Board
Rebecca Normand-Hochman
Rebecca Normand-Hochman is a certified leadership coach and consultant who brings research-based people management strategies to the legal sector. More
Rebecca Normand-Hochman is a certified leadership coach and consultant who brings research-based people management strategies to the legal sector. Since 2010, she has been helping leaders, partners and emerging leaders of International firms and leading national firms in Europe implement leadership best practices through coaching.
As a former international finance lawyer in London and Paris, Rebecca knows the complex leadership challenges that lawyers face. She has also experienced the specific management and leadership challenges that «herding cats» requires in every day’s practice of law.
In combining these experiences with her broad legal and human capital backgrounds and research, as a coach, she offers tailored leadership expertise to heads of firms, heads of practice and partners as well as to emerging leaders looking to align the way they attract, motivate and retain best latent in their day to day work as lawyers, managers and leaders.
Heidi Gardner
Heidi K Gardner, PhD researches, teaches and speaks on topics related to leadership, collaboration and talent management in professional service firms. More
Heidi K Gardner, PhD researches, teaches and speaks on topics related to leadership, collaboration and talent management in professional service firms. She is on the faculty at Harvard Law School’s Program on the Legal Profession.
Her work examines human capital development and deployment in professional service firms, investigating processes such as formal and informal mentoring, compensation and incentive systems, and formal assessment and promotion programs. Another current research project analyses the benefits and costs to firms and individuals of working collaboratively, and examines how leadership and organizational design support collaboration, innovation, and high-quality client service.
Professor Gardner has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, the Harvard Business Review and multiple books.
Larry Richard
Dr. Larry Richard is recognized as the leading expert on the psychology of lawyer behavior. He has advised hundreds of top law firms and major corporate law departments More
Dr. Larry Richard is recognized as the leading expert on the psychology of lawyer behavior. He has advised hundreds of top law firms and major corporate law departments on leadership, building psychological resilience, management, and related issues such as teaming and collaboration, coping with change, motivation, innovation, influencing skills, talent selection, assessment, and other aspects of professional development and OD. Widely known as an expert on the lawyer personality, he has gathered personality data on thousands of lawyers. He is a frequent author and speaker on the use of positive psychology and applied behavioral science in helping law firms and law departments to succeed.
Sian O’Neill
Sian is a publishing professional with over 20 years of experience, and founded Globe Law and Business More
Sian is a publishing professional with over 20 years of experience, and founded Globe Law and Business in 2005 as an imprint at Globe Business Media Group. Prior to that, she ran the London office of Kluwer Law International, part of the Wolters Kluwer Group, and commissioned at Sweet & Maxwell. She believes that there is a future in print for high quality, lovingly produced titles with the utmost attention paid to the editorial, design and production processes. For authors, she aims to offer a professional service, with a personal touch. Outside of publishing, Sian is a qualified yoga teacher and has edited 'Yoga Teaching Handbook' (Jessica Kingsley Publishers).
Advisors
Ida Abbott
Ida Abbott has been helping firms and companies of varying size and complexity, from small and mid-size local offices... More
IIda Abbott has been helping firms and companies of varying size and complexity, from small and mid-size local offices to global law and accounting firms develop, manage and retain legal talent since 1995. She is also a mentor and coach to high achieving individuals seeking professional success.
Before becoming a talent and leadership consultant, Ida practiced law for 20 years. She specialized in complex litigation at Heller Ehrman LLP, where she also ran the firm's professional development and pro bono programs. She often served as a judge pro tempore in the San Francisco Superior Court and as a private and court-appointed mediator and arbitrator.
In recognition of her leadership in the fields of mentoring, leadership development and professional development, Ida has been elected a Fellow of both the American Bar Foundation and the College of Law Practice Management. She is Vice Chair of the California State Bar Mentoring Task Force, serves on the Executive Committee of the National Legal Mentoring Consortium, and is a founder and former board member of the Professional Development Consortium, where she now serves as a Trusted Advisor.
Ida is a prolific writer and a popular speaker at local, national, and international conferences.
Stephen Denyer
Stephen Denyer is Director of Strategic Relationships at The Law Society of England & Wales. More
Stephen Denyer is Director of Strategic Relationships at The Law Society of England & Wales.
Prior to joining the Law Society in 2014, Stephen spent more than 36 years with Allen & Overy. During his career with that firm he was responsible for establishing, expanding or managing 11 of the firm's international offices and had management responsibility for teams comprising several hundred fee earners and support staff from many different countries. With an extensive track record of creating bonds with lawyers and law firms from different jurisdictions and cultures, he played an instrumental role in the internationalisation of both Allen & Overy and of legal practice.
Stephen is also an author, commentator and strategic advisor as well as a respected manager and leader.
Tony King
Tony King taught at The College of Law, London, before joining one of the firms which merged to create Clifford Chance as a tax lawyer. More
Tony King taught at The College of Law, London, before joining one of the firms which merged to create Clifford Chance as a tax lawyer. He was involved in education, training and professional development at Clifford Chance from 1988 until he retired as the Director, Clifford Chance Academy, in 2014. He has led programmes in most of Clifford Chance’s offices around the world.
Tony was instrumental in introducing Clifford Chance’s extensive global programme of legal-technical and business skills programmes for people at all levels and in all roles in the firm. He also put in place the Clifford Chance’s structure of development and assessment centres for its lawyers from graduate recruits up to and including candidates for partnership.
Tony has held key committee and advisory positions in professional associations, including the Legal Education and Training Group; the Professional Development Consortium; the City of London Law Society; The Law Society of England & Wales; and the International Bar Association.
Stephen Mayson
Stephen Mayson is a legal services market specialist with over 30 years of experience at the forefront of the sector. More
Stephen Mayson is a legal services market specialist with over 30 years of experience at the forefront of the sector.
He has unique and diverse legal services market expertise, including many non-executive directorships, years of private practice, high-profile governmental policy review appointments, and business coaching for senior strategic leaders.
Stephen Mayson is one of the most respected commentators on legal practice.
Coaches and Mentors
Robert Sharpe
Robert is a chartered psychologist with a clinical and mentoring consultancy in London W1. More
Robert is a chartered psychologist with a clinical and mentoring consultancy in London W1. He holds a PhD in psychology and specialises in relationship development, resilience building and mentoring of law firm partners and partner-track associates.
Robert is an accomplished seminar leader and workshop facilitator who regularly advises senior management of law firms, ranging in size from major internationals to single-office, local firms. He has extensive experience in cross-cultural cooperation in the workplace, having consulted within more than 20 law firm offices in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States.
His passions are one-on-one mentoring and development of individual excellence.
Sarah Martin
Sarah Martin is a Programme Director and Leadership Coach at Saïd Business School. More
Sarah Martin is a Programme Director and Leadership Coach at Saïd Business School. Ms Martin originally trained as a lawyer. She worked in M&A with Allen & Overy and was senior counsel in the chairman’s office of BP PLC. She has over 20 years of business, legal and corporate governance practice at board level, combined with advanced training and experience as a business coach.
Ms Martin is also a founding partner in CoombsMartin, an executive coaching consultancy in London. She has been coaching professionals and executives since 2007. Her focus is on leadership in professional services firms. She is author of “Creating Effective Relationships in Law Firms” and “Effective Decision-Making in Law Firms.”
Tony Besse
Tony combines a strong career history and to coaching and mentoring... More
Tony combines a strong career history and to coaching and mentoring that is particularly well suited to individuals contemplating professional change.
He is a French national educated in the UK, and qualified as an English Solicitor and a French Avocat. Much of Tony’s career at Freshfields was spent in Paris,.Tony has extensive experience as a cross-border transaction lawyer developed over 32 years as a finance lawyer with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, including 23 years as a partner.
Tony is now a talent and leadership consultant, coach and mentor.
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Sally Woodward
Sally is a business and leadership coach, a Founding Principal of Sherwood PSF... More
Sally is a business and leadership coach, a Founding Principal of Sherwood PSF Consulting and Co-Director of Instituto Empresa’s management programme for lawyers. She has 30 years’ experience in the legal sector, now acting mainly as coach and consultant to senior lawyers and other professionals in many international professional service firms. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Coaching at Harvard, and an associate faculty member of Meyler Campbell, leading providers of business coaching training.
Sally practised as a Solicitor in intellectual property law before moving into a senior management role at Freshfields, as their first Head of Training and Professional Support Services. She was also the first Director of Studies in Law at Newnham College, Cambridge. Sally has an Executive MBA from London Business School, and was co-designer of, and Professor on, the world’s first specialist MBA program for lawyers at Nottingham Law School.
Christopher Bockmann
Christopher Bockmann is a talent and leadership expert and coach. More
Christopher Bockmann is a talent and leadership expert and coach. He assists leadership teams in managing the uncertainty, resistance and pressure. In his work, he uses a combination of advisory work, team facilitation, coaching and leadership development programmes. Christopher speaks regularly at conferences and has published a number of articles on leadership and organisational development.
Peter Young
Peter Young is an executive coach, consultant and management trainer with international experience across a wide variety of sectors. More
Peter Young is an executive coach, consultant and management trainer with international experience across a wide variety of sectors.
He has designed and delivered leadership development programmes and workshops for law firms, consulting firms and corporates throughout Europe, the USA and Asia. In addition he works with individuals from accountancy, medicine, and the not-for-profit sector.
Prior to his move into executive development in 2000, Peter enjoyed a career in book publishing. He was Operations Director for Lion Publishing PLC, led a book distribution business in the UK, led international sales and marketing teams, and launched a publishing operation in Singapore
His approach is thoughtful and empathetic, while being practical and challenging. He combines his wealth of business skills and experience with the psychological depth and understanding to transform, inspire and motivate his clients, resulting in lasting change.