Legal Practice Managing Partner, PHM Group
The Client
PHM Group is a European leader in residential property services, operating at scale across multiple markets and experiencing rapid growth in the UK through acquisition. With tens of thousands of properties under management and an ambitious expansion plan, the UK business had reached a point where reliance on external legal advisers was no longer sustainable.
To support increasing volume, complexity and cost pressure linked to leasehold and property management matters, PHM Group made a strategic decision to create a dedicated, in-house legal practice.
The Requirement
PHM Group sought to appoint a Managing Partner to establish and lead this new legal entity. This was not a traditional law firm leadership role. The successful individual would need to build a fully functioning residential property law practice from the ground up, operating as a commercial service provider to an internal client base.
The role required deep technical expertise in residential leasehold law, Right to Manage, service charges and tribunal work, combined with the commercial acumen to run a profitable, scalable legal operation. Just as important was the ability to work closely with senior stakeholders across the UK business, balancing legal rigour with responsiveness and pragmatism.
This was a pivotal leadership appointment with long-term value creation in mind, including the potential for equity participation.
The Solution
Novo Exec partnered closely with PHM Group’s UK leadership to clearly define what success looked like in the first 12–24 months. We invested time understanding the acquisition strategy, future legal demand and how the Managing Partner would need to operate within a fast-moving, multi-stakeholder environment.
Our search focused on senior residential property solicitors with proven leadership experience, particularly those who had run practices, divisions or built internal legal functions.
Our approach included:
- Identifying legal leaders with deep leasehold and property management expertise
- Assessing experience of building teams, processes and legal infrastructure
- Evaluating commercial mindset, stakeholder management and cultural fit
- Running a confidential and highly targeted search process
Throughout, Novo acted as a trusted advisor, providing insight and challenge as the brief evolved.
The Outcome
PHM Group has appointed an incoming Managing Partner with the technical credibility, entrepreneurial mindset and leadership maturity required to establish and lead its in-house legal practice. On joining, they are expected to bring structure, clarity and commercial discipline to the creation of a new legal entity designed to operate at scale.
The new Managing Partner will focus on building robust legal processes, implementing appropriate systems and assembling a high-performing team capable of handling increasing volumes of leasehold and property management work. Their experience is expected to significantly reduce reliance on external counsel, improve cost control and ensure consistent, high-quality legal support across the UK business.
Crucially, this appointment provides PHM Group with a legal function built specifically to support its acquisition-led growth strategy. The role is positioned to deliver long-term value, strengthen governance and align legal delivery closely with the Group’s wider commercial ambitions.
