Stephen has forged an international career in law firm management over the last 20 plus years.

He joined Bell Gully as chief executive in 2005 and that same year was identified among key leaders in the Australasian Legal Business list of the "40 Hottest Lawyers for 2005".

Beginning his career as a barrister and solicitor in Western Australia, in 1986 Stephen co-founded a leading London-based legal consultancy and consulted to the international legal profession on strategy and management for more than a decade.

In 1997 he was appointed the first full-time managing partner of the Perth office of Minter Ellison and, in 1999, went on to become the firm’s executive manager partner, based in Melbourne. In 2003 he left to establish his own specialist strategic and management consultancy, again consulting to the legal profession globally.

Stephen is the immediate past worldwide Chairman of the International Bar Association's Law Firm Management Committee, and plays a leading role in global initiatives for the professional development of the legal profession. In 2007 he was elected to the Council of the Public and Professional Interest Division of the IBA.

Qualifications

B Juris, LLB, University of Western Australia

Admitted

1980 Western Australia
1983 High Court, Australia
1987 England & Wales
1999 Victoria, Australia

International Career

  • Legal Practice Strategies, Melbourne
    2003-2005
  • Minter Ellison, Melbourne
    1999-2003
  • Minter Ellison, Perth
    1996-1999
  • The David Andrews Partnership Limited, London
    1987-1996

Presentations

International Bar Association, Conference, Chicago, USA – Developed, chaired and presented a programme on 'Law Firm Leadership: Transitioning your Firm from "Good" to "Great" (September 2006).

International Bar Association and the All China Lawyers Association, Beijing and Shanghai, China – Developed and chaired the first joint IBA and ACLA management conference in China on 'Managing a Modern Law Firm for Profit and Success'. Presentation on 'The Role of Partners, Partner Progression and Profit Sharing' (November 2005).

Marketing Partner Forum, San Diego, USA – Invited as the only non North American speaker in what is profiled as 'the US legal industry's leading conference on client development', with some 400 marketing partners and professionals in attendance. Spoke on the topic of 'Cementing Client Relationships: Client Service Teams' (January 2005).

Inter Pacific Bar Association, Seminar, Bangkok, Thailand – Key note speaker and presentations to senior partners and managers on the strategic development of law firms, including strategic and business planning, and the strategic management of law firms, including structures & governance, practice profitability and the key profit drivers (September 2004).

International Bar Association, Conference, San Francisco, USA – Presentations on 'Attorney Evaluation and Progression' and 'In-house Continuing Legal Education in Australia'. Developed and co-chaired a one-day programme on 'Law Firm Mergers – From the First Glance to the Last Dance: the Whys, the Hows and the Watch Outs' (September 2003).

International Bar Association, Conference, Durban, South Africa – Chair of session and presented a paper on 'The Human Resource'; participation in a session on 'Growing or (Shrinking) Pains: How to Cope and Prosper' with a presentation on 'Structuring Law Firms' (October 2002).

Contact

Email: Stephen Macliver

DDI: 64 9 916 8966

Mobile: 64 21 677 633

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