A growing law firm has said it will break with tradition by appointing three joint leaders from next year.

Vikki Herbert, Anthony Macey and Emma Thompson will all become joint managing partners of south east firm Thackray Williams when the current incumbent Sean Saunders steps down next March.

The trio have been with the firm for around 20 years each and have sat on the board since its inception in 2019.

‘Having worked so closely together, when it came to succession planning, it seemed a natural evolution for the three of us to take over together, even though this means breaking with industry norms,’ said Macey, who heads the private wealth sector.

‘It also shows that there is no ego between us. We share the same ambitions for the firm and have a proven track record of working together to surpass our goals. Our aim for growth is now stronger than ever; it would be hard for one person to take the business where we want it to go. Having a senior management team of three broadens the commitment and skills to deliver our vision.’

The firm has ambitions to become a top 200 practice after posting revenue of £12.2m for 2023/24 – an increase of 9.1%. It now has 140 staff working from one office in the City of London and three more in Kent. The business has increased its focus on commercial work in recent years and is targeting revenue of £15m by 2026/7 and £20m by 2030.

Thompson added: ‘We all know each other well and have a healthy difference in perspectives, which is helpful. And we’re good at holding each other accountable.

‘You cannot have ambitious growth plans unless you’re prepared to do that – even if it means some challenging conversations – to ensure everything is driving in the right direction.’

Herbert, who heads the real estate sector, will take responsibility for business development, risk, compliance and client service. Macey will assume responsibility for the firm’s financial operations, performance and business analysis. Thompson, who heads the employment and corporate and commercial sectors, will also lead business development as well as strategic recruitment. They will all continue reduced levels of fee-earning work in their respective areas and will each be based at different offices.

And what if the joint leaders fail to agree on something?

Macey said: ‘In five years of working together on the board, our aligned vision and firm trust in one another’s fields of experience mean we have always been able to reach agreement about the decisions that we are ultimately making on behalf of the partners for the benefit of the business.

‘If the unprecedented situation were to arise where we had different thoughts about the options open to us, the beauty of having three individuals on the leadership team is that we would have the ability to go with the majority vote.’

 

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