Robert Ambrogi Blog
In a move that symbolizes the bridge between traditional law practice and new forms of legal services delivery, Andrew Ballheimer, who retired last year as global managing partner at Magic Circle firm Allen & Overy, has joined the board of directors of the alternative legal services provider Factor.
The news caps a year of significant developments for Factor, which describes itself as delivering complex legal work at scale, as Varun Mehta, who became its CEO just over a year ago, described during a conversation last month on my LawNext podcast.
Over the last year, the company, which spun off in 2019 from alternative legal services provider Axiom, received an investment it characterized as one of the largest in the global legal solutions market and built out a powerhouse management team.
It also entered into a unique partnership with A&O to provide LIBOR remediation.
During Ballheimer’s term as global managing partner at A&O from May 2016 to April 2020, the firm said, the firm saw strong growth, with client revenue growing 26% and profit per equity partner 38% in the first three financial years.
The firm credited him with driving a strategy focused on exceptional client service, an integrated network of more than 40 top tier offices around the world and industry leadership in innovation.
He also helped champion diversity and inclusion, with A&O being recognized as one of the Top 50 Employers for Women in the UK by The Times/Business in the Community and the recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for the promotion of social mobility.
Also during his tenure, A&O built a reputation for innovation, with the expansion of the firm’s Belfast shared services center; it flexible resourcing arm, Peerpoint; the legal tech innovation lab, Fuse; and a number of tech-enabled regulatory remediation solutions.
(Listen to a LawNext interview with the director of Fuse, Shruti Ajitsaria.)
“Factor often works with or alongside law firms at the forefront of change in the industry and has a well-earned reputation for delivering real results for clients in handling sophisticated work on a large scale,” Ballheimer said in a statement.
“I’m aware of the market’s appetite for legal innovation to move from hype to reality, and feel Factor is extraordinarily well-positioned to drive this.”