Major Projects Partner | Special Counsel stepping up

Location: Brisbane
Discipline: partner & special counsel
Job type: Permanent
Salary: $350,000 to $1M++
Contact name: Craig Ashton-Sward

Contact email: craig@lawstaff.com.au
Job ref: 2573670
Published: about 3 years ago
  • Resourceful National Law Firm with 30% Growth
  • Prominent Government Panel | State and Commonwealth
  • Circa $250K (SC), $350K+ Bonuses (SP), to $1M++ (EP)
THE FIRM 

With the average age of its Partners in their early 40's, it is a firm with a deep level of technical capability while also being a relatively young and highly collaborative partnership. 

Our client has a strategic plan of expanding further with the appointment of an additional Partner in their Major Projects Practice. The appointment will also accommodate a Special Counsel looking to step up to Salaried Partner level on commencement. The firm is on Local Government, State Government, and Commonwealth Government Panels and is looking to increase their service levels having an acute understanding of the financial, ethical, legislative and policy frameworks in servicing their clients' needs. 
 
THE ROLE
   
The firm is now seeking a talented lawyer ideally of 10 to 20 years experience to join their highly-regarded Major Projects practice group. You will work closely with 3 Partners in the Projects & Infrastructure space, while collaborating with several Partners from other practice groups who service the Government space.

The preferred candidate will have a primary focus on at least 2 of the following practice areas to supplement the firm's existing capabilities:
  • Major Projects & Infrastructure - including road, rail, airports, power, hospitals, schools;
  • Construction contract drafting;
  • Competitive tendering and procurement;
  • Project Management.
WHAT YOU NEED

The expectations are genuinely for 10-20 years post-admission experience, in at least 2 of these service lines. A fair portion of that experience must have been recently obtained in Brisbane in a mid-tier or a large national practice where your skills have been developed advising government departments or agencies in this particular stream, preferably on PPP Projects.

Indicative of your skillset in servicing these demographic clients, you will have existing relationships at various levels within State/Commonwealth Government departments or with Tier 1 or Tier 2 Contractors. 
 
In addition, you will have well-developed team management skills and a high level of commercial acumen and a strong client focus.


WHAT YOU GET
   
This is a lateral appointment into Partnership. For entry level Partners they offer generous salaries, plus bonuses on modest KPI's. For Equity Partners their earnings are well in excess of industry benchmarks without the need to compromise on prestige or resources.
  
While other firms are cost-shedding to maintain their profit pool, this firm maintains an extensive local and national back-office infrastructure that underpins the very success of each partner. They have had zero redundancies, have maintained a seamless transition to working remotely, and have exceeded their budget during and after lockdown.

OUR EXPERIENCE
 
In challenging times, there has been the need for law firms to recalibrate in order to maintain a competitive advantage and a sustainable profit pool for its Partners. Those that have managed this have emerged as magnets to other partners looking to transition their clients to a more innovative and profitable platform.

With 30 years as specialist consultants to the legal profession, Law Staff has an impressive history of facilitating discreet moves for partners (and whole teams) to specialist, mid or top tier practices, all while providing critical intelligence on:
  • Individual profitability of the relevant firms;
  • Partnership structures and equity distribution;
  • Strategic growth plans;
  • Intra/Cross practice compatibility;
  • Historical transitions;
  • Performance expectations; as well as
  • Partnership culture and idiosyncrasies (trust us when we say that no one firm is perfect).
In addition, our Senior Client Advisors have assisted hundreds of partners in writing detailed business plans that identify only relevant information including key practice components as well as transitioning requirements, and less of the white noise. We advise you when the appropriate time is to table this information to ensure your commercial interests are preserved. Most importantly, we will only ever confer with the relevant Managing Partner after you have done your research and at a time when you have expressed in writing that you are ready to take that cautious next step. Absolutely everything stays in the vault until that time. A list of partner references can be made available at your request.

THE NEXT STEPS

At Law Staff we offer meetings over Zoom/FaceTime/Teams, or a lounge room setting for a relaxed confidential discussion over coffee/tea, allowing you to comfortably provide us with an understanding of your considerations in that next move. 

For a uncompromisingly confidential discussion, please quote MP080621 and contact either:
  • Craig Ashton-Sward (Director & Senior Client Advisor) 
  • craig@lawstaff.com.au
  • 0413 743 838 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm 7 days)
or
  • Trudy Reading (Client Advisor)
  • trudy@lawstaff.com.au 
  • 0401 504 203 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm 7 days)

Feel free to maintain your anonymity in the first instance if you choose.

LawStaff | Level 22 HSBC Building | 300 Queen Street | Brisbane