Barber has worked at what became some of Australia’s biggest corporate entities. He served as an associate at both Baker McKenzie and Gilbert + Tobin, was a corporate counsel at Optus when it was a start-up, became a partner at what became PwC Legal, served twice as deputy mayor of Randwick in Sydney’s east, and worked as managing partner of Truman Hoyle – joining that practice when it had half a dozen lawyers, and then over 11 years later, when it merged with Bird & Bird, became that entity’s Australian head and managing partner. He has operated in that role for more than a decade.

He first assumed a managing partner role in his mid-30s, he said, a time at which there were so many unknowns.

“There are so many things that I didn’t know. You learn by really just doing things and getting it wrong,” he said.

“There were many times there where I thought I must be not doing this right … things that you had never seen when you were a partner, let alone an employee of a law firm, like cash flow, dealing with issues that individuals on your staff may have that you’ve never experienced before, getting the right capital into the firm, and keeping up with regulatory change.”

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In dealing with such competing urgent priorities, Barber said, one has to just face them one by one.

“Learn how best to do it. And I made my fair share of mistakes,” he said.

His candid admission highlights a fundamental truth about leadership: it is often through mistakes and challenges that the most meaningful lessons are learnt.

He recalled a pivotal conversation with G+T co-founder Tony Tobin, which provided him with reassurance and practical advice.

“I just needed to talk to someone and say, ‘Is this thing that I’m experiencing unique to me?’” Barber said.

Tobin responded, he said, with a comforting affirmation that many challenges are universal across firms, regardless of size, and offered strategies for addressing them.

A significant lesson Barber learnt over time, he said, is the relational nature of law firms.

“One of the key things a managing partner has to do, as well as sometimes making courageous decisions, is to bring people with you,” he said.

This requires empathy and discipline, he detailed, as leadership is “not about command and control” but about working side by side with colleagues.

Barber has mentored numerous managing partners both domestically and internationally, observing that a common pitfall is failing to engage and align with one’s team.

Holistically, Barber reflected, the role of a managing partner has not become easier over the years. The job now encompasses not only the practice of law and business management but also broader obligations to the community.

“With that comes demands from your staff, clients, suppliers, and governments,” he said.

Balancing these often-conflicting demands requires a nuanced approach. Moreover, the rapid expansion and complexity of legal regulations present additional challenges.

“There is now so much law compared to when I started, and it’s changing so fast,” Barber said.

This is particularly evident in areas like telecommunications, technology, data, cyber space, and AI, where the burden of responsibility to understand and communicate these concepts to clients, with ever-evolving expectations and demands, is substantial.

For aspiring managing partners, Barber offers two key pieces of advice. First, he stresses the importance of understanding what makes colleagues happy and productive.

“It’s not to be found in your undergraduate commerce textbooks,” he said.

Empowering people and fostering a sense of ownership within the firm is crucial, he said, as success and challenges should be shared collectively.

“Do that in a way where you don’t burn your own leadership capital, or make things difficult for yourself, but give people enough of a sense that this is their business and that the successes are theirs, but also the challenges have to be met together, is the key task,” he said.

Secondly, Barber advises aspiring leaders to make their ambitions known subtly.

“It’s about setting yourself up as a bit of an exemplar for partners,” he said.

“Make it known amongst your peers that this is something that you aspire to do, but don’t do it overtly or sycophantically, and they’ll naturally focus in on you and others when it comes to succession.”

Building confidence and comfort in one’s leadership capabilities from an early stage is essential, Barber added, while cautioning against getting sidetracked by the politics inherent in law firms, emphasising the need to focus on constructive contributions to the business and practice of law.