Post-merger integration in a virtual world
The prospect of merging two law firms during a global pandemic is daunting. Vandana Chitroda, partner at RIAA Barker Gillette shares experiences from her firm’s recent merger with Tibber Marks.
On 1 September 2021, West-End law firm RIAA Barker Gillette (RBG) announced its merger with North London firm Tibber Marks. The merged firm has 16 partners and 63 staff, an international client base, and global alliances in Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, UAE, and the USA.
Joining the cultures and working practices of two firms isn’t easy at the best of times, made no easier when planning remotely. It’s natural for both parties to focus on financials, but this can’t be the sole reason for a merger. More important is whether the working systems and cultures of the two firms are compatible. To understand this, you must dig deep – and doing that remotely is difficult.
Digital foundation
RBG has operated a paperless practice for many years and makes full use of sophisticated IT systems, so the transition to working from home as Covid-19 struck was seamless. Neither firm faced a downturn in business during the pandemic. In fact, quite the opposite. There was a mutual positive energy and enthusiasm for the merger and alignment in culture, practice areas, integration, and developmental prospects. But there’s more to a merger; when site visits are impossible, an in-depth desktop assessment must take place, plus many, many, Teams meetings.
This would have been impossible 10 years ago – it’s a difficult assessment to make when looking at a business from afar. There is careful analysis of all the possibilities to consider – how the firms will work together, their location, what systems to use, what value you bring to the table and they to yours. There are also the negatives – the risk and change management, and the prospect that one firm must adapt to the other’s practices. It’s underestimated how hard that is, especially when there is little prospect of meeting in person.
Save for the first meeting in a park on a cold winter’s day, much of the integration for the merger happened virtually – from negotiations and planning meetings to post-deal staff training and getting to know each other. It’s difficult to encourage and persuade a whole firm remotely on new practices and systems. Having the knowledge that these challenges exist and confronting them early on is key. Having realistic lead times is crucial. Most issues are foreseeable and can be managed.
Integration of IT was one of the biggest jobs. A detailed remote audit of both business’ systems took place to understand which would work best across the board. With that decision made, data migration and infrastructure requirements were assessed and implemented. When Covid-19 restrictions allowed, induction and training took place in person and virtually, through meetings and the invaluable resource of ‘how to’ videos’ to assist users working from home post-induction.
It is, of course, the start of our journey. Yet, despite the challenges, it’s been a success and RBG – incorporating Tibber Marks – is looking forward to a prosperous future.
