While the logic of DLA Piper’s appointment of ex-Linklaters head Tony Angel isn’t hard to fathom, it turns on a gamble which no-one in the legal industry knows the answer to: can you bring in an experienced lawyer to lead (which largely means change) another major law firm?
We’re in the field of educated guesses, so little tested is the theory. Though common in public companies, the received wisdom in law is that you can’t get the political capital necessary to lead without first putting in years as a successful partner. (Angel’s reputation as a leader now so totally overshadows his achievements as a practitioner it is forgotten that he was a highly formidable tax lawyer; Steve Edge at Slaughter and May wrote a letter of thanks to Linklaters for promoting a key rival out of client work).
