Darryl Cooke at LegalEx: 9 Golden Rules for Real Change 

gunnercooke Founder, Darryl Cooke, recently took to the stage at the LegalEx conference in Manchester, to deliver a powerful keynote  on innovation in the legal sector. 

Darryl opened by challenging a familiar paradox: almost everyone agrees innovation matters, yet few believe law firms are genuinely good at it. One reason is that innovation is too often misunderstood as a technology project, rather than a mindset rooted in purpose, culture and leadership. 

Drawing on his experience founding gunnercooke, Darryl explained that meaningful innovation starts with being different, not trying to be “the best” on day one.  

gunnercooke’s model was built around a single, deliberate change, rewarding lawyers differently, but that one decision had far-reaching effects on autonomy, earnings, pride and long-term sustainability. Innovation, in this sense, is about designing a better way of working and living, not just implementing new systems. 

A central theme of the keynote was purpose. Darryl warned that many law firms struggle to innovate because they are driven by the wrong metrics, particularly profits per partner. Innovation should serve positive change, improving organisations, people’s lives and the society they operate in. 

Leadership and compassion ran through every part of the talk. Darryl argued that innovation cannot thrive without compassionate leadership, clarity of vision and a willingness to act, learn and occasionally fail. Culture will always outperform strategy if the two are in conflict. 

Finally, Darryl reminded the audience that innovation does not have to be expensive or complex. Often the most effective changes are simple, borrowed from outside the legal sector, and focused on continuous improvement rather than dramatic transformation. 

To sum up: 

• Innovation is about purpose and positive change, not just technology 

• Being different matters more than being “the best” 

• Culture and compassion are the foundations of sustainable innovation 

• Leadership must be bold, values-led and willing to learn 

• Small, simple innovations can deliver disproportionate impact 

You can watch Darryl’s full talk on YouTube here.