"I don’t want to waste my time trying to copy Abba, I’d rather develop according to my own abilities"

Took over: Law firm Dr. J. Weinroth & Co in Ramat Gan, Israel

Position: Partner

Succeeded: Father, Dr. Jacob Weinroth

Year: 2018

Before I took over

I was a partner in the company, at times leading a legal team and at times accompanying my father to court. Abba was a legal genius and a legend in Israel. Not only did he build a highly successful law firm from the ground up, he defended high-profile clients, including prime ministers, presidents, ministers, and MKs.

The biggest challenge I faced right away

When a team loses its star player, especially a star of undisputed caliber, two things can happen: One is that morale falls, and everyone becomes a shadow of themselves. The other is that everyone plays at 110 percent capacity to make up for losing their leader. The challenge was how to make the second option a reality. I’m so grateful to the entire staff for rising to the occasion.

My first big decision

The decision to take over running the law firm, with no prior management experience, was not an easy or obvious one, and I thank Hashem for giving me the energies it required. Almost immediately after I took over, we incorporated a smaller firm with different areas of specialty. It was a good decision — it widened our areas of expertise and gave us renewed leverage.

What I wish I’d known from the start

There were some business opportunities right at the beginning that I missed. That taught me that in the long term, it’s better to initiate than to wait passively. Yes, when you act, you risk error, but I believe that it’s worse to let opportunities slip by.