Velvet revolution

‘I really dislike the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”,’ says Burges Salmon’s new managing partner Chris Jackson. He means it. For the first time during the interview, a frown crosses his face. ‘I don’t believe in change for change’s sake, but you have to evolve. You have to move on or you get left behind,’ he says.

You might argue that Burges Salmon is a firm that has never been in a hurry to move with the times, and it’s a policy that’s served it well. If you’re talking about change and revolution, local Bristol rival Osborne Clarke (OC) more readily springs to mind. But on 1 May this year, Jackson took the helm after winning a contested election at the end of 2008 against candidates that included long-term incumbent Guy Stobart, who had run the firm for 13 successful years. In June, the firm implemented a restructuring of its governance that saw it split its management committee in two. A partnership committee (PCOM) in charge of overall strategy was created, separate from the heads of department committee (HDCOM). In July, Stobart left the firm to become the chief executive of insurance litigation specialist Kennedys.

For a firm that has eschewed mergers, a national office network, international tie-ups and conducts its business in a low-key manner, the changes go against its traditionalist grain. Burges Salmon even relocates next year to modern offices in the Temple Quay area of Bristol, joining OC and Bond Pearce in the new commercial hub of the city. But a change in management, new offices and new governance are not what people are used to with Burges Salmon. Outsiders are starting to ask what’s going on.

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