The story of a Sage, a Protégé and the Two Potentials
What if you could have an external point of view on a potential merger.
Service: Designing a bespoke workshop to support a law-firm merger, and determine whether an equal-share duo could retain their culture whilst doubling their partners.
My client was at his wits end. Nearing his 70’s, and with retirement looming, this ground-breaking lawyer was looking to secure his business partner’s future and enter the next phase of his life.
The boutique firm consisted of an equal share partnership between my direct client, The Sage, and a younger partner, The Protégé. The equality of the business represents their core value of trust and is a rare setup in legal partnerships of mis-matched experience and depth of client networks.
The duo have a happy symbiotic existence. The gregarious Sage, a natural networker and connector, draws highly technical and interesting work for the pair, and the Protégé is empowered to pursue detailed and complex work, deploying knowledge expertise and flair.
Working remotely they are in constant contact, untangling problems, seeking council from one another, and balancing their respective skill sets.
Advise fearlessly is at the core of who we are
CLient quote
Their approach of “advising fearlessly” places the client’s best interests at the heart of their work. Giving advice that the client may not wish to hear but that was in their better interests, and serving a higher meaning to the role of advocate.
The Sage and Protégé sought my help ahead of a merger with the Two Potentials
This trusting and equal partnership sought to expand, positing that more partners would secure a diverse and steady workflow. The pair sought my help to vet the potential merger, and determine future compatibility.
Enter the Two PotentialS
Potential One entered our workshop space, with warmth and smiles. He had an easy going nature, eschewing of traditional legal garb in place of an Arc’teryx gilet, he exuded an openness that filled the room. Asking questions of others with curiosity and openness.
Potential Two, garbed in Pin-stripes and wool-coated, every bit the story-book lawyer. Fast-talking and effusive, Potential Two was keen to share their thoughts and feelings on the next stages of their assumed embarkation together. Earnest to reiterate his network and connections, as well as recent successes on the legal battlefield.
The workshop
The merger workshop was scheduled for 4 hours, with a planned break point at a natural moment in the agenda.
The workshop was carefully planned to ensure that child-care duties could be easily fulfilled, acknowledging the importance of work-life balance to the incumbents and value-signalling to the incoming.
Settling into a quiet, modestly sized and naturally lit conference room, we settled around a table where everyone was in arms reach and a LCD screen was easily visible to all. Water, paper, pens were available and most opted to scribble, doodle as they thought or take notes on iPads.
The workshop entailed a series of simple, poignant questions posed to the group via the screen. Aimed to reveal to one other their respective inner beliefs and motivations.
Questions like:
- What does success look like?
- What does it look like when you are at your best?
- What makes a good lawyer?
- What does it look like when you’re not at your best?
- What could cause that?
- What does partnership mean to you?
Simple questions, carefully ordered, led the group to reveal a significant mis-match in their underlying values and respective vision for success.
The Sage was all about trust
The Protégé valued the client’s success and the quest for the answer
Potential One was also client focussed and mirrored the values of The Protégé
Potential Two revealed his motivations to be in status and success, largely defined by monetary outcomes
The outcome
The skill in a facilitator lies in the ability to shape an environment, questions and framework to reveal for the participants a desired outcome that they themselves create and are accountable for.
In this case, the goal was for the Sage and Protégé to be confident in their merger with The Potentials.
It was not to be.
The workshop revealed a deep mismatch in the values of the quartet. As a result, Sage and Protégé determined that they would continue as they were, without the Potentials.
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