Every so often, a conversation leaves an indelible mark. My recent discussion with Tony Macvean - former Managing Partner of Hall & Wilcox - was one such occasion. Across 17 transformative years, Tony led the firm to achieve tenfold revenue growth and opened seven new locations, positioning Hall & Wilcox as one of Australia’s leading law firms. While these numbers are undeniably impressive, it was Tony’s commitment to culture as the cornerstone of growth that resonated most profoundly.

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Reflecting on our conversation, I distilled several key lessons as follows:

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• Vision and energy: the starting point. Every meaningful transformation begins with a clear vision and the energy to pursue it. At Hall & Wilcox, Tony and his team crafted a compelling vision rooted in the Melbourne office, then expanded that ambition nationally to meet client needs. This vision wasn’t just about growth in numbers but about shaping a distinctive firm culture that would endure.
• Know your point of difference - and 'own It' unashamedly. A recurring theme from Tony was the value of understanding and owning your firm’s unique strengths. For Hall & Wilcox, the point of difference lay in prioritising strategy and culture as the primary drivers of growth - placing the ‘book of business’ as a lesser consideration. In professional services, we discussed that it’s easy to be blinded by headline numbers and potential revenue, and that other firms have different approaches.
• Taking a culture-led approach requires patience and the courage to support key individuals over time. Success doesn’t happen overnight.
• When culture is genuinely prioritised, Partners and team members who resonate with this philosophy will self-select, and those with different approaches and philosophies will often leave over time.
• To ensure culture doesn't just reverberate in the rhetoric, collaboration, introductions, and shared success must be clearly valued in setting remuneration, along with classic financial metrics - a perennial challenge in professional services.
• One aspect invariably underappreciated in growth stories is the complexity (and pitfalls) of integration. Tony was candid about the discipline required to execute integration effectively, especially in a fast-growing environment. Successful integration doesn’t happen by chance - it demands rigorous execution, and this was prioritised and invested in.
• Failure as Feedback. No growth journey is without setbacks. Tony and I discussed the importance of recognising that mistakes are inevitable - and that failure is, at its core, valuable feedback.
• It's always about people - these are the issues that keep good leaders awake at night.
• Leadership and personal development are inseparable. One of the conversation’s most powerful points was our discussion that leadership cannot be divorced from personal development. Tony acknowledged the self-discovery that comes with leadership roles - an experience I am familiar with and why I am now in this space!
• Succession planning and the custodian mindset. We explored new challenges and the reality that Partners can often hold on for too long - a tendency familiar in many professional services firms. While mandatory retirement policies (like those in the BIG4) have triggered broader debates, the underlying rationale is about ensuring Partners see themselves as much as custodians than owners.
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Tony’s insight and humility shone through in our discussion. A truly great legacy in the Australian legal market. Thanks for taking the time Tony and for your generosity - all the very best for your future challenges

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