Legal Business

Welcome to the John Joyce show: Addleshaws’ head aims to push national firm centre stage

legal-business-default

Victoria Young and Kathryn McCann talk mergers, leaks and pay with Addleshaws’ no-nonsense head

For a firm until recently associated with dithering, drift and under-performance, Addleshaw Goddard has been in decisive mode of late. Over the last two years the national player has assumed a more assertive style under the leadership of managing partner John Joyce (pictured). Joyce, who took over after an unhappy period under predecessor Paul Devitt, quickly overhauled the firm’s strategy. But in truth, strategy changed little from that of Devitt and then senior partner Monica Burch. Transformed instead was the leadership style and managerial mood music from Joyce, a man who at times appears to be doing a parody of the bluff northerner but who pulls it off thanks to results and a good dose of humour and charisma. Not since Mark Jones at the height of his powers a decade ago has Addleshaws had such an unyielding operational grip on the tiller.