How I did it. Building your own practice inside gunnercooke by gunnercooke

After rising to a level of seniority, lawyers question: “Am I getting everything I want out of my career—and my life?” For me, that time came when I realized I missed collegiality. I was at a big investment firm, so it wasn’t the lack of people, it was the culture. As a lawyer turned investment banker, I decided to return to my first passion, the law. I wanted to hang my shingle where I could build a long-term practice in a collaborative culture. gunnercooke provided the structure to support me, the process to connect with colleagues, and the autonomy to write my own script. Here’s how I did it.

The search for the ideal distributed law firm

Making a move mid-career, with teenage kids at home, is not a change I took lightly. I did enough diligence to make sure that wherever I landed, it would be the right fit for the long term. I knew that working in New York big law, which I’d done earlier in my career, wasn’t the right choice. I talked to several hybrid law firms in the US, but they weren’t as well established here as they are in Europe. One nagging sticking point: the lack of physical offices. Gunnercooke started in the UK, and as the firm’s expanded across Europe and the US over the past 16 years, it has built out its offices as a foundation for maintaining connections among colleagues.

Through a very deliberate vetting process, I could see real collaboration taking place at gunnercooke, plus personalities that were genuine, open and passionate. I reached out to partners in both the US and Europe offices, and the reception was spectacular[MG1] . I was meeting people all day long. I had been in corporate America a long time and realized this was a different environment. Everyone had made a very intentional move to be a part of this community.

Getting started with help from all around gunnercooke

When I first arrived at gunnercooke, I went into the offices frequently. As I got more comfortable with the firm and the people, I found I could be very effective as, what I call, “an intentional office user.” I will always opt to meet someone in person and use the office as a base. Then, I use the firm’s tech infrastructure to maintain these meaningful connections.

Having transitioned from deal making at an investment firm back to law, my book of business had plenty of scope to grow. It was incumbent upon me to develop my business, but that didn’t mean going it alone. I soaked up everything from the business coach gunnercooke provides new partners. I started dialing colleagues and picked up meaningful assignments. As I developed a network inside gunnercooke, my business expanded. I made it clear I was easy to work with, offered my capacity, and was interested in durable relationships.

And support goes beyond the other partners. The value of gcTrust, the centralized support infrastructure, cannot be overstated. Along with being extremely good at their roles in IT, marketing, compliance, finance, and partner services, the interactions are all human-to-human. We all go to the same networking events and meetings, which fosters personal relationships. The culture is, “How do we make the partner happy and help their business grow, and make things easy for them and their clients.” You don’t come across this every day at law firms.

A turning point in my law practice and life

My practice is going from strength to strength. Specifically, I recently picked up two evergreen corporate clients as they build out their businesses. One originated from an inquiry a European partner sent to the NY office looking for a partner to work on a US corporate matter. We connected and we clicked.

Conversely, when an oil and gas deal was referred to me, I reached out to a partner who used to work at one of London’s top ten law firms and had led over 150 financings in energy. He took time out from his vacation to be in the pitch meeting.

In any other environment, I would be told to stay in my lane. Here, my job is to develop business and decide in what capacity: either as lead or referral.

Importantly, I’m enjoying a lifestyle I thought I could never have. Before gunnercooke, I was leaving for work at 4 am and returning home late after dinner. In making my move, I wanted to preserve personal time. With gunnercooke a blank canvass for how you want to interact, I’ve gained back three hours each day. I have flexibility and purpose that I never enjoyed at home before.

The reinforcement that I can do this for the long term

My work is interesting. I’m stimulated and learning new things. I share ideas with my counterparts. One client told me, “You aren’t the cheapest, but I enjoy our interaction. Send me an engagement letter.” I reach out to other partners when I need another set of eyes. The attitude is “let’s tackle this together.”

In another recent instance, this extra set of eyes lead to expanding an engagement. Instead of just providing counsel for formation, it’s now for the entire process through to fundraising and serving as the client’s strategic advisor. When you can bring in partners with other expertise, they identify opportunities for engagement that neither of you see independently. This is growing my business.

I’m just scratching the surface of collaboration. I’m finding other like-minded partners within the firm and, in turn, I’m finding two-way opportunities. My gunnercooke colleagues freely share their guidance, whether it’s for legal, building my practice or personal interests.

And I’m relishing the autonomy. There’s no one sitting over me mandating this or that. I can go out and create the type of business I want, interact the way I want, and charge what I want. If a client doesn’t meet what would be the minimum at another law firm, it’s not an issue here. That flexibility is enormous. 

So, going back to the question that spurred my move: Am I getting everything out of my career? Out of my personal life? The answer is: More than I could have ever imagined.

If you’d like to learn more about what gunnercooke can mean to your law practice and your lifestyle, or would like to talk to a partner directly, reach out to James Goulborne at [email protected].

About the author:
Ian Ratner is an experienced corporate and securities lawyer, specializing in counselling business owners, private equity & venture funds and middle-market companies with formation, acquisition, dispositions, joint ventures, commercial contracts and debt & equity financing. He has over 30 years’ experience as a business leader and practicing attorney. He regularly advises on day-to-today business issues including corporate and LLC structuring, general contract review, franchise agreements and corporate governance matters. As a finance professional, Ian’s various roles and responsibilities included leading the Venture Services and Corporate Executive Services groups; crafting investment strategies for UHNW individuals and leading due diligence efforts for long-only and alternative investment opportunities

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To learn more about gunnercooke, reach out to James Goulbourne, Chief of Staff at gunnercooke.