That DLA Piper should become embroiled in shoulder-shoving over something as marginal as partner stakes in LawVest says a lot. This is on some readings the world’s largest law firm – that partners are getting worked up over personal holdings in the much-touted but still embryonic ‘market-disrupting service delivery model’ seems a little odd. And that a good deal of the anger is focused on the firm’s co-chief executive Nigel Knowles (pictured) is particularly telling.
Knowles has led the firm since 1996 and, until relatively recently, his authority went unquestioned. A few reverses – in particular losses the firm sustained several years back in the Middle East – changed that dynamic. The anger over LawVest – which emanates largely from the firm’s northern heartlands – suggests DLA’s partnership hasn’t entirely forgiven or forgotten.
