It seems like there is ready advice to determine how to become a law partner, each firm will have their model of what you have to achieve to be considered, and most partners can tell you what they had to do to get there. What can be a little trickier is deciding if you really want to become a partner.
Sure, for some it’s a no-brainer because partnership has always been their goal; but for others, the opportunity comes more organically – you’ve reached the age and seniority where it becomes an option and you have to decide if it’s something you want to pursue, or whether your talents may be better placed elsewhere.
Just because you have the ability and the opportunity doesn’t mean partnership, or any other promotion for that matter, of itself is going to be a fulfilling career move.
My approach to coaching lawyers is largely based on the model of helping my clients find clarity, focus and perspective. When it comes to considering career options, and promotion, the starting point is always finding the clarity to make the optimal decision.
With clarity you can see what you want to achieve and why it’s important to you, which then frees you up to focus in on those tasks that will get you to your goal. Perspective then provides that rather elusive quality of being able to see things in a fresh light, not getting bogged down in the minutia and keeping your eye on the big game.
Here’s three suggestions to help you find clarity to help you make the decision about whether partnership is right for you.
Back to basics – what do you value?
Simon Sinek is well known for promoting the idea of starting with your Why? In this context the Why is the purpose, cause or belief that inspires you to do what you do.
In considering your Why it can be useful to tap into your core values, those things that are important to you in the way you live and work. Identifying, or reacquainting yourself with the things that you value can help you consider them in light of your decision to pursue partnership.
Is it simply about money? Partnership is often the carrot held loftily out in front where you can earn the big bucks, but how does money rate compared to your other values, like family or being a parent, or being people focused?
What impact will pursuing partnership have on your values? Is it compatible? Are there compromises that will have to be made? How will your values be of benefit?
Mindtools.com has some cool values exercises which help you rate your values and compare them.
I particularly like the insightful question: What am I most proud of?
One of my clients, who is a successful mid-career partner, has always valued people over money, and he’s made career decisions that reflect this. When he talks about the things he is most proud of he mentions taking on a senior lawyer who the firm was about to let go, yet worked with the person over some years and played a positive role in helping them move up the ranks.
The key is tapping into what you value, not what those around you might value.
As Theodore Roosevelt observed: comparison is the thief of joy. It is easy to get caught up in the buzz of what those around you are doing or saying. Are your peers with your level of experience all applying for, or have already attained, partnership? Do you feel being made a partner is expected of you? What impact is that having on your decision?
What will becoming a partner actually mean for you?
A pretty standard, but also enlightening, coaching question: What will partnership give you that you don’t already have?
Although seemingly innocuous, thinking about this question can start us thinking about the ‘Why’ in a practical way that results in identifying tangible benefits. It goes beyond the pros and cons list -- which can be very useful -- and invites us to explore what we currently have and consider what promotion provides us beyond the status quo. What will it actually give you? How does the idea differ from the reality?
Some assumptions to challenge:
Brand – I have heard it argued, usually by partnership aspirants, that having the label partner after your name can make all the difference in getting new work. This can be appealing, but my observation is that the partner brand isn’t enough of itself – if you are having difficulty on the BD front prior to becoming a partner, its only likely to get harder.
Quality – partners get the quality work. Quality of work is rather subjective thing. It may be that partners get the choice of work, but is it the type of work you think is quality? What do you consider quality work? Will partnership offer you this? Are there other ways for you to attract this sort of work/clients?
Money – not all partnerships are equal, there will be Special Counsels earning more than partners elsewhere. Legal recruiter Gerard Petersen wrote an interesting article exploring this: I want to be a partner because I want to earn more money.
Success – partnership equals success. Success is another subjective term, too often decided by our opinion of what other people think about us. Are you successful because other people think becoming a partner is the epitome of a successful legal career?
It’s not too hard to find an outwardly successful law partner who hates their job, or at least isn’t particularly happy. Partnership in and of itself is probably not a big happiness factor, a useful question to ask maybe: when am I most happy? What at work gives me the most pleasure?
What is it going to take for you to become a partner?
I’m not a big fan of the pop psychology notion that you can have it all, unless you start digging into semantics and asking what do you mean by “all” -- career success, family, friends, wealth, health, happiness? Some say you can have it all, just not all at once.
Regardless of your view on this, it seems prudent to ask: what will I have to give up to achieve partnership, if anything? And what will the cost be? It is a bit negative, but it is easy to get caught up in the hype and the opportunity, the conventional wisdom of a successful career, and not give sufficient attention to the other things that may suffer – like relationships, family and health, if you have to work excessive hours.
Will you have to work longer hours? What does this mean for you?
This is very personal, and not necessarily terminal to your decision to go for it, but may help you think about putting strategies in place to ensure that wellbeing is factored in and how you might manage any competing interests or pressures.
A few tips to get a good sense of what it will take:
get a clear idea of expectations from your current partners, both in terms of what you need to do, their support, and a timeline.
talk to senior law partners both within and outside your firm. Mentors are a must have, along with sponsors – Dr Kirstin Ferguson shares some insight on mentors and sponsors here.
observe the politics – is there room for another partner in your area? Does it make commercial sense? Are there other firms more suited to your skill set?
what are the budget expectations of your firm? Are you consistently bring in new clients now?
what is the work load of the partners you work with? How are they dealing with work/life balance issues?
Moving forward
Once you’ve got a little clarity about want to want and why it’s important to you, you can then turn your attention to focusing on working on those key tasks that will get you to your goal. If you’d like to know more please get in touch for a chat.