I ran a group of companies in Europe for a while, and one of the companies was in the building and construction sector. There was a special set of laws that applied to this sector. The company was in major trouble when I was tasked with keeping it alive and then turning it around. There was litigation and threats of litigation all over the place in my first 12 months.
This was the only business in the group in the construction industry, so there was no relevant in-house legal expertise. I had studied law at university and decided as Chief Exec to attend regular seminars delivered by a dry-witted law professor who specialised in BauRecht.
All of my classmates were owner-operators or managers with extensive industry knowledge. I was the only industry-ignorant participant when I started. I also had to run this company in German, and there were several other “challenges”, including a mafia boss. That’s another story altogether!
All of us had our own views on the legal profession, which made us laugh when we found out what the law professor thought about our industry. He dryly announced during the first seminar that he had thought of writing a book on the construction industry based on his personal experience and that of his family and friends and that he wasn’t to name it “Swimming with Sharks.”
Many in the course laughed out loud, amused and self-aware, but not disputing the joke.
Partner Interview preparation and career coaching for lawyers
Over the years, I have helped many lawyers with their careers both in private practice and within large organisations. There are very few sectors where life can change so dramatically with just one promotion. A senior associate or associate could increase their earnings four-fold or more by becoming a Partner – a life-changing event.
Becoming a Partner in a Professional Services Firm
This is also true if you become a Partner in any major Professional Services company in accounting, consultancy or law – especially if you can enter as a reasonably highly ranked Partner.
Click the link below to see my experience working in shark-infested legal waters.