Why more Big Law partners are choosing to go it alone

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/Chapters00:01 Introduction01:20 Kindleworth Origins & Founder Backgrounds02:20 What Kindleworth Does & Who It’s For03:56 High-Profile Launches & the Rosenblatt Rescue05:17 Burford Capital & Funding Law Firm Spin-Outs08:08 Why Kindleworth Is Taking the Model to the US12:11 Why Starting Fresh Beats Fixing Big Law14:13 Which Practice Areas Are Ripe for Breakaways18:18 Advice for Partners Thinking of Leaving26:03 Pricing Pressure, AI & New Firm Economics38:53 The Upside: Freedom, Ownership & Building LegacyAbout Non-BillableNon-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