Fazio to depart Herbert Geer, new board announced

Herbert Geer has introduced a new board of partners on the eve of managing partner Bill Fazio’s departure.

The firm has appointed five elected partners to the board to oversee the management of the firm going forward. One of these partners, Peter Nankivell, is the chair of the board. “The board is excited about the future, the opportunities arising from the changes in the legal industry and the position of Herbert Geer in the market,” said Nankivell. “We are very proud of all that we have achieved with Bill as our managing partner.” However, the firm will still have a managing partner post June 30 and is considering candidates from within and outside the organisation.

Fazio decided at the start of the year it was time for him to leave after seven years in the managing partner role. “Having decided that it was time for a change, the next issue was identifying how best to manage that for both me and the firm,” Fazio told ALB. “I gave [six months] notice so that the firm had time to adjust to the change.”

Fazio has worked with the firm on the new board of partners management structure, which will see five partners elected from within the partnership for up to two terms. The board of partners was chosen to provide a “representative forum for increasing the efficiency of decision making, to ensure a focus on the firm's strategic direction and to facilitate communication and its role in the development of the organisation” according to Anthea Hancocks, chief marketing officer at Herbert Geer.

Fazio said that he had not yet decided where he would go immediately after his departure and intended to spend time with his family and seriously considering his next step. “My thoughts on the future are quite open,” he told ALB. “My most recent experience was in leading a professional services organisation, and that is an option going forward, but there are many opportunities I am yet to consider.”

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