Teamwork in a fee share model – Alex Vlachos and Thalis Vlachos

October 5, 2021

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There is sometimes a misconception that a fee share model is for solo lawyers, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. gunnercooke has a strong internal network and thrives off collaboration and cross referrals.

As well as being twin brothers, Alex and Thalis Vlachos are both partners at gunnercooke, specialising in Real Estate and Employment respectively. Alex decided to join the firm having witnessed first-hand the benefits for his brother’s career. Both brothers have taken advantage of the ways its model supports teamworking, collaborating on multiple cases.

Alex and Thalis share their experience of collaborating on a recent property development case in London:

“This particular case is a good example of the collegiality we’ve experienced so far at gunnercooke. We worked with a team including other partners at the firm, an external brokerage sourced through contacts of gunnercooke, and an insurance firm.

“The matter involved procuring various planning permissions which necessitated external funding, requiring expertise in multiple practice areas. This meant that as the matter progressed, we needed to instruct further lawyers, including a tax and a corporate partner, resulting in a substantial gunnercooke team.

“Because of the entrepreneurial freedom that this model encourages, it meant we could nurture and develop our contacts, which has ultimately resulted, and expected to result, in further legal work for both ourselves and for others in the firm in a range of practice areas. The maxim ‘Who you know’ in business, applies to the legal sector, so it’s great to be able to tap into the wide range of contacts offered by well-connected partners in the firm; and, deliver more than what a lawyer would be expected to.

“There are so many lawyers choosing to change to this model. Indeed, and during this matter, it came to light that, serendipitously, the funder’s lawyer and the Head of Real Estate Finance, Dan Fireman, would be moving to gunnercooke himself as a fellow partner. Dan has found the move to be a huge success so far and has referred multiple matters to other partners within the firm.

“gunnercooke’s culture is well set up for cross referrals and thrives off internal recommendations and also be able to pass work to other partners. There are many mutual benefits in enhancing each other’s practices. Plus, we can offer added value for our clients by tapping into the firm’s range of expertise to offer them a comprehensive range of services.”

Contact Thalis and Alex here