Michael Shaw is managing partner of Cobbetts. He is also non-executive chairman of Scottish law firm Pagan Osborne.
Were you always destined for management or was it thrust upon you?
Neither – I was 39 and thought I knew better!
How would you define your management philosophy (in 20 words or less)?
Treat people decently and keep growing the firm’s ambition.
How does management compare to fee earning?
There is no barometer as to how you are doing. In management, good years are down to your partners and bad years are down to you.
What is the most difficult aspect of your job? And the most rewarding?
The most difficult aspect is helping partners confront their insecurities. The most rewarding aspect of my job is the people I work with.
How do you get to know junior lawyers/trainees in a firm with so many fee earners?
By trying to walk the floors and just talking to people.
How do you sell your firm to potential recruits?
Cobbetts offers huge potential for the right people and our recruitment advertising reflects this. We complete fast-paced, highly complex and interesting work for some of the best-known names in business today; work that many people might be forgiven for thinking is only available in the City. And, while we are opening a corporate finance practice in London, our reputation as one of the leading regional law firms is attractive to many potential recruits.
Who is your management guru or idol?
The numerous colleagues I work with, all of whom are a lot brighter than me.
What is the biggest challenge facing your firm over the next 12 months?
Cobbetts went through a period of considerable change last year with the partner restructuring exercise. We need to put that behind us and concentrate on exploiting our platform and market position. It’s an exciting time.
What achievement are you most proud of as a law firm leader?
I would settle for the fact that we have retained a culture of inherent decency despite creating a national firm over the last 10 years.
Have you read Sun Tzu’s The Art Of War?
No, I fall asleep too quickly nowadays.
How will you know when it is time to call it a day?
When I no longer have an allocated car parking space.
