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How Acquiring a Non-Legal CEO Helped Boost Success | Robert Hankin
What’s the Story?
As a medium sized law firm in Birmingham City Centre, Continuum Corporate Lawyers felt like the competition was stiff and, although they were doing well, their profile wasn’t strong enough to compete. Robert Hankin, Partner at Continuum Corporate Lawyers shares his experience working with an External CEO and the surprising benefits it brings. This is an interesting case!“
Having a non-lawyer CEO is quite common in far larger law firms but for a firm the size of Continuum it doesn’t seem logical! Saying that, Bart has already brought so much to the table. A new set of skills, strategies and methods he has successfully applied to many other businesses of a similar size. This is the rejuvenation Continuum needed and shows that appointing an external CEO can work for a firm of any size.
– Robert Hankin, Partner at Continuum Corporate Lawyers”
Here’s What Robert had to say
“We felt we were fishing in a very small pool with a lot of other fishermen! This proved to be a huge obstacle. One of our goals was to increase our profile in the region and building our reputation as a trustworthy, experienced team of lawyers. The Continuum portfolio needed to grow, and we needed to cast a wider net resulting in more sales. As a team, we knew we needed to do something differently but had no idea where to start.
We were first introduced to Bart through a business mentor. Although his background predominantly lies in business and finance, we knew Continuum needed an outside business-brain that could deliver expertise spanning sales, strategy, marketing and management. These are key areas that often lie outside of a lawyer’s remit. After a few initial meetings with Bart, he clearly demonstrated he possesses these skills in abundance. We were confident he was the right man for the job.
Where’s the Value in Hiring an external CEO?
Having a non-lawyer CEO is quite common in far larger law firms but for a firm the size of Continuum it doesn’t seem logical! Saying that, Bart has already brought so much to the table. A new set of skills, strategies and methods he has successfully applied to many other businesses of a similar size. This is the rejuvenation Continuum needed and shows that appointing an external CEO can work for a firm of any size.
We found that this is one of the most valuable aspects of appointing an external CEO: the innovation that comes with it. Fresh perspective is crucial when one of your primary goals is to seek untapped opportunities. Opportunities that are easily overlooked when you are in the business day-to-day focusing on existing clients and cases. Bart has brought so much passion and energy to Continuum. This enthusiasm has rubbed off onto the entire team!
After appointing B.D. we have diversified our dependence on a few key clients and increased our profile in the Mergers and Acquisitions market. We couldn’t be happier with our decision to hire Bart.”
– Robert Hankin, Partner at Continuum Corporate Lawyers
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