frequently went ‘above and beyond’……to ensure success of the whole process and ‘has a constant desire to learn and grow’; and 🥇 Because we like assets who have enduring value…someone who was ‘worth more than his weight in gold’. Google or ChatGPT could have perhaps matched us with Ray, as the above were all direct testimonials from those who have worked with him. But, lucky for us, old fashioned ‘networking’ worked its magic and brought us together to deliver the gift of an ‘ intelligent, empathetic and responsive recruitment superstar’. We are super excited to add him to our team and armoury. Please join me in welcoming Ray Farncombe….already a pleasure! #lawpractice #teamgrowth

The Legal500 US 2024 version is now live! Whilst I still wonder what level of focus clients put on these directories - from a talent acquisition, profiling and competitor perspective they are the 'go to' benchmarking guide. They are the culmination of months of submissions, calls and analysis and provide an aggregated overview of the hard work and efforts of teams, Partners and other mentioned senior lawyers. Lawyers are fantastic advocates for their clients, not necessarily comfortable at advocating for themselves - but sharing an independent recognition quote on LinkedIn, their web profile or on their CV is often the only time they feel comfortable shouting their own corner (as they should) in building their brand. My favourite part is always the up-and-coming section—the rising stars…the future of the legal industry, especially when those names have been recognised and lit up in ‘legal500 lights’ for the first time. Link is below !

Because ‘life is made of small moments like this’… At the beginning of this year, our team agreed that one of our goals was to treasure the major milestones more - every time we facilitate a Partner or team move, wherever in the world that may be, to acknowledge and celebrate with them the significant moment in that person’s life, and the firm’s growth. So far this year that’s seen us raise our glasses to toast success in Paris, Luxembourg and last week, on a perfect summer’s evening, in New York. The view of the city was ‘wow’, perfectly reflecting the calibre of talent attending. Our toast this time - to a progressive global firm’s recent team acquisition in structured products, led by a Partner who’s built his reputation, brand and career to date by going the extra mile - investing constantly in knowledge growth to stay at the very top of his game, ensuring daily that he’s the best he can be for his clients, his team and the firm. The team around him reflect the same values, dedication and determination. Together with the firm’s outstanding global and New York’s finest team in finance, the combination promises to be one to watch, and we were thrilled to play a part in that process and have a seat at this table of 8. ‘Unquestionably cosmopolitan and impeccably suited to this sleek, chic, yet welcoming urban world’ - a description for the culinary journey delivered by the Chef, James Kent, bravely and successfully embarking on his first solo project at SAGA restaurant NYC… a description which could equally have been written about the firm and team involved.

As you look ahead to the next working week and are planning all the logistics to ensure your kids get to where they need to be, whilst making sure you are where you need to be….a bit of humorous reality… the juggle is real 😂

Sharing this for anyone who says ‘yes’ by default As someone who experienced what it felt like to have nothing early on in my life, and now getting my greatest sense of purpose and fulfilment through giving - saying ‘yes’ often is an instinctive reaction. This post is a great reminder about the importance of keeping your foundation firmly in place - saying no occasionally (or even ‘yes but it will need to be in a few weeks’) so you can say yes the majority of the time. #mentalhealth

Some insightful high-level analysis on growth (or not...) across the AMLaw 100, by City, covering 2018 to date - from our friends and global data experts over at Pirical. Not many surprises perhaps, in particular with the dramatic increase in demand over the last 6 years across Cyber, Privacy, and Data. But go Dallas! Check out Pirical's analysis of 'what's hot and what's not' here: https://lnkd.in/eJtZ6Ncp #AMLaw100

You know you’ve made it when …. very cool Ashurst 🏁

Lawyers can be powerful intermediaries. Some of the most successful partners I know in the industry around the world have one thing in common - for their clients and their people, they use their connections, reputation and platform to educate and introduce opportunities. Whether that’s helping a current or past team member who wants to move in-house, or two parties who end up doing business together. Through this, people get to know what they’re really about - on occasion they directly benefit, but most of the time they do it because they can and it’s in their DNA to help people. Which is why seeing two global leaders, Ashurst and ANZ, come together to understand, drive and support change for people with disabilities, using their voice to educate is so important and inspiring. Even in this short video snapshot about the Dylan Alcott Foundation, I learned something new. A reminder that the legal industry can be a powerful voice for necessary change. Loved this.