What It’s Like to Practice at a Truly Entrepreneurial Law Firm

Seasoned attorneys, whether at a traditional firm, a hybrid or distributed firm, or solo, often recognize they aren’t really able to build the practice and pursue the clients they really want to. Very often there’s an awareness the firm’s operating model also holds them back.

This recognition, which manifests as dissatisfaction, might be focused on the lack of autonomy, limits to flexibility, the firm’s focus on hours, or the hierarchical layers that limit their potential earnings. It might be the lack of access to a global network of colleagues, limited practice support, or the absence of physical offices. It could be the inability to pursue other interests, or to modify their lifestyle as priorities shift. And often, it is a combination of all, or most, of these factors.

A more evolved model is gaining attention in the US: the entrepreneurial law firm.

gunnercooke, already highly successful across the UK and Europe, has a deliberately designed model built around autonomy, flexibility, and collaboration. Senior lawyers in the US are taking note as the firm expands here.

Collaboration by design

Veteran lawyers fall into two camps. One camp is contentment. The other is camp entrepreneur—those looking to drive growth and operate at the nexus of law and business. Whether the firms they’re currently at refer to themselves as hybrid, distributed or fee-sharing, the reality is that they typically only offer informal referral networks, with less meaningful opportunities to connect across practices or geographies. Partner frustration arises from working alone, without robust internal resources or a peer community.

For gunnercooke partners, collaboration is foundational. With offices in New York, Chicago, London, and across Europe, and with more than 150 events each year—both virtual and in-person—there is ample opportunity for lawyers to see one another in-person and deepen relationship. Partners regularly meet through symposiums, lunch clubs, community groups, sporting trips, and online networking.

The firm accepts just 20% of applicants, selecting senior lawyers who are both entrepreneurial and genuinely collaborative. The result is a community of top-tier attorneys—more than 50% of partners have worked at Top 50 law firms—who value working together.

The outcome is impressive, and measurable. More than 30% of gunnercooke’s annual billings are generated through internal referrals, an exceptionally high figure that attests to collaboration as the norm.

World-wide access for building global practices

For many lawyers considering a move, global reach is a must-have. Many law firms in the US can lack built-in global access. When there’s an established network of top-level peers, who embrace cross-border collaborations, geographic siloing is eliminated and the door opens for partners to seize opportunities wherever they may occur.

With more than 450 partners worldwide, experience across 123 countries, and offices spanning the US, UK, Germany, and Austria, gunnercooke partners have immediate access to colleagues who can support complex cross-border matters for international clients. And where attorneys at other fee-distributed firms may be constrained by a lack of resources or structural barriers, gunnercooke’s global network of partners also cover some of the most interesting and emerging areas in law.

Autonomy, transparency, and fair remuneration

One of the loudest frustrations voiced by senior lawyers is a lack of control: over billing rates, fee arrangements, work location, and even how advice is delivered. Even at many fee-distributed firms, compensation structures can be opaque, with partners often subsidizing costs unrelated to their own practices.

Partners at gunnercooke set their own rates, choose their clients, decide how and where they work, and select the fee structures that meet client needs. It’s an entrepreneurial mindset that prioritizes transparency and freedom. The firm’s work is split almost evenly between the hourly and fixed, proof that lawyers can recommend what is in their clients’ best interests and build long-term trust, without being constrained by billable-hour incentives.

Compensation is intentionally transparent, with Partners receiving a market-leading rate of 90% on all fees in the top fee-share band. There is no compensation committee, no hidden costs, no financial baggage. It’s as simple as: “you bill X, and receive Y.”

The referral model further reinforces collaboration and is equally transparent. Partners receive (a recommended) 10–20% of net billings for internal work referrals, and up to 5% of fees generated by lawyers they introduce to the firm.

Infrastructure support without the managerial burden

Autonomy does not mean going it alone. Attorneys, especially at the senior level, know that their days are best spent building their practice, not on back-end functions. But growth can’t happen without support.

Partners at gunnercooke have access to a centralized support infrastructure—gcTrust—that handles finance, compliance, IT, marketing, talent, and partner services. By removing administrative drag, which often consumes up to half of a lawyer’s day, gunnercooke partners gain back time to do more professionally and personally. Partners set their own goals. There are no timesheets, billable-hour targets, minimum books of business, or mandated meetings.

They are also supported with in-house business coaching. Partners continually cite this refreshingly rare resource as key to fueling their business planning and growth ambitions.

Proof the entrepreneurial model works

Law is based on fact and precedent, and gunnercooke’s model is validated by clear-cut data. Since 2010, the firm has grown to more than 650 lawyers globally, including 450 partners, with revenue significantly outpacing the legal services market. Partner retention exceeds 95%. Client satisfaction is reflected in a Net Promoter Score of +94, well above industry norms, with clients including Google, Nike, Santander, Rolls-Royce, and Mercedes. The firm has been awarded recognition by Lexis/Nexis, Legal 500, Chambers, Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, and Times Best Law Firms—to name just a few of the over 100 accolades.

There’s a wide community of senior lawyers who are already convinced of the advantages of fee-sharing. But for some, there’s a desire for something that’s more evolved and also proven: a place where they can shape their practice around their ambitions; collaborate with like-minded, growth-oriented peers; retain more of the value they create; and have balance in and away from work.

To explore what an entrepreneurial law firm can mean for your practice, and learn more about gunnercooke, reach out to James Goulbourne.