With the merger, Keller Schneider is on course for success and expansion. This requires a captain who can set the entire team on course toward a shared future and take on the challenge of change management in the firm.
"A merger is always a team effort. It not only means a legal and economic merger, but it also particularly affects the interaction of all employees as a unit and has an impact on the entire corporate climate."
Mirko Schade says this with conviction, because he knows exactly what he is talking about. After all, he plays the leading role in our firm. In this interview, we talk to him about his tasks.
Mr. Schade, what three keywords describe your first year as Managing Partner?
Change management, a lot of responsibility, and prioritizing and reconciling daily business and strategic issues come to mind ad hoc.
As Managing Partner, I am responsible for the success and further development of Keller Schneider. This involves strategic, economic and structural decisions for the future, but also applies hands-on to operational measures. Our merger was multidimensionally challenging. In addition to merging four locations, there was also a generation change. Accordingly, we were also confronted with the classic issues. These challenges can only be met with consistent decisions, intensive exchange and mutual understanding. I am driven by the team idea that we can only be successful together. The experience and know-how of established employees play just as important a role as new input, ideas and the energy of younger employees. Respect, appreciation, but also commitment and loyalty are values that must be lived and implemented on a daily basis.
It is a tightrope walk in which you have to pursue your goal with focus.
Which activities as Managing Partner do you enjoy the most?
I am a vision-driven opportunist. For me, the glass is always half full and I see opportunities rather than risks. What excites me is planning the next steps, planning and driving forward the cross-location and cross-border integration and internationalization of the firm. I also appreciate the close exchange with our experienced partners.
We are on an expansion course. Being responsible for this as a contact person and not only setting this course strategically, but also implementing it in the team in a practical and solution-oriented way, that's what motivates me, that's what I like most.
By the way, you also have to have some soft skills like teamwork and communication skills - lone wolves have no place in this position.
And what has been the biggest challenge so far?
Quite clearly: the merger. It was legally completed, but when I started my time as Managing Partner, I had to implement it in the work processes and daily business of all employees. This process is still ongoing. Everyone in the firm, including myself, is learning a lot in the process and we are developing strongly and constantly - especially with regard to communication procedures and internal work processes.
We are a modern law firm with sustainable growth - also because the entire team is working together towards a common goal. This requires a positive corporate climate, something we have to work on continuously. That is not something that can be taken for granted.
What task as an MP have you already been able to solve successfully or, to put it another way, is there an achievement that you would particularly highlight?
Seeing how the team has successfully managed to emerge from the restructuring process with new common goals and ambitions is something I, and we as a firm, are particularly proud of. Again and again there were new challenges and again and again there were initiatives in the team to master these new challenges. A joint success that goes to the credit of all employees and partners.
We have grown once again in the merger process, because the experience gained flows directly into projects for the future. Ultimately, everyone benefits from clearly defined corporate value strategies, optimized work processes and a uniformly positive corporate culture with which our employees identify: not only us as a law firm team, but above all our clients.
Managing Partner - a challenging position in law firm management, which requires a lot of experience in the pragmatic hands-on mentality with economic understanding but also a high level of social and methodical competence.
Mirko Schade is not only the youngest partner at Keller Schneider, but also holds the reins of the law firm as MP with his legal and economic entrepreneurial spirit. In doing so, he always relies on the team concept, is a mediator and organizer at the same time, and always remains confidently approachable for everyone. More about Mirko Schade