Be the architect of your own destiny

Thalis Vlachos is a highly successful Employment lawyer with over 20 years’ experience.

He joined gunnercooke in 2017 after working for several traditional law firms. Thalis wanted the autonomy to operate on his terms, which included diversifying to specialise in a complementary area of law.

Here he discusses the benefits of working at gunnercooke, and advice for those considering the move.

Complete freedom and choice

At gunnercooke each Partner can dictate their own way of working to suit their ambitions.

This not only relates to work-life balance, but also choosing what direction of travel their practice and career takes.

“I know it sounds cliched but gunnercooke allowed me to be the lawyer that I always wanted to be.

“You’re the architect of your own destiny, deciding the areas of law you want to specialise in, who is in your team, and what the short to long term strategy is.

“I’ve expanded my practice from Employment law, senior executive work and shareholder disputes to also include Commercial litigation. It isn’t something I would have been able to do at a traditional law firm where you’re pigeonholed and must maximise billable hours.

“Expanding into Commercial Litigation was a bit of a baptism of fire initially, but I’m really enjoying it.

“Delivering for clients in this area is probably the proudest moment of my career and it’s thanks to the freedom I have at gunnercooke.”

Building your team

To be a successful Partner leading your own team, understanding how best to develop your practice and grow a business that delivers for clients is crucial.

gunnercooke provides counsel to its Partners through business mentorship and has an experienced recruitment team who can help you to find the right talent, experience and personalities to help your practice thrive.

“I feel like I’m the Producer in a film. I’ve got to pick the right counsel, Associate and Paralegal for each case.

“You must understand how to delegate because at times there’s a temptation to try and do everything yourself. But once you have handpicked your team, everything falls into place.”

The future of law

Our Partners believe gunnercooke’s model provides an environment where they can flourish.

We’re extremely proud of that and Thalis perfectly encapsulates what we have strived to achieve.

“gunnercooke is the future. Either you are a lawyer who waits for other Lawyers, Partners or the Board to determine your fate…or you determine it yourself.

“When you start at gunnercooke, everyone’s got the same car metaphorically speaking… no one has any significant advantage or disadvantage over the other person. So you decide where you want to put that car, and where you want to drive it to. It’s your decision. There’s no one out there telling you what to do.

“I’d encourage any experienced lawyer to pick up the phone and have a conversation about joining.”

You can find out more about joining gunnercooke here.