Strategy and Positioning

We assist law firms to address their most complex strategic and organisational issues, and to develop actionable responses. We support firms in making and executing high-impact decisions directed at building powerful market positions. We provide an independent and objective perspective, supported by incisive research and analysis, coupled with a wealth of experience-based insights, thereby ensuring higher quality strategic decision-making, more powerful execution and superior results.

The fast-changing nature and increasing maturity of the legal sector requires a dynamic approach to strategy formulation: permanent competitive advantage does not exist. Crucial questions such as “where to play”; “how to play” and “can we win?” need constant law firm leadership attention. At Venturis we feel that strategy design must allow for flexibility and be integrated in and aligned with annual business planning and focused client targeting. We support law firm leaders in understanding and reading trends and factors affecting performance and profitable growth and in identifying the truly unique strengths of the firm. Our strategic review and intelligence capabilities significantly enhance the quality of strategic thinking in a firm.

Based on the analysis of the firm’s market, competitors, client base and sector focus – and where possible – with input from clients, we help our clients define concrete objectives and strategies to achieve profitable revenue growth.  By advising law firms how to align their objectives with client expectations and needs, we reduce their investment risk. We help law firms improve their clients’ experience at all important touch points of their client journey, develop programmes for revenue growth with existing and new clients, regarding product development or pricing policies, also considering how to marry existing good working practices with new ways of service delivery to respond to clients’ universal requests for cost reduction. We design and facilitate the use of metrics and structures with the right cultural fit to encourage and maintain new behaviours to ensure sustainable success.

We advise several international alliances which gives us a unique insight into and understanding of the strategic drivers for law firms to participate in such networks. We advise national, independent law firms on how they should best respond to the changing international competitive environment. We also advise such firms on developing and executing sound referral strategies in the light of ongoing consolidation, increasing national and international rivalry and the activities of new entrants.

Our partners have extensive experience with dozens of law firm mergers ranging from amongst the largest in the world to those involving firms of quite modest size. We have experience in the full range of such transactions from “peer-to-peer” mergers, to acquisitions / team hires, to office closures and/or divestments.

Our approach to identifying merger candidates is thorough, reaching far beyond superficial desktop studies. We assist with preparations for negotiations. We support negotiations acting either for one party or, preferably, as an independent go-between. Our broad experience enhances due diligence investigations and helps uncover issues that could cause post-merger difficulties. We also advise the newly created firm on developing a powerful joint strategy.

We design and facilitate the post-merger integration of systems for the combined firm. The broad, in-house experience that several of our partners have had in complex post-merger integrations in some of the world’s leading firms makes us uniquely able to advise clients on the alignment of all aspects of the legacy firms, to create a single, coherent business platform that delivers the best possible combined performance.

We have an excellent track record in designing and executing market entries for law firms in the United States, the United Kingdom and, in particular, Europe. We understand the challenges involved in entering and setting up a successful operation in a new jurisdiction, having been on “both sides of the fence”. We advise clients on the strategic rationale for entering a particular market and develop the entry strategy that achieves the firm’s objectives and is aligned with the firm’s overall strategy. Similarly, most of our clients instruct us to identify potential merger candidates and execute the actual merger or acquisition.

As the pressure on legal departments is growing, it can no longer just reactively service business needs as they emerge. Being a limited resource, Legal must focus on the things that add most value, and support the company in navigating market shifts, new business eco systems, emerging risks, digital transformation and business development. The legal department must take a more strategic approach to the role it plays in the organization. We help you clarify your vision, mission and role, to ensure you spend your time and energy on the business-critical matters, and position right within the enterprise.

Legal departments are no longer just a cost centre, or a siloed legal expertise powerhouse servicing the business, or just a risk manager, but are transitioning into an integrated business value creator. To manage this shift, Legal must find effective ways to align efforts and outcomes to business strategy and business targets, embed legal and compliance in business, and develop the right internal partnering models. We help you build the right business alignment structures and develop metrics and the right legal dashboard and other ways to showcase your contribution to business.

Legal departments are struggling to manage ever-increasing workload and expanding responsibilities. To free up time and make sure to spend time on the truly value-adding work, Legal must set up boundaries around what it does and does not do in core areas. Strategy is just as much about defining what not to do. We help you clarify roles and responsibilities and position right in in key areas, such as Contracting, Corporate Housekeeping and Governance, Risk Management and Compliance, and develop the right alternative solutions for work that is transferred from Legal.