The Non-Billable Podcast
The Non-Billable Podcast
Podcast Description
The Non-Billable Podcast takes UK legal professionals beyond the billable hour, bringing you interviews with top lawyers, law firm leaders, industry experts and legal tech innovators to uncover actionable insights on the business of law, career growth and the future of the industry.
Hosted by Oliver Attinger, a former finance lawyer at a leading City law firm with in-house experience at an investment bank - now asking the questions he wished he had when he was practising.
Brought to you by Non-Billable, the go-to newsletter for City lawyers, in-house counsel, and legal professionals.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
This podcast focuses on themes related to the business of law, career development, and legal innovation. Episodes delve into topics such as the evolving dynamics of the legal market, personal stories of entrepreneurial lawyers, and insights into legal tech advancements. For instance, episodes have highlighted journeys of individuals like Alexander Kardos-Nyheim, who successfully balanced a legal training contract with launching a legal tech startup, exploring challenges and strategies for success in a competitive field.
The Non-Billable Podcast takes UK legal professionals beyond the billable hour, bringing you interviews with top lawyers, law firm leaders, industry experts and legal tech innovators to uncover actionable insights on the business of law, career growth and the future of the industry.
Hosted by Oliver Attinger, a former finance lawyer at a leading City law firm – now asking the questions he wished he had when he was practising.
Brought to you by Non-Billable, the legal media platform for City lawyers, in-house counsel, and legal professionals.
James Hacking and Mike Estill from Kindleworth join the show to unpack one of the more salient shifts in Big Law right now: senior partners leaving large firms to launch specialist practices – and why the market is suddenly making that move feel much more doable.
They explain Kindleworth’s model: helping partners with client followings set up boutique or specialist firms “of their design”, then running the day-to-day operational backbone once the doors are open. The conversation digs into some of the best-known projects they’ve been involved in, including Pallas and the rapid Rosenblatt spin-out, and what those launches reveal about how quickly new firms can be stood up when the right pieces are in place.
A big theme is friction, and how to remove it. Hacking and Estill argue that better access to capital, dramatically improved tech, and a growing pool of partners who don’t fit neatly inside the strategic priorities of ever-bigger global firms. They talk about conflicts in the broad sense – not just classic conflicts of interest, but conflicts of strategy, pricing and business model – and why that opens space for focused firms built around a portable book of business and a clear vision.
The episode also looks ahead: why Burford Capital invested in Kindleworth, what a US expansion could look like, and how technology and outside capital could enable a new breed of “scale specialist” firms. The practical takeaway is simple: if you’ve got the itch to go it alone, don’t be scared of exploring it – because the fastest way to get clarity is to start having the right conversations.
To find out more about Legora, visit: https://legora.com/
Chapters
00:01 Introduction
01:20 Kindleworth Origins & Founder Backgrounds
02:20 What Kindleworth Does & Who It’s For
03:56 High-Profile Launches & the Rosenblatt Rescue
05:17 Burford Capital & Funding Law Firm Spin-Outs
08:08 Why Kindleworth Is Taking the Model to the US
12:11 Why Starting Fresh Beats Fixing Big Law
14:13 Which Practice Areas Are Ripe for Breakaways
18:18 Advice for Partners Thinking of Leaving
26:03 Pricing Pressure, AI & New Firm Economics
38:53 The Upside: Freedom, Ownership & Building Legacy
About Non-Billable
Non-Billable is the media company for modern legal professionals across private practice, in-house and legal tech.
Visit our website: https://www.nonbillable.co.uk
Disclaimer
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