This week we celebrate 20 years since our Managing Partner Derek Rodgers joined our firm.
We had the opportunity to speak with Derek about the evolution of the legal profession since he began his career and the accomplishments he is most proud of during his tenure as Managing Partner.
What made you choose to work at Gardner Leader?
My very good friend, Chris Felton, who I had worked with elsewhere when we were both starting our careers in the early 1990s, had been with the firm for about nine years before I joined. Everything I heard from him over those years about the firm, its culture and its approach was really positive. I had also moved on from the firm we started at and become an equity partner in a firm in Yorkshire but I got to the point where I was looking to do something different. The timing was perfect because Gardner Leader needed a corporate/commercial lawyer, which is what I was. So I like to say I kind of headhunted myself by suggesting that I could fill that gap. I’m really pleased to say all the good things I’d heard turned out to be true.
Tell us about your legal journey and lessons you have learnt along the way?
I started my career at a small firm in Darlington, doing my training contract and early years as a qualified solicitor. That’s where I first worked with Chris when he was a trainee there. Later, I moved to a much larger firm in Sheffield and Leeds, where I spent about nine years working on corporate, commercial, and employment matters, eventually becoming a salaried partner in 2001 and an equity partner in 2004. I moved to GL in December 2005 to do a mix of corporate and commercial work and build up that side of the business.
I have been very fortunate to have worked in three firms across my career, all of which I have liked and enjoyed, and with people in each who have made a really positive impact on me. I think the main lesson that I brought here with me was that a firm of the size that Gardner Leader then was – about 60 people – could have aspirations to match the service and quality found in bigger firms, as we have shown.
What are you most proud of in your tenure as Managing Partner?
When I took on the role from Derek Child in May 2011, everything seemed to be going pretty well and people seemed generally happy, so I remember thinking ‘Just don’t break it!’. Hopefully we have done a bit better than that.
It is obviously great that we have won a lot of awards, including LawNet Law Firm of the Year twice, but I am most proud of the team we have built and the fact that we have, I believe, strengthened the culture rather than weakened it as we’ve grown. I love the fact that so many people have come back here after trying life elsewhere.
When I first started going to LawNet conferences after joining the firm, there were a lot of firms that were doing great things and who we aspired to emulate. It means a lot to me that we are now very clearly seen in that way ourselves by so many of the other members.
As you reflect on your 20 years at Gardner Leader how have you seen the legal profession change and what aspects have you found the most fascinating and inspiring?
The biggest change over the past two decades is definitely technology. When I joined, it was not that long since email had become a universal tool, and now we have artificial intelligence transforming how we work. The pandemic accelerated hybrid working in ways we never imagined, and we’ve got a new generation, Gen Z, bringing different aspirations into the profession. Despite all these changes, it remains a profession which can offer rewarding careers with a huge variety of opportunities and challenges.
If you could step into the shoes of another Gardner Leader member who would it be and why?
I’d probably pick Michelle Di Gioia because I really admire her ability to stay calm and assured in any situation. She keeps everything in perspective, and that’s something I really respect and envy. I would like to have her standing next to me the whole time telling me ‘It will be fine!’
What does Gardner Leader mean to you?
For me, Gardner Leader is all about the people. I joined because my best friend worked here, but I could not have imagined how many good friends I would end up making across the firm. I will never forget the real care and concern that people showed towards me when I was trying to lead the firm during the pandemic (when really it ought to have been the other way round). That’s what Gardner Leader means to me at its heart.