Theodore Goddard's decision not to merge with Richards Butler

As the old saying goes, "I had a vision – but then I got arrested."

The decision by Theodore Goddard's (TG) partners not to follow the recommendation of their board and merge with Richards Butler (RB) shows how difficult it is for law firm management, lacking full executive power, to push through its vision.

In this case the vision shared by the two firms – and by Denton Hall until it pulled out last October – was to accelerate dramatically the firms' progress into becoming a top 10 international law firm.