Event: Impact and Presence | How well do you understand yours?
LOCATION: Hilton, Park Lane
EVENT DATE: 9 Oct 2025
Interactive talk / workshop for 60 senior associates at a Magic Circle law firm.
I’m leaving the page here for others who may be interested in something similar.1
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Purpose of the session
You don’t just ‘become’ a senior partner
The managing partner at Clifford Chance once told me about a cohort of talented senior associates. In a particularly tough year, they failed to make partner and chose to leave.
I was a young legal journalist. I asked CC’s then-managing partner, Stuart Popham, if I could interview them. I thought readers (other lawyers) would like to know how it felt to have worked so hard, for so long, only to be disappointed.
I didn’t think Stuart would say yes, but he did. And I didn’t think the senior associates would talk to me, but they did.
I interviewed them all, and wrote a story that ran on the cover of Legal Business magazine, with a picture of a man walking away. The headline: “They wouldn’t make him partner.”
The title of the story on the inside pages was slightly different: “Clifford No Chance”. It caused quite a stir – but you’re busy, so I’ll keep this short(ish).
More than 20 years later, I was delivering a series of talks, and needed to look up the senior partner at one of the Magic Circle firms.
I discovered that Gideon Moore, one of the senior associates who “failed” at Clifford Chance, had become senior partner at Linklaters. I was so pleased for him, and sent a message saying so.
A person doesn’t just “become” senior partner at a Magic Circle law firm, or anywhere else. Mere legal know-how isn’t enough. And yet many firms neglect to teach people skills.
Which brings me to…
This interactive talk, on Your Impact + Presence, was designed for 60 senior associates at a Magic Circle firm. They’d come from offices around the world.
It was the closing session of a two-day event, and followed presentations on AI, profitability and strategy.
I used one slide:
A nice quote from Terry, and two of my books.
There was also a handout I’d sketched that morning, and exercises drawn from a) my years as a Financial Times writer and editor and b) my training in theatrical improvisation.
The feedback: “inspirational”, “people still talking about how great it was” and “how different it was in terms of style and how much they got from it”.
The session also created a real bond between participants, because when people take the small risk of volunteering for role-play in front of colleagues it builds trust and goodwill across offices and practice groups.
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How the session was presented to participants beforehand:
You’ve spent years becoming the best lawyer you can be. Now it’s time to step back, and think about your personal impact.
As you progress through your legal career, accumulating greater responsibilities and expectations – you may find that old behaviours are no longer helpful.
In this lively, thought-provoking session, John-Paul Flintoff will help you to “step outside yourself” to see your own impact and presence.
Previously a writer and editor on the Financial Times and The Sunday Times of London, Flintoff is author of How To Change The World and six other books, available in 16 languages worldwide, including A Modest Book About How To Make An Adequate Speech.
He has spoken on four continents, to audiences of as many as 5,000 people, and delivered talks and training in many leading law firms.
“A talk that everyone needs to hear” – organiser, Mishcon de Reya
In this session, you will:
- understand better the powerful nature of your own impact and presence
- see that the way you do things affects how others do things
- become more curious about the people around you, and more confident hearing their point of view
1 Interested in something similar. One person who was interested inspired me to create this.