On November 3, April Bogard Pinder joined Raleigh-based Cranfill Sumner LLP as the firm’s first chief executive officer. Cranfill is the first law firm in the Southeastern United States to appoint a CEO outside of its partnership.
Pinder joined Cranfill from U.S. Bank where she served as senior vice president, head of strategy, and program execution. She has over 20 years of experience in law, banking, and business.
She spoke with Attorney at Law Magazine Executive Publisher Robert Friedman about her plans for the firm.
AALM: Why now, why has Cranfill decided to hire its first CEO?
ABP: We’re at a real inflection point in the industry, and this is a real proactive move to align business operations and legal excellence. If you think about this inflection point, you think about changing client expectations, you think about growth, you think about modernization, you think about generational leadership, and you think about the current pace of change that’s unprecedented throughout human history. We really need to get ahead of that.
AALM: The firm has 27 practice areas, including the newly launched mergers and acquisitions group. Do you see the firm adding other practice areas?
ABP: I don’t think that we’ve identified exactly what that will be or what we are going to do. As I step into this CEO role, first and foremost, I want to be very thoughtful about what our clients want and need and what they’ve asked us to do. I want to lean into that client feedback and be very thoughtful about gathering competitive intelligence and market research to identify opportunities to better serve our clients.
When you think about what clients want, both now and in the future, it’s a relationship, not just a transaction. As the world, and business, becomes more complicated, clients need someone who can stand beside them as they navigate change and growth. We’re all becoming more complex as humans, so our goal is to meet that complexity with partnership. We don’t want to be just a transaction; we want to be a thought partner and trusted advisor.
AALM: No conversation with law firms is complete without asking about the role of AI.
ABP: It feels like there’s a lot of fear around AI because we have made it a proper noun. But if we really go back to its roots, it’s about automating and streamlining efficiency. I think that technology, and whether you call it digital or AI or whatever fancy word you want to give it, is an enabler and an amplifier. It allows you to do more for the same or same for less. As you lean into it, it reduces burden as capacity and it takes away the minutia so that you can focus on complex, critical thinking.
AALM: Do you anticipate hiring additional lawyers?
ABP: We’re always looking for folks who complement the practices that we have. We think about who’s already on the team, the clients we’re working with, our digital tech, and where we see opportunities to bring in great people who can help us grow. People are the magic that makes us go forward. Technology empowers our people, and our people drive progress. We’re embracing a hybrid workplace and investing in tools as well as training that make our teams more connected, efficient, and fulfilled, both in the office and out of it.
Ultimately, our focus is on delivering the best possible service to our clients, and that means staying agile, forward-thinking, and setting the bar for what a modern law firm can be. That said, you can’t make this magic happen without people.
AALM: You just moved here from Texas. Are you liking Raleigh?
ABP: I love it. I’ve already had Cheerwine and Bojangles!
