Profiles
Ashley Balls
Ashley is the founding Director of Legal Best Practice and, for the past thirty years has optimised the performance of hundreds law firms around the globe He works with clients who are committed to recognising that the future of legal services will not necessarily be an extension of the past. Prior to founding Legal Best Practice, Ashley worked in London with what was the leading firm of consultants servicing the legal profession. As an employer with over 65 staff, Ashley has personal experience of all the problems associated in working in a service driven multi-million dollar turnover business. He is a prolific author of articles and papers on management issues and is the co-author of The Business of Law.
Ashley is the founding Director of Legal Best Practice and, for the past thirty years has optimised the performance of hundreds law firms around the globe He works with clients who are committed to recognising that the future of legal services will not necessarily be an extension of the past. Prior to founding Legal Best Practice, Ashley worked in London with what was the leading firm of consultants servicing the legal profession. As an employer with over 65 staff, Ashley has personal experience of all the problems associated in working in a service driven multi-million dollar turnover business. He is a prolific author of articles and papers on management issues and is the co-author of The Business of Law.
Richard Burcher
Richard is widely regarded as New Zealand’s leading authority on the pricing of legal services. With 27 years Law Society and private cost assessment experience, his pricing consultancy Validatum and his speaking engagements now take him throughout New Zealand and Australia. His research and commentary has been widely published including a recent article on Barristers' fees in The Commonwealth Lawyer and a forthcoming article in Managing for Success (Law Society of England and Wales) on the impact that the imminent restructuring of the UK profession will have on the pricing of legal services.
Richard is widely regarded as New Zealand’s leading authority on the pricing of legal services. With 27 years Law Society and private cost assessment experience, his pricing consultancy Validatum and his speaking engagements now take him throughout New Zealand and Australia. His research and commentary has been widely published including a recent article on Barristers' fees in The Commonwealth Lawyer and a forthcoming article in Managing for Success (Law Society of England and Wales) on the impact that the imminent restructuring of the UK profession will have on the pricing of legal services.
Ron Pol
Widely regarded as a thought-leader on the client perspective and future of law, Ron helps professional services firms improve the customer value proposition, and companies and government agencies maximize the value of the legal services function. Past President of the Corporate Lawyers Association of New Zealand, Ron has held senior in-house roles with corporate and government organisations, and with leading firms in London, Hong Kong and Auckland. Ron has a passion for combining international best practice and thought-leadership for a more productive future. He is the author of the ACLA-CLANZ Legal Department Benchmarking Report and co-author of The Business of Law.
Widely regarded as a thought-leader on the client perspective and future of law, Ron helps professional services firms improve the customer value proposition, and companies and government agencies maximize the value of the legal services function. Past President of the Corporate Lawyers Association of New Zealand, Ron has held senior in-house roles with corporate and government organisations, and with leading firms in London, Hong Kong and Auckland. Ron has a passion for combining international best practice and thought-leadership for a more productive future. He is the author of the ACLA-CLANZ Legal Department Benchmarking Report and co-author of The Business of Law.
Paul Steele
Paul is the founder and a director of Law Tune-Up Ltd. Paul’s background includes a decade as a practising lawyer and 17 years working in the Legal Publishing Industry in New Zealand for the principal publishers, Butterworths (now Lexis Nexis) and Brookers (now Thomson Brookers), in Sales and Account Management roles.
Paul works principally with law practices to help them obtain best value from their Law Library/Legal Research spend, and provides Sales, Customer Service and Marketing advice, with an emphasis on the maintenance, development and optimization of Websites.
Paul is the founder and a director of Law Tune-Up Ltd. Paul’s background includes a decade as a practising lawyer and 17 years working in the Legal Publishing Industry in New Zealand for the principal publishers, Butterworths (now Lexis Nexis) and Brookers (now Thomson Brookers), in Sales and Account Management roles.
Paul works principally with law practices to help them obtain best value from their Law Library/Legal Research spend, and provides Sales, Customer Service and Marketing advice, with an emphasis on the maintenance, development and optimization of Websites.
Simon Tupman
A former practising lawyer in London, Simon has spent more than 20 years helping law firms remain competitive through improved leadership and management. Apart from his consulting, coaching and writing, Simon addresses and facilitates conferences and partner retreats worldwide. His writing career has included articles published in professional journals globally and on-line. He has written two best-selling books, Why Lawyers Should Eat Bananas which has been translated into Russian and Why Entrepreneurs Should Eat Bananas which has been translated into Portuguese and Spanish. His latest book Legal Eagles was released November 2010.
A former practising lawyer in London, Simon has spent more than 20 years helping law firms remain competitive through improved leadership and management. Apart from his consulting, coaching and writing, Simon addresses and facilitates conferences and partner retreats worldwide. His writing career has included articles published in professional journals globally and on-line. He has written two best-selling books, Why Lawyers Should Eat Bananas which has been translated into Russian and Why Entrepreneurs Should Eat Bananas which has been translated into Portuguese and Spanish. His latest book Legal Eagles was released November 2010.
