Former Big Law execs move into fast-growing legal advisory market

The legal strategy consulting market is continuing to grow, with Edward Drummond hiring two senior executives from Freshfields and Clifford Chance.

Russell Shoult and Sarah Langton have joined the firm as partners. Shoult spent a decade at Freshfields, most recently as markets and strategy director, while Langton joins after more than 18 years at Clifford Chance, where she became global head of talent acquisition in 2016.

Their arrival takes Edward Drummond to eight partners across London and Bristol, advising law firms on areas including strategy, competitor analysis, practice growth and senior recruitment.

Shoult brings experience spanning market intelligence, competitive analysis and board-level strategy, while Langton has spent much of her career working on senior hiring, recruitment transformation and workforce strategy.

Strategy market grows

Edward Drummond is part of a growing group of specialist advisers working with law firms on questions that increasingly sit outside traditional legal practice.

The sector itself is not new, but it has attracted a number of new entrants over the past 18 months as law firm leaders grapple with a more complicated mix of issues: how to grow, where to invest, how to respond to AI and what role - if any - outside capital should play.

The rise of private capital interest in law firms has also created work on the investor side, with specialist advisers increasingly helping potential backers understand firms and growth opportunities.

Many of the new firms are being led by senior figures from across the legal industry.

Former Berwin Leighton Paisner boss Neville Eisenberg launched ClarityX, while former Allen & Overy leaders Wim Dejonghe and David Morley set up Dejonghe & Morley. Former SRA executives Crispin Passmore and Juliet Oliver founded Passmore & Oliver, and ex-Linklaters and PwC strategy executive Greg Jackson launched Oakwood Strategy.

‘Unprecedented change’

Managing partner Gareth Ward said law firms were facing “unprecedented change and commercial pressures”, arguing that Edward Drummond’s ability to combine research and data, strategic advice and senior recruitment was becoming a key differentiator.

“The arrival of Sarah and Russell strengthens a complementary partnership team able to engage with fluency on the key challenges and opportunities facing our clients,” he said.