Luke Solly, general manager of Colin Biggers & Paisley Lawyers (CBP) took out the Toll Priority Practice Manager of the Year Award at the 2011 Lawyers Weekly Awards, sponsored by Bentley Motors, at a gala ceremony held at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday night.

Solly has been at the firm since January 2002 and impressed the judges with his dedication to improving the culture of the firm, as well as the way in which he has adapted to the changing nature of law and the demands of legal practice.

One of Solly's primary achievements was his ability to encourage the firm's partners to embark on their first three-year strategic plan. The initiative was so successful that a subsequent five-year plan is now being rolled out.

Solly's other strategic initiatives have resulted in CBP being the firm of choice for many of Australia's top companies, including Downer EDI, Laing O'Rourke, Allianz Australia, ING Australia, QBE Insurance, Lend Lease, Westfield and Proctor & Gamble.

In his nine years with CBP, Solly has overseen 100 per cent revenue growth and he has managed to reduce staff turnover from 40 per cent to 15 per cent.

Solly was also instrumental in developing the firm's legal information management system and litigation matter management systems, which are winning the firm clients.

"The firm has transformed under Luke's leadership," said one of the judges. "Its considerable expansion, whilst creating a family firm culture, is an achievement which few other firms have emulated. Clearly the whole firm has been significantly influenced by Luke's contributions."

Competition for the award was extremely close, with Allens Arthur Robinson candidate Erin Feros a very close runner up, taking out the judge's highly commended award.

Other finalists included Ken Fowlie, the national general manager of commercial and project litigation at Slater & Gordon, and Andrew Price, the chief operating officer at Wotton + Kearney.

Read more about the achievements of the 2011 practice manager finalists

>> Meet the 2011 Lawyers Weekly Awards Finalists: Practice Manager of the Year

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