Stakehlders at the fifth Annual Managing Partner Roundtable, organised by the Association of Law Firm Administrators Nigeria
Legal experts have urged Nigerian law firms to build stronger management structures, financial systems and succession plans, warning that founder-driven practices may struggle to achieve sustainable growth.
The legal experts spoke at the fifth Annual Managing Partner Roundtable, organised by the Association of Law Firm Administrators Nigeria in Lagos on Thursday.
According to a statement made available to Asklegalpalace on Friday, the roundtable focused on governance, leadership, financial discipline, talent development, succession planning, technology and operational efficiency in a changing legal services market.
The President of ALAN and Chief Operating Officer at Streamsowers & Köhn, Modupe Olusoga, said professional excellence alone was no longer enough to guarantee the survival and growth of law firms.
Olusoga, who delivered the welcome address, said law firms needed to distinguish between simply growing in size and developing the capacity to sustain that growth.
“Growth is an outcome; scaling is a capability. The capability to translate ambition into an institution supported by strong governance, leadership, financial discipline, and succession planning,” she said.
Olusoga added that law firms seeking long-term relevance must combine legal expertise with effective management systems.
In his keynote address, the Founder and Chairman of Perchstone & Graeys LP, Osaro Eghobamien, SAN, urged managing partners and firm founders to assess whether their people, structures and systems could support the expansion they were pursuing.
“As every managing partner knows, you are either chasing demand or backing your people; both are strategic choices,” Eghobamien said.
He maintained that sustainable expansion required deliberate investment in institutional capacity as firms took on more clients, expanded their teams and entered new markets.
A panel moderated by Ekundayo Onajobi, a partner at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, examined the practical challenges of scaling legal practices.
The panel comprised Soji Awogbade, Principal Consultant at Harboursim LP; Olujoke Aliu, Co-Managing Partner at Aluko & Oyebode; Toyin Gbagi, Partner and Chief Operating Officer at KPMG; Olaniyi Yusuf, Managing Partner at Verraki Partners; and Oluwakemi Ajayi, Chief Operating Officer at Banwo & Ighodalo.
The panelists discussed multi-office expansion, partner succession, financial management, talent development and technology adoption.
They stressed that firms should put appropriate systems and leadership structures in place before embarking on aggressive expansion, while maintaining service quality, organisational culture and client confidence.
Succession planning was identified as critical to ensuring that firms remain viable beyond the tenure of their founders and senior partners.
The panelists also urged law firms to look beyond revenue figures and focus on profitability, resource allocation and operational efficiency when making strategic decisions.
On technology, they said emerging tools could improve workflow, efficiency and client service but cautioned that adoption should be driven by clear business objectives.
The Chair of ALAN’s Learning and Development Committee, Oyinkan Idowu, said law firm owners and senior executives needed to understand the business side of legal practice.
“If you are a law firm owner, managing partner, or senior executive, you must understand the business of law. We want law firms to exist, grow, and scale,” she said.
Idowu outlined ALAN’s professional development strategy and announced frameworks scheduled to run through 2027 to strengthen practice management in Nigerian law firms.
A key highlight of the event was the unveiling of ALAN’s new website, designed to improve access to information, professional resources, membership services and development programmes.
The association said its focus was to promote competence, strategic excellence and professional governance across Nigerian legal practices, while equipping law firm administrators and practice managers to improve efficiency, profitability and sustainable growth.
Closing the event, ALAN Vice-President Grace Oyeniyi said more than 250 delegates attended physically, while participants also joined virtually from Kenya and other parts of Africa.
She urged participants to translate the lessons from the roundtable into practical reforms within their firms.
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