However, launching your own firm remains a considerable undertaking and it is important to take the time to consider whether it is the right thing for you.

While the founders we have worked with are very different, there are a number of attributes common to them all:

1.  Vision. As mentioned in a previous article, a strong vision of what you want to create and why it will be better for both your clients and your team than the status quo is critical. Others can help you stress-test and refine this vision, but it has to be yours. This vision is what will help you stay the course if the going gets tough. Push factors alone – dissatisfaction with your current role – are not enough.

2.  Clients. If this one isn’t obvious, stop now! You will have a strong base of loyal clients and / or a robust network of referrers, a high profile in the market and should be good at (and enjoy) the process of winning new work. You must be confident work will follow you and that your new firm’s proposition will resonate with existing and potential clients. Launching with live matters is not always possible but can materially reduce the risk profile and cash requirements of the new venture.

3.  Grind. You need to be prepared to be ‘on the tools’ and heavily involved in the delivery of the work. Clients will want you and you won’t have the established brand and extensive resources of a large firm to sell. High-level ‘rainmakers’ can struggle unless they launch with a (client) trusted team around them. Most founders we support love the legal work, and the opportunity to spend more time doing it (as opposed to being in internal meetings) is a major appeal of going it alone.

4.  Leadership. You need to be able to inspire your team behind the vision and foster a positive, collaborative and productive culture. While your team and advisers such as Kindleworth can support decision making, ultimately the buck stops with you and you need to be able to make tough decisions. It is important to find the balance between bringing the team with you and actually making a decision (which may not please some members of the team). Ability to move swiftly can be a key competitive advantage for your new firm.

5.  Risk Appetite. Everything discussed earlier in this article can serve to significantly reduce the risk associated with the launch. However – in most cases – this remains a higher-risk, higher reward move compared with joining another large law firm. You will have to invest your own money – from savings and / or (if funded) via taking a reduced level of compensation for a period – and should ensure the lights can be kept on if payback takes a little longer than originally anticipated.

As part of our initial engagement, we help you consider all these factors and more, so that if you decide to proceed to launch your own firm you do so with full confidence that it is the right option for you. Even if your thinking is at an early stage, don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’re always happy to talk things through.

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In our experience, the factors that motivate these founders break down into three buckets:

1.     Creation.
The most important thing is the burning desire to create something new and different both for clients and talent. In many instances these new launches have a laser focus on a particular practice area and / or client segment and seek to tailor their offer accordingly, ensuring talent, incentives, pricing and delivery models are optimised in a way they often can’t be in a large, multi-service firm. The ability to mould a new culture is also exciting, with founders able to build teams and design ways of working and compensation structures that they could not do elsewhere. Finally, there’s the obvious appeal of ‘having your own firm’ and calling the shots!

2.     Conflicts.
The breadth of activity in large firms means many partners – particularly those in less core practice areas – are frequently conflicted out of potentially lucrative (or interesting) client relationships and matters. In a much smaller, focused firm this simply isn’t an issue (and conflict checking can go from days (weeks?!) to minutes). Independent firms also have the freedom to build relationships and work with best-of-breed providers across the market to deliver consistently premium services as opposed to being tied to ‘one firm’ solutions.

3.     Compensation.
New firms are able to completely rethink their cost-bases, with alternative delivery models, cloud technology, reduced office footprint and on-demand operational support enabling significant increases in profit margin. Additionally, the focus of these firms means that there are no less profitable non-core practice areas or offices to subsidise. Finally, the compensation model can be built (and rapidly iterated) specifically to support the proposition and culture of the firm.

For those that have answered the ‘why’, the question then becomes ‘how’, especially given they are usually (more than) fully occupied with their existing client, professional and personal obligations. This is where Kindleworth come in. We help our clients stress-test and refine their vision, before mobilising our 40-strong team of experts to deliver – on the launch and beyond.

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This rebrand and new website represents an important milestone for Kindleworth. As we continue to grow and, in turn, support the growth of client’s firms, the breadth of our experience and offering has also dramatically increased. So too has our size – we have cultivated an experienced team of industry experts to support our continued development and to enable clients to focus wholeheartedly on their core mission.

Our new, sleek, and robust logo places a visual emphasis on the distinction between ‘Kindle’ and ‘Worth.’ Delicate strokes suggest a sense of agility and finesse, reflecting the passionate and energetic essence of ‘Kindle’ – the spark. Paired with strong, solid letterforms, it conveys stability and the unwavering qualities of ‘Worth’ – experience, strength, and reliability.

To complement the logo, we’ve designed a dynamic monogram symbolising new beginnings and change. This vibrant emblem, blending fiery red and blue shades, represents the spark of ‘Kindle’ and the resilience of ‘Worth.’ Its forward, angular motion reflects Kindleworth’s forward-thinking nature. The overarching brand imagery plays a pivotal role in our identity; boldly and abstractly evoking dynamism, energy, vibrancy, and ambition.

While our unwavering commitment to enhancing the success of our clients’ businesses remains steadfast, our new identity and website now effectively represents and communicates who we are, what we do and what we stand for as a brand. We couldn’t be prouder to share this with you.

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