Jomati press comment

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• Langue: English

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Jomati brings in two consultants

28 January 2004

Jomati, the legal consultancy set up by former Andersen Legal head Tony Williams, has hired

two senior consultants. The hires are John Angel, visiting professorial fellow at the Institute of

Computer and Communications Law at Queen Mary University, and John Holmes, until

recently managing partner of Clifford Chance’s (CC’s) Dubai branch. Williams, who was also a

former managing partner at CC, said: “Firms need good people to help them manage their

strategy and in John Angel and John Holmes, they have two talented and experienced

professionals.”

Life after Andersen

By Bob Sherwood and Nikki Tait

October 21, 2002

There is life after Andersen Legal. Tony Williams, the former Andersen Legal worldwide

managing partner, and ex-managing partner of Clifford Chance, has announced that he is

setting up his own legal management consultancy.

The venture is to be called Jomati, and “aims to provide firms with practical advice on

planning, developing, testing and implementing their overall business strategies”. The new

consultancy will be London- based, but intends to operate on an international basis.

Williams branches out into legal consultancy

17 October 2002

Former Andersen Legal worldwide managing partner Tony Williams has formed his own legal

consultancy firm called Jomati.

The launch comes after the winding up of the interests of Andersen Legal, which split up this

year following the US indictment of its accountancy parent for its part in the collapse of Enron.

The move ends months of speculation that Williams, one of the City’s most prominent lawyers

and a former managing partner of Clifford Chance, would take a post at a City firm, or the

London office of a major US firm.

McDermott Will & Emery is understood to be one firm Williams had held discussions with.

Williams’ role as head of what was, at the start of the year, the world’s second-largest legal

network, made him one of the UK’s most closely watched law firm leaders.

Williams has also been negotiating to regain the equity contributions of partners from Andersen

Legal’s UK arm, Garretts, and organising the transfer of Andersen Legal staff.

Jomati will focus on developing and implementing business strategies for law firms and intends

to handle mergers, alliances and crisis management.

“There is a clear niche in the market for very practical-based advisers to work with firms to

develop strategic plans that are based on reality,” Williams said.

He told Legal Week the idea of setting up a consultancy came to him after a number of law

firms asked him to work on special projects for them. Jomati will be run primarily as a solo

practice with Williams calling in additional outside advisers on an ad hoc basis when needed.

I’m back

22 October 2002

Everyone wondered what Tony Williams, the former Andersen Legal worldwide managing

partner and partner of Clifford Chance, would do once the dust had settled. Now we know. He is

turning his unique experience to good account by setting up a legal management consultancy.

Probably no lawyer alive has experienced such a range of highs and lows, of hiring and letting

gos, so he has an enormous palette of skills and insights to draw on. My only reservation is the

title of his new agency, which takes the stage under the name Jomati. Ripe for mispronunciation,

it is reminiscent of Accenture, the nom-de-guerre for Andersen’s former management

consultants. Ex-Andersenians clearly have a penchant for the bizarre in the name game. Maybe

it was something they put in their latte.

Tony Williams goes it alone

21 October 2002

Former Andersen Legal managing partner Tony Williams has re-emerged as an independent law

firm consultant. He told The Lawyer: “The intention is to provide advice primarily to law firms,

but also to in-house legal departments, on developing and implementing their strategy and

operations.” First revealed on www.thelawyer.com/lawyernews on 16 October

Ex-managing partner of Andersen Legal

sets up consultancy

20 October 2002

Tony Williams, former worldwide managing partner for Andersen Legal and previously

worldwide managing partner for Clifford Chance, has set up his own legal consultancy called

Jomati.

The consultancy, based in London, will aim to provide global advice to law firms on developing

and implementing business strategies, negotiating mergers and strategic alliances and crisis

management.

The new business has already secured engagements with UK and US firms, although a

spokesman refused to give further details, citing confidentiality agreements as the reason.

“There is a clear niche in the market for very practical-based advisers to work with firms to

develop strategic plans that are based on reality. Firms want to be able to work with advisers

who develop with them what to do but can also work alongside them in delivering the how and

the when. Too many strategic plans or market ambitions go on to the shelf. Jomati

aims to work with firms to make sure that strategy is a living, breathing focus of the business,”

said Williams.

Williams left his position as worldwide managing partner at Clifford Chance to join Andersen

Legal after the former merged with Rogers & Wells in the US. He had previously led the Eastern

European Group and managed the Moscow office, as well as developing the corporate and

regulatory practice in Hong Kong, at the magic circle firm.