"Stephen is unique, in that he learned his skills not on an MBA course or from textbooks, but at the coal face. In legal practice, he achieved amazing things, at the heart of transforming a one-man band into a 500-people business and creating a law firm years ahead of its time. So when he talks, you have to listen. He’s not talking theory, it comes from a career’s worth of experience. We have gained real and lasting benefit from working with him."
Philip Rodney, Chairman, Burness Paull
"Law firms don’t just happen. They need to be driven, minded, grown. Not all solicitors are entrepreneurs or even great businesspeople. The trick is to know or learn your own strengths and weaknesses, and to hire in experts where needed. We were reasonable businesspeople, and potential entrepreneurs. We needed Stephen Gold to identify how we could develop ourselves, our firm and our market, and show us the best way forward. We’ve never looked back, and Stephen’s contribution to our successful, confident business was indispensable and permanent."
Austin Lafferty, Senior Partner, Austin Lafferty Solicitors, Past-President, The Law Society of Scotland
"We were privileged to have Stephen as a non-exec member of our Management Board at Simpson & Marwick both before and after our merger with Clyde & Co. Stephen was an incredibly wise counsel who was a constant voice of reason in the many decisions that we had to make regarding both the general management and strategic thinking within our existing business but also, crucially, during the course of the deliberations around merger which ultimately led to our successful tie up. Stephen’s advice was always carefully thought out, to the point and delivered in a persuasive and personable way. Most importantly of all his advice was always completely objective and non-partisan. His ability to grasp the nuances of different legal markets, and the clients' different expectations within them, is second to none in my view. He also proved to be an effective and supportive mentor for underperforming Partners and Fee Earners. He offers tremendous insight from the point of view of marketing and business development to a legal practice."
Gordon Keyden, Managing Partner, Clyde & Co Scotland LLP
"We have worked with Stephen over a number of years. Having walked the walk in building a leading law firm from scratch, he has a unique insight into what drives successful lawyers and strategies alike. He has provided thoughtful guidance and support not only to our senior leadership team, but also to individual partners. We really enjoy working with him."
Craig Nicol, Joint Managing Partner, Thorntons Law
"I first met Stephen in my previous firm, as part of a partner group formed to develop our rainmaking skills. He was the catalyst in bringing about a transformation of the mindset, culture and practical approach to winning new business of those of us lucky enough to participate in his sessions. His wealth of experience in building successful businesses, coupled with his straightforward and fearless approach, make him the perfect role model, while at the same time his friendly personality provides an accessibility often lacking from other business “gurus”. He always made himself available to chat through tricky issues and to provide one-to-one encouragement. I'm glad we are still in regular contact."
Fiona Buchanan, Head of Banking and Finance, Shepherd & Wedderburn LLP
"We initially engaged Stephen on a trial period, as we were unsure if his experience would be of benefit to a small firm such as ourselves. We are now a distance down the road and our ROI based on Stephen's experience and insight makes his consultancy one of the shrewdest decisions we have ever made."
Ross Jones and Greg Whyte, Jones Whyte Law
"WJM is a leading independent law firm. We have worked with Stephen on several projects, from improving the rainmaking ability and appetite of all of our people, to working with our clients to gain a better understanding of their needs and how our services are perceived. Stephen is a strong counsellor and fearless with his advice. He will tell you like it is, but always show you another way. He has been an absolutely indispensable help in the growth and management of our business.”
Liam Entwistle, Partner (formerly Managing Partner) Wright Johnston & Mackenzie
"Stephen’s involvement with our firm over the last 12 months has been invaluable. He has helped to steer us through tricky waters with warmth and wit and has always been available with wise counsel, advice and solutions. His extensive knowledge of the legal profession throughout the UK has been a fantastic resource for us and for a small firm having an independent third party on the board has been essential in dealing with internal issues and has given us clarity in deciding the future strategy and direction of the firm. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with him and would highly recommend his involvement for any firm."
Diana Boyd, Managing Partner, Boyd Legal
"Stephen is one of the few consultants who has done the hard work of personally building his own legal firm. When he coaches, his understanding of the challenges resonates with partners and has proved a real help to many careers."
Paul Wilson, formerly Chief Executive Shakespeare Martineau, now Chief Executive, Smart & Biggar, Featherstonehaugh, Toronto
"Stephen and I were partners at Golds, and despite that still have a great relationship! He has years of experience in getting the best from and for businesses and their people. He understands what drives success on a personal and professional level and is motivational. He is not afraid to get under the skin of issues and challenge entrenched practices and behaviours in a positive and dynamic way. Stephen communicates in a way that is straightforward and thinks in a different way to most within the legal profession. He knows what to do to change businesses for the better and can spot opportunities in a strategic way."
Elaine Russell, Partner, Harper MacLeod
"While for commercial reasons I've asked to keep our name confidential, I am happy to say that we are very appreciative of Stephen’s efforts at getting to know us as a business, help us look more closely at strategy and what will make a real difference to improve our bottom line and sales. We have made real progress and we could not have done that without Stephen’s help and support."
Senior Partner, Corporate Firm, Scotland and London