The Case for Out-of-Industry Leadership

What impact do you think out-of-industry hires bring to the law firm environment?

Leaders from outside of the legal world can bring a different perspective that helps to accelerate a firm’s operations and culture. They introduce approaches from more scaled or innovation-driven sectors such as smarter operational models, practical change management and data management skills. Their arrival often shakes up long-standing habits, encouraging broader strategic thinking and as a result, makes the firm more adept to change, grow and scale with the market. In short, they help law firms modernize and scale by providing outside-in thinking and a welcome opportunity to reevaluate ways of working.

Which industry prepares leaders best to give law firms a competitive edge? Does it differ by role (COO/CFO/CTO etc.)?

There is not one single industry that produces the best leaders for law firms, each industry has its own intricacies and skills that can prove useful in the legal world. For that reason, I am open to the idea that a good leader can come from anywhere. For example, the professional services and financial services environments develop leaders with a deep understanding of client centricity, operational scale, and disciplined process management which make for great COOs. Meanwhile, for CIOs, technology and digital-first industries prepare leaders to manage rapid innovation cycles and enterprise-wide digital transformation. Ultimately, what matters most is experience operating in large, complex, globally connected organizations where client outcomes sit at the heart of decision-making.

What roles if any should not be drawn from a non-law talent pool?

Some positions require deep legal sector knowledge and technical expertise and therefore should remain within the industry. These include General Counsel roles, senior risk and compliance leadership, and practice group management positions where understanding the nuances of legal service delivery is critical.

For broader business leadership positions, however, restricting the search to legal-only talent often limits innovation and the benefit of gaining expertise and best practices from outside of our industry.

Will law firms move closer to the management consulting model?

To some degree, this is already beginning to happen. As clients seek a more holistic, 360 support model from their firms, law firms are listening to their needs and starting to offer more services to solve those problems and go beyond legal advice. This can range from assisting with legal technology implementation, strategic counsel and risk management.

At the same time, we’re seeing the rise of alternative “consulting-style” legal models. But I believe success lies not in fully replicating the consulting model, but in selectively blending its strengths (structured problem solving, multidisciplinary delivery, project-based working) while preserving the deep expertise and trusted-advisor role inherent to law firms.

Those who achieve the right balance will be best positioned to compete.

As an out of industry leader yourself, what has most surprised you about joining a law firm?

There is a persistent myth that law firms resist change, but my experience has been quite the opposite. Lawyers are naturally inquisitive and analytical: they want to understand the rationale behind a proposal, and once they do, they embrace new ideas with speed and enthusiasm. Ultimately, they want to advance their clients’ business ambitions and doing so calls for a positive, can-do mindset which I have seen in spades since joining Dentons.

I’ve also been impressed by how often our lawyers proactively bring forward new ideas, identify opportunities for improvement, and collaborate on solutions. They have been tremendous partners in driving progress across the firm and are a continual source of inspiration.

You brought in 3 new Chief leaders recently (Global Chief Information Officer, Global Chief Clients & Markets Officer, Global Chief Legal Officer), what do these roles enable you and the firm to achieve?

The appointments of our Global Chief Legal Officer, Global Chief Clients and Markets Officer and Global Chief Information Officer represent strategic investments in Dentons' future. Each leader plays a critical role in helping the Firm navigate a rapidly shifting landscape marked by regulatory change, technological advancement, and evolving client needs across more than 85 countries. Ensuring that our teams have dedicated support in these areas is key for coordination across our global breadth and creating a strong, unified experience for our lawyers and clients alike through improved processes, culture and client service.

How have you focused on the successful integration of 3 new Chiefs into the team?

Most importantly, we welcome our new Chiefs with intention through a dedicated 90-day integration plan. We created opportunities for them to engage with partners, firm leadership and key stakeholders in their first few days to help build those relationships and establish trust from the get-go. From those meetings, we made sure that our leaders had a clear understanding of their remit and how it connects to the wider Dentons landscape and our priorities. Finally, our regular Chiefs meetings ensure that they have open communication with the leadership team and help to foster natural cross-functional collaboration. Overall, successful integration relies on building a clear path forward for your leaders and creating an environment of support and trust.

All 3 hires are being promoted into the Chief position for the first time - What did you see in these individuals that wasn't seen in experienced C-level leaders you interviewed?

Each leader brought a strong track record of delivering meaningful change in complex environments. Beth Taylor (Global Chief Legal Officer) and Jonathan Gardner (Global Chief Clients and Markets Officer) bring extensive senior leadership experience across the legal sector, having led major firmwide initiatives with measurable impact. Shane Mercer’s (Global Chief Information Officer) 25-year tenure at Dentons speaks to both deep institutional knowledge and a proven ability to modernize our technological infrastructure.

Beyond technical expertise, they demonstrated exceptional learning agility, a collaborative leadership style, and the ability to inspire teams across regions and cultures. Cultural alignment was also critical; our leadership team must model the behaviors and values we want to see across the firm. In each case, these leaders clearly embodied that.

How did you go about hiring these leaders? What do you look for in a search partner if you go down this route?

In terms of the profile we sought out, we were primarily on the hunt for candidates that demonstrated excellent leadership in global, matrixed organizations, backed by a strong level of emotional intelligence and people skills to lead our teams with conviction and care. The balance of hearts and smarts is key for us. We do engage with search firms to assist us in finding the best talent in the market and across our industry – a good understanding of Dentons, our culture and our priorities is therefore a primary quality we look for in these partners.

What should Managing Partners and COOs across the industry be thinking about most when it comes to their Executive team?

As we continue through a period defined by geopolitical complexity and rapid technological advancement, it is imperative that your team be ready to lead through uncertainty. Do your leaders have an idea of where the sector is going? Do they know what capabilities the team will need to stay competitive? And do they have an idea of what the path towards that may look like?

In line with this, executive teams must remain closely connected to their broad professional networks to understand how wider market forces and innovations in other sectors may impact the legal landscape. This external perspective is essential for anticipating shifts early and positioning the firm to respond with agility. Equally important is building mechanisms to continually track changes in client expectations and needs. Leaders who stay close to client sentiment through data, feedback, and direct engagement are better equipped to ensure the firm’s capabilities remain aligned with what clients will value next.

None of this can be done in isolation, so integration and collaboration – both within the leadership team and more deeply throughout the organization – will be imperative to ensure that your team works as a cohesive unit towards the firm's shared goals.