Derek Rodgers, managing partner of major regional law firm Gardner Leader, has been elected as the new chair of LawNet’s member-led board.
He takes on the role as the SME law firm network announces continued growth through its selective recruitment programme. Eight firms have joined in the past two years, bringing the membership to 73 firms across the UK.
Rodgers worked previously as a corporate and commercial lawyer, before focusing his time on management and strategy within Gardner Leader. As part of LawNet he will be supporting law firms by providing a range of benefits for members and clients.
LawNet aims to help firms by providing a wide range of services and initiatives to improve efficiencies and profits. LawNet provides over 50 free CPD training events each year and 28 specialist groups with their own bespoke training programmes and discussion forums.
Welcoming Derek Rodgers, chief executive Chris Marston explained the network’s strategy:
“We have always taken a selective approach to membership, with all firms having to commit to quality processes through our ISO 9001 Quality Standard, and to great client experience through our Excellence Mark. Our network is, first and foremost, a community, where progressive owner-managed firms can achieve more together than they could on their own.
The challenges of recent years have made the network more relevant than ever, and since the pandemic, we now have more interactions with more members, more often than ever before. Whether you’re a managing partner or a functional leader in a firm, your role can be a lonely one, and our supportive, collaborative peer group community is hugely valued by our members.”
The firm has been a member of LawNet since 1993, and Derek Rodgers has served on the LawNet board since 2016. Recognised by the Legal 500 as a leading firm, with leading individuals, it has a reputation for heavyweight commercial litigation and has recorded substantial growth across company, commercial, private and family work in recent years.
Rogers stated:
“It’s a great honour to take on the role of chair of LawNet and to follow in the footsteps of Kim Carr of FBC Manby Bowdler, who has led the network with such distinction over the last seven years. I am looking forward to working with Chris and his team on the selective growth of our network and finding new ways to foster the spirit of collaboration that binds us together.”
