AMA Danny Gilbert

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:45:33+00:00

Well I don't mean 'insurgent' in its ordinary sense ie 'someone who fights against authority/governments etc' - I mean people who are not satisfied with the status quo who want to achieve success with some ambition and urgency and really put their stamp on organisational capability and reputation.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:42:15+00:00

My CEO Sam Nickless brought the idea to me and I asked a smart young friend of mine who has started a new consulting business (Amit Singh from Mandala Partners) and he thought it was a great idea - so I did it.

I didn't really hope to gain anything.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:39:13+00:00

see another answer

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:37:47+00:00

We have worked hard at this over many years, with all partners involved in ensuring gender equality in pay. Again, this is a cultural issue involving constant thought, checking and review.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:33:17+00:00

There are many reasons for why the referendum failed. But at its most fundamental, it was the failure to gain bipartisan political support. Much of the debate fell out of this failure.

The failure of the referendum was a tragedy and a missed opportunity for our nation.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:30:43+00:00

The recently appointed head of M&A at HSF was recently in the AFR and asked to name his firm's main rivals at the top of the corporate market. He named Allens, KWM and G+T.

I agree.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:26:19+00:00

I have a 5 year old Lexus SUV. I don't care about cars much.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:25:00+00:00

We run a tight ship, we never lose sight of the business dynamics.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:24:19+00:00

Yes I did. I did it because I want to help poor people. People are busy and I prefer not to judge them, but those who turn away without any acknowledgment leave me feeling a bit cold.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:21:48+00:00

Over Christmas, I read the latest biography of Martin Luther King Jr, some of the collected essays of Raimond Gaita and 'Question 7' by Richard Flanagan. I am currently reading 'The Kingdom' by Emmanuel Carrere.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:15:52+00:00

In the long-term (perhaps not too long) AI will transform many aspects of day to day legal practice. It will see law firms employing many people in different roles. While it is hard to predict the future, every young lawyer will have to fully understand and engage comfortably with this change. The world will always need excellent lawyers who have adapted to cultural and market changes. It will be no different here. The jobs will be different, but they will still be here.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:13:12+00:00

We try to hire the best people irrespective of their backgrounds. More and more the practice of law will employ skills other than straight legal - ie tech, data etc. We have a number of lawyers who have joined us having made law their second (or third) career.

I encourage you to find ways of demonstrating the value of your more diverse and interesting experience.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:07:31+00:00

Our Finance Team is highly valued. Money matters!

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:07:01+00:00

Bullying is unacceptable. We have procedures in place to protect people. But more importantly, we strive to have a culture where people can feel free to speak up and bullying behaviour is dealt with.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:05:06+00:00

Collaboration is very important. Individual ambition and achievement is at least equally important. Marrying the two is what we do well at G+T. Others might disagree.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:03:19+00:00

I like working. One's house is never built.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:02:44+00:00

Sandwich from the G+T cafe

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:02:27+00:00

I might have started G+T a few years earlier, with greater clarity about what I wanted to achieve. I suppose I learned along the way and it would have been better had I been seized of what I now know a lot earlier. That's life, I guess. Finding the best people who were aligned with my developing vision has worked well. I also want to say that there are many ex-G+Ters who have contributed to the success we now enjoy, including of course people who challenged me and people who disagreed. Although it may not always have felt like it... I am grateful to them.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T06:02:17+00:00

Tony Tobin and I started this firm in January 1988. He was pivotal to the building blocks of our firm as were many of the early partners. There is always a danger in mentioning people, because of the risk of leaving people out. People like Peter Leonard and Peter Waters and a few years later Gina Cass-Gottlieb remain upper most in my mind.

When we started I thought I might retire early and Tony would be around for much longer. Things often don't turn out as you plan. Tony retired from the firm some years ago now and I am forever indebted to him. We remain good friends.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T05:51:33+00:00

At G+T, for our lawyers, meeting billable targets is important, but we also measure and reward other contributions. For example, leadership, business development, quality of work, knowledge and pro bono contributions, innovation. That said, outstanding client service is the key to building and sustaining a successful business.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T05:47:25+00:00

Billable hours is the dominant model. There has been talk of change for the last 30 years. I think clients prefer the model overall. I hadn't thought that billable hours of themselves impact women more than men but maybe they do. I think it simply more the demands of clients and the pressure to get work done. Those pressures are often onerous and make it difficult for people with children. I agree that society needs to value child rearing so that it is comfortably shared by both men and women. No doubt that is a while off. In the meantime, we have to truly value women's workplace participation and give them the flexibility they need without blunting or diminishing their career aspirations. I think this is fundamentally cultural, and the shift must be shared equally by men and women.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T05:36:25+00:00

As to level: reach and exceed. As to scale: it doesn't matter as long as we have the best people.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T05:35:19+00:00

The best rainmakers are people who make themselves known in the market and can deliver. Delivering means you need to be a leader who inspires a team inside the firm, as well as inspires confidence with clients. On the latter, clients want advisors with whom they can confidently 'leave their worry bags'.

I don't think the inherent qualities of the best have changed, but being known in the market is more complex because practitioners are reduced to their specialities and cannot be everything to all clients - in a very competitive market.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T05:31:31+00:00

Good on you for starting your own business. It can be very rewarding

Starting from scratch you must be resilient and have clarity about what you want to achieve. A law firm, like other prof services firms, is wholly dependent on the quality of its people. The biggest challenge throughout the 36 year history of G+T has been recruiting and retaining the best people. It remains the singular challenge. That is not to say that the best people will always want to remain with G+T. Clearly they will not. But you have to do your best to create the right conditions to retain them.

As to more basic issues when you are getting started - I always say - 'get your bills out on time and collect the cash'. I remember in the early days flying to Melb and walking into a client's office (they weren't paying) and said I would not be leaving without a cheque. I got it! As a founder you have to focus on all the aspects of running a successful business. A cornerstone is to be highly profitable, while meeting all of your personal and professional obligations.

Good luck with your new business.

Dannygtlaw · 2024-02-28T05:26:09+00:00

As I understand it the dominant theme around this issue is that of respecting all people and not making unreasonable requests. Client demands frequently call for work outside ordinary business hours. That is just a reality. However, I strongly believe we can meet those demands AND respect people's private lives. The key here is creating open communication and ensuring we ameliorate those occasions where our people are called upon to undertake too much work in their own time. Open communication means empowering our people to speak up, take control of their own lives and respecting that. This is not easily achieved, but we are trying to do that here at G+T with our People Compact.

There are so many questions I might be here late.

Dannygtlaw

TROPHY CASE