David Savage, Head of Construction at Charles Russell Speechlys — On Building a Practice, Law Firm Growth and the Future of Legal Careers

In this episode, David Savage, Head of Construction at Charles Russell Speechlys, shares his journey from construction chambers to building and leading a top-tier construction practice within an international law firm.From working at Shell before university to training at one of London’s leading construction chambers, David explains how early exposure to business and industry shaped his approach to law and client relationships.He reflects on his transition into private practice, including the realities of pupillage, competition for tenancy and the decision to move into a fast-growing law firm environment.David shares insights from his time helping to scale a construction team and what it takes to build, lead and grow high-performing legal teams.The conversation explores his move to Charles Russell Speechlys, where he effectively built a construction team from scratch, navigating the challenges of starting without an existing client base and developing a practice through entrepreneurial thinking and business development.David also discusses law firm mergers, including the strategic, cultural and operational considerations behind combining firms and scaling internationally.The episode covers the evolving role of AI in legal practice, how firms are training lawyers in prompt engineering and why the human elements of law — trust, judgement and client relationships — remain critical.David shares practical insights into construction law, including how lawyers balance black letter law with commercial realities and why understanding the business context is essential to delivering value to clients.The conversation also dives into personal branding, LinkedIn and modern business development — including why authentic content can outperform traditional law firm marketing.Finally, David offers advice for junior lawyers on developing commercial awareness, embracing AI, building relationships and taking advantage of opportunities both online and in person.00:00 Introduction  00:20 Meet David Savage: Career Overview  01:00 Working Before University & Early Experience  04:30 Life at the Construction Bar  08:00 Moving from Chambers to Law Firms  10:00 Building a High-Growth Construction Team  12:00 Learning from Entrepreneurial Partners  14:00 Business Development & Building a Network  16:00 Moving to Charles Russell Speechlys  19:00 Building a Team from Scratch  21:00 Growth, Leadership and Scaling a Practice  23:00 Law Firm Mergers: Strategy and Challenges  27:00 AI in Law and Legal Tech Adoption  30:00 Training Lawyers in Prompt Engineering  33:00 The Impact of AI on Legal Careers  37:00 Overview of Charles Russell Speechlys  41:00 What Construction Lawyers Actually Do  45:00 Commercial Awareness vs Black Letter Law  48:00 Business Development and Personal Branding  52:00 LinkedIn, Authenticity and Building a Brand  56:00 Advice for Junior Lawyers  01:00:00 Career Reflections and What’s Next