Law firm succession

As Founder and Managing Director Melissa Davis leads the global PR, social media and directories teams within MD Communications as well as the expanding international client base. Melissa has a proven track record of delivering high-level brand and PR strategies for over 18 years in political, legal and commercial environments. She has considerable experience of training lawyers and politicians internationally to deal with the media and understand the importance of brand positioning and messaging. Along with other MD Communications consultants she has also trained key governments across the world as part of her pro-bono role with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

Patricia is a qualified Irish Solicitor with over 30 years’ experience in the legal profession. She has worked in leading Irish and European corporate law firms, NGO’s, Inhouse legal and the European Commission. Patricia gathered broad and varied experience working in different practice areas, teams and cultures within the legal field. In 1995 she established a full-service law firm and today, Karanovic & Partners is the largest regional law firm in the Balkans. Her experience gained as a law firm founder to the development of a 200 strong cross border firm is unique and specific to building a firm in the ever- changing legal landscape. Having exited the firm in 2020, she tapped into that experience and built Gannon Advisory, a boutique advisory consultancy for law firms. Her particular focus is leadership development and strategic growth. She has been active in the IBA for over 20 years and held senior leadership roles including Co -Chair of the European Regional Forum. She is a committed advocate of building law firm networks and personal brands within those networks. These various careers within the legal profession resulted in astute observance of the disconnect between lawyers locationally, generationally and cross-sectorally. There is a strong need to improve communication and connectivity in a world where physical travel will be less of an option. As a result this year she established Platforum 9 which is a B2B social audio platform connecting lawyers globally. It was established to overcome those obstacles and create live interactive forums for conversation, learning and business generation. The problem/The legal profession is ripe for disruption as new technology and client expectations drives change. Law firms are scrambling to understand the implications and make the right decisions about their future. Many are challenged to train and retain talent. Young lawyers in particular want to develop further and faster using modern technology and tools they understand. Currently its not available to them. The solution/A specially designed app made up of a community of lawyers connecting through forums they are interested in, with properly moderated relevant content and an opportunity to connect directly for dialogue or generating new business opportunities. Find out more at www.platforum9.com Linked in: platforum-9