Meet William Peake
From Stand-Up Comedy to Global Leadership: William Peake on Strategic Thinking and Cross-Border Excellence
When The Exchange welcomes William Peake in November 2025, our community will gain insights from a leader who has mastered the art of navigating complex, high-stakes environments whilst building truly global legal operations.
As Global Managing Partner at Harneys—where he chairs the Global Executive Committee and drives the firm's strategic and cultural agenda—William brings a unique perspective on leading distributed teams, managing cross-border complexity, and maintaining excellence under pressure.
An Unconventional Path to Global Leadership
William's journey to global leadership reads like an adventure novel rather than a traditional legal career. After studying law at Trinity College Dublin with the straightforward goal of becoming a lawyer, his training contract was acquired by a leading offshore firm—an event that would launch two decades of Caribbean-based legal work spanning the Cayman Islands and BVI.
But perhaps most remarkably, William took a sabbatical from law to pursue stand-up comedy in London. As he puts it with characteristic wit: "I became bored of selling out every night" and decided to "get some timesheets back into your life." This creative detour before joining Harneys in 2014 speaks to his willingness to take risks and think differently—qualities that have clearly served him well in his rapid rise from Senior Associate to Global Managing Partner.
Why William's Expertise Matters for Legal Ops
William's leadership experience offers invaluable insights for legal operations professionals managing complexity and driving strategic change:
High-Stakes Project Management: As lead partner on the US$9.2bn Saad litigation—the longest-running trial and highest-value case ever litigated in the Cayman Islands—William understands how to coordinate complex, multi-jurisdictional teams whilst providing time-sensitive advice to stakeholders.
Global Operations Excellence: Leading legal teams across London and Cayman whilst maintaining consistently excellent client service demonstrates practical expertise in managing distributed operations—increasingly crucial for modern legal departments.
Strategic Leadership Philosophy: His role driving Harneys' strategic and cultural agenda provides insights into how legal leaders can balance operational excellence with long-term vision and cultural transformation.
Cross-Border Expertise: With over eighteen years navigating complex international disputes, William brings deep understanding of how legal operations must adapt to multi-jurisdictional challenges.
Consistently recognised by Legal 500, Chambers, and Who's Who Legal as both a litigation expert and firm management thought leader, William's approach to combining technical excellence with strategic thinking offers practical guidance for legal operations professionals leading transformation initiatives.
Join the Conversation on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 12:30-1:30pm GMT
The Exchange podclub is designed for legal operations professionals who want to improve the delivery of legal services through innovation, connection, and idea-sharing. Each monthly session features thought-provoking content selected by our guest speaker, followed by facilitated discussion and networking.
