Could mellowed Angel be rival's missing Link?

Tony Angel has his critics - particularly with regard to his management style - but there is no getting away from the success his particular brand of management has brought to Linklaters during his nine-year tenure.

The key point about Tony is that he was one of the first professional law firm managing partners, if not the first. He got the top job at Linklaters because of his skills as a manager and leader, not because he was a rainmaker or represented a powerful department. As such he paved the way for the likes of David Childs at Clifford Chance and Neville Eisenberg at Berwin Leighton Paisner.

I must say, having met Tony on a number of occasions, that I have always found his direct, no-nonsense approach rather refreshing. He is certainly not one to beat about the bush. Then again, I can imagine such an approach rubbing partners up the wrong way, especially during the years when he was waging war on performance.

One partner who has worked closely with Tony says he has mellowed significantly during his time as managing partner. Experience, the partner says, has taught Angel to listen more carefully to the views of others before taking action in an effort to build consensus.

All of which bodes well for whatever he does in the future. And he should have a lot to offer. After all, he is still only in his mid-50s and he is not the kind of person to sit around twiddling his thumbs. Then again, executive roles for ex-managing partners are few and far between - a topic that Bill Knight has something to say about in Legal Village’s inaugural blog.

I may be wrong, but somehow I can’t see him becoming a general counsel. I imagine he is too used to telling other people what to do to relish the prospect of being just another cog in a wheel, however big that wheel may be.

Who knows? Perhaps one of the UK firms outside the magic circle might be tempted to sign him up as their new all-powerful chief executive. Now that really would be fun.