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Boutique firm's methods lure top construction expert
A leading construction general counsel and former Allens partner has signed up to a boutique law firm known for its rejection of the billable hour.
Kate Gibbs
A leading construction general counsel and former Allens Arthur Robinson partner has signed up to a boutique law firm known for its rejection of the billable hour.
Lesley Minns, formerly a construction partner with Allens Arthur Robinson followed by stints as general counsel at both lend Lease Development and Bovis Lend Lease, has joined Advent Lawyers. As risk sharing becomes the new vogue in the legal world and the days of the traditional hourly billing model appear numbered as sophisticated clients clamp down on legal costs, Advent Lawyers has been forging a new law firm model. The firm places its lawyers inside companies’ in-house legal teams, offering various pricing arrangements. It presents itself as an alternative to in-house teams that want to cut head numbers, but still have legal experts on hand for specific projects. It is Minns’ experience as a general counsel, then, that makes her a perfect fit for the law firm. She says she is also attracted to the opportunity to “I have experienced the daily grind of working at senior levels both in private practice and in-house, and I am at that stage in my career where I want to focus on projects that constantly challenge me and that deliver real outcomes for clients,” Lesley said. Managing Director John Knox, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have a lawyer of [Minns’] reputation and experience joining us. The ability for clients to now be able to parachute [Minns] in when needed to manage large-scale construction projects is unique and will allow them to reduce their reliance on conventional law firms and hourly rates.” Advent said its lawyers are available to help clients in a number of ways including executing and project managing transactions, managing large scale tenders and contracts, litigation and dispute resolution, compliance projects and providing general counsel level support to cover for gaps in the in-house team such as someone on leave or assigned to a major project.
