Alan Hodgart, RIP

by | February 1, 2018 | About the Site, Articles, Profiles of Individuals | 3 comments

With deep sadness and a large dose of shock, I received word early this  morning that Alan Hodgart, a friend and colleague, died suddenly and unexpectedly yesterday in London.

I have taken the liberty of reproducing below an email I received later this morning from Rob Ashing, one of Alan’s close colleagues at Hodgart Associates (we have met Rob).

I have little to add to Rob’s reflections as far as Alan’s stature in our profession and our world goes, but I feel compelled to supply a few brief words about Alan as a human being in my life and the life of Adam Smith, Esq.

Alan was masterful at what he did–law firm strategic consulting–and welcomed me into this very small fold almost immediately after I founded Adam Smith, Esq. and word began to get around.  Over the years I met him in many professional contexts and venues around the world, and no matter what firm he called his base of operations he was unstintingly munificent with his thoughts and reflections and opened doors for me that would have taken much longer had I had to pry them loose on my own.

A few years ago Alan approached me and Adam Smith, Esq. about creating a slightly more formal professional alliance and it was in that context that Janet and I got to know him best.  His analytical capabilities were a gift from some of the more gracious gods of consulting, and he was a charming and warm human being. It is over too soon.

Please join me in the spirit of celebrating his life and work.

Dear Bruce,

It is with considerable sadness and a deep sense of loss that I am writing to let you know of the sudden and untimely death of Alan Hodgart in the early hours of Wednesday morning (31 January).  Alan will be known and remembered by most for his pioneering work in the professional services and particularly law firm markets over the last 25 years.

Widely regarded as the world’s leading authority on law firm strategy development, Alan has advised many of the largest law firms in the world including on ground-breaking cross-border mergers.  He has worked in virtually every jurisdiction with leading and other domestic firms.  His legacy and his footprint are considerable.

During his career many if not all of the predictions Alan has made have come to fruition in one way or another.  He more than any other observer identified that the legal profession would undergo a similar transformation to that of the accounting profession, at a time when many lawyers were dismissive of the mere notion of competition and the prospect of a 1,000 lawyer firm (let alone a 7,000 lawyer firm) was considered fanciful at best.

A background in corporate management consultancy at McKinsey, combined with a highly analytical and agile mind and an ability to project beyond the existing paradigm enabled him to unlock problems where others could not.  Alan’s passion for developing solutions was insatiable with a work ethic to match, no doubt instilled among other things by his experience of professional cycling for over ten years.

Beyond his considerable professional accomplishments, Alan was known as a close friend and confidante.  It has been moving to hear the outpouring of genuine affection and respect that many have already expressed.

As you will appreciate, Alan’s family has yet to finalise any arrangements regarding a funeral or memorial at this stage.  We will continue to support them as they do so and beyond.  We will pass on further information in due course as this becomes clearer and look forward to an opportunity to pay respect to and to celebrate Alan’s life.

In the meantime, please forward this message to others who knew or worked with Alan.  Please also feel free to contact me to share your memories of Alan or if there are any questions that I can assist with.  I will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Rob Ashing
Director
rob.ashing@hodgartassociates.com
M: 07984 761162

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3 Comments

  1. Christoph H. Vaagt
    Christoph H. Vaagt on February 2, 2018 at 10:26 am

    Sad to read. Alan teached me a lot about market segmentation and economic understanding of law firms. Certainly he was a leading figure in the legal market.
    Chris

  2. David Stewart
    David Stewart on February 27, 2018 at 11:27 am

    I heard this awful news a couple of weeks ago. Alan was a kind, decent man and a good friend and mentor to me throughout my career in law firm management. His calm, logical and far-sighted approach was allied to an (essential) sensibility for the strategic lack of lateral thinking that is the lawyers’ lot, and as a result he was able to pace projects to the ability of the participants to catch up (without mollycoddling or indulging them) . He will be very much missed, and his breadth of experience and knowledge is , I’d suggest, unique in his field. RIP Alan, and thanks Bruce for your kind eulogy.

  3. Ray Griffiths
    Ray Griffiths on March 13, 2018 at 6:12 pm

    I’m very sad to hear about Alan’s passing we have been personal friends since the early 80’s in Sydney.
    He lived in NYC and moved to London I lived in Sydney and moved to NYC almost 21 years ago, thru it all we staying in touch and stayed with each other, I will deeply miss his friendship and the wonderful times we spent together I had arranged a trip to London last September to visit him but I had family matters in Australia so I cancelled and was planning to visit Alan in the spring but its not to be.
    Time can never be regained !!! Bye Alan my friend

    Ray Griffiths

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