The life of Bryan

For a moment the persona slips. The studied slouch stiffens. The I’m-the-man-for-a-crisis composure loses its gloss a little. ‘We’ve got a fairly emotive brand for some reason; we do attract views,’ he sighs, getting worked up by the web commentariat or ‘the blogs’ as he calls them. ‘I don’t know if it’s a question of whether we’ve been too successful too quickly, or whether people see us as a threat, or whether we’re just big and therefore people want to put the boot in.’ Since Bryan Hughes took over from David Gray as Eversheds’ chief executive in May 2009, he has become accustomed to the pressures of one of UK law’s higher-profile jobs. Although he spent six years in senior management roles prior to taking over, first as chief operating officer and then, from 2006, as UK managing partner, he saw less of the spotlight. A numbers-obsessed, operations-focused manager, Hughes was the internal foil to his outward-facing boss.

Now he’s agitated by comments posted on the web that he’s taking the firm downmarket. Since a story appeared in Legal Week at the start of the year revealing that the firm was actively looking at options to outsource a range of work to its South African arm, Hughes and his colleagues have faced accusations of going after low-value, volume work that doesn’t befit a top-ten UK practice.

He shrugs his shoulders, admitting that any firm’s coverage in the media often goes in cycles. ‘With almost everything you do, whether it’s good or bad, you’re going to get a slating from some people in the sector,’ he says.

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