Hot 100: Bryan Hughes, Eversheds

It may have been leapfrogged in terms of turnover by firms like DLA Piper, Hogan Lovells and Norton Rose, but Eversheds has kept itself relevant amid the shifting sands of the legal profession when it could have so easily fallen in with the zombie firms.

These days, credit must go to the firm’s chief executive Bryan Hughes (scroll down for video interview), who has been in the role since 2008. Hughes has not only kept the ship steady throughout the recession – which has dominated his first four years in office – but also sought to push the firm forward.

Most recently this has manifested itself in the form of his three-year plan, to accelerate integration among Eversheds’ international offices and create a unified standard of quality in all jurisdictions.

The firm is even mulling switching to a Swiss Verein structure to make the changes easier to police. Hughes went to great lengths to make sure his partnership was onboard with the new plans, travelling around the offices in a road show designed to secure buy-in for the three-year plan.

Hughes has one eye on the longer game, too, and earlier in 2012 also unveiled Eversheds’ 2020 Vision, outlining plans to turn the firm into a global leader. He was rewarded for his sound stewardship with a frictionless glide back into office in October 2012, when he was gifted another four years in the role following an uncontested election.

For an in-depth profile of Hughes, click here.