This past week, I've travelled to Sydney with my family to attend the Lawyer’s Weekly Partner of the Year Awards. It was really satisfying to see Ruby Assembly clients recognised as finalists—a testament to their hard work, vision, and willingness to differentiate in their practices. Alongside the awards, I attended the Partner’s Summit 2025, an event that brought together sharp minds in law to discuss the future of our industry.
Innovation and the Paradox of Risk Aversion
One of the most striking themes at this year’s summit was the relationship between innovation and risk in the legal sector. While the profession is often lauded for its intellectual rigour and commitment to detail, it is also notorious for its deep-seated risk aversion. As Simon Bennet of Southern Water Legal wryly observed, “At Uni, they beat the risk out of you!” This is more than a throwaway line—it’s a reflection of how legal education and professional culture can leave lawyers ill-equipped to embrace the calculated risks that are necessary for true innovation and entrepreneurial success.
For business owners—whether in law or any other field—overcoming this ingrained caution is essential. Building a practice, establishing a reputation, or launching a new idea all require a willingness to step into the unknown. The summit made it clear: the future belongs to those who can balance risk with vision, rather than those who reflexively avoid it.
Iolanthe and her husband, Yule Guttenbeil of Attune Legal
Justice Michael Lee: On Managerialism and the Metrics of Value
A particular highlight of the summit was the address by Justice Michael Lee, whose presence lent the proceedings a sense of gravity and intellectual depth. Justice Lee spoke candidly about the rise of “managerialism” in law firms—the increasing tendency to measure everything, including the most intangible aspects of legal expertise, by narrow business metrics such as ROI.
He shared the story of a highly respected senior lawyer whose career was deemed “at risk” because he hadn’t generated a significant volume of business in a niche category over the past year. Justice Lee questioned the wisdom—and the justice—of reducing a lifetime of expertise to a single, arbitrary metric. Does a “bad” year truly render an expert irrelevant? Is the value of a legal professional really so easily quantified?
This resonated deeply with me. In my own work supporting professionals to build their digital personae, I often encounter the same reductive thinking. Building a reputation is not a sprint; it is a long-term, cumulative process—more akin to constructing a cathedral than ticking off a quarterly KPI. To measure someone’s worth solely by short-term outputs is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of expertise and the slow, steady cultivation of professional standing.
The Business Development Challenge
The summit’s panel discussions also offered valuable insights, particularly from Sarah Rey of Justitia. She highlighted the rarity of “natural prospectors” in law—those who genuinely enjoy business development and relationship-building. “The business development muscle in lawyers must be actively promoted and grown,” she argued. In a profession that often prizes technical skill above all else, the ability to connect without fear of rejection is more important than ever.
Conclusion: Beyond the Numbers
Reflecting on my time in Sydney, I am more convinced than ever that the legal profession stands at a crossroads. The temptation to reduce everything to numbers—billables, ROI, business written—may offer a comforting sense of control, but it risks overlooking the true value of experience, reputation, and long-term contribution.
As we move forward, I encourage my colleagues—whether in law, business, or beyond—to resist the lure of easy metrics. Build your reputation with care and patience, and remember that real value is rarely captured in a single year’s results. Sydney was a reminder of the energy and potential within our profession. Here’s to building cathedrals, not just spreadsheets.
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