Most lawyers underestimate this when they leave Big Law. 👇

They hide behind the brand. Founders simply can’t do that.

When you are at a global firm, the logo carries weight. When you build your own firm, you do.

This week on the Legally Speaking Podcast ™️, I sat down with Björn Benckert, Co Founder and Managing Partner of Avery Law.

Bjorn trained at Norton Rose, worked at Dewey and LeBoeuf, and then made the decision many talk about but few take. He built something from scratch.

Bjorn talks about a few things really landed for me: 

First, when you leave Big Law, you are exposed. Clients are not buying the brand. They are buying your judgement.

Second, too many lawyers derail deals by focusing on technicalities instead of outcomes. Bjorn put it plainly. Law is often 80 percent diplomacy and 20 percent law. Managing expectations and securing alignment matters more than perfect drafting.

Third, stop chasing short term salary spikes. If you do not know where you want to end up, you will optimise for whatever looks attractive in the moment. That is rarely how serious careers are built.

And finally, due diligence is no longer confirmatory. It now decides the deal. Founders who treat it strategically rather than defensively are the ones who win.

This was not a how to start a firm episode. It was a thinking episode.

About positioning.
About long term strategy.
About commercial realism in law.

If you are building a practice, building a firm, or thinking about your next move, this one is worth your time.

🎥 Full Legally Speaking Podcast out now below and on all major platforms.

🏆 UK’s #1 Law Podcast | Top 1% Globally | Proudly sponsored by Clio 