It is an argument often made by aspiring partners: if only they had the title of partner, then they would be able to do the things partners do. Not having the title of partner is the thing that is really holding them back.
There is truth to this. Law firms are hierarchical no matter how flat structured they attempt to be; you tend to get influence, credibility, and status with the title. And there will always be clients that really want the safety and security of having a partner on their matter, regardless of how competent the senior lawyer is.
If you are heading towards partnership, the challenge with this argument is that every aspirant can make this claim, and every current partner can say you have to do it without the title to get the title. So, at the very least, as an argument, it doesn’t have much currency, and at best, it’s not exactly the most compelling argument as to why you should be made a partner.
How do you be a partner without the title? Here are a few things to consider:
Act like a partner
It is often said about leadership, particularly in pithy LinkedIn posts, that you don’t need a title to be a leader. And this is true to an extent — try making CEO-like decisions as an intern. Quibbles aside, the point here is that leadership is largely about leading yourself and the influence you have on others, and that is irrespective of what your title might be or how much authority you have.
Similar sentiments can be applied to the title of partner. If you look past the title of partner and look at the key things expected of a partner, there is no doubt you can have these in place without the title.
You could ask yourself: when is it, exactly, that you feel not having the title is holding you back?
Is it with clients? Is it getting buy-in from partners for a BD activity? Getting prospective clients to engage with you? Is it simply not being listened to in meetings, or having trouble getting juniors to delegate to?
Once you have identified this, then put in a strategy to overcome the hurdle. Take one aspect, identify a key action item that you could do, and start working on it.
It can be useful to go back to basics, back to the fundamentals. To act like a partner without the title is to act on the fundamentals of a good practice. And, arguably, you also need to look and sound like a partner.
No, that does not mean throwing diversity out the window; it’s just recognition that being a business owner means you need to concern yourself with the issues of a business owner and be able to talk about this in what is considered a credible manner.
Make other partners’ lives easier
In his book 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene argues that rule number one is: Never outshine the master.
You can use this rule to gain influence without the title. Rather than thinking you need to outshine the existing partners, you could work to make their lives easier.
So where not having the title is inhibitive, look for ways to engage not only your supervising partner but also other partners. Business development is a good opportunity for this. Where you need “partner-pull” to get the engagement of a prospective client, do the groundwork and make it easy for other partners. Take responsibility.
This is particularly the case with new client work, or with clients who are happy to work with you but really want a partner in the room, or at least partner oversight. See this as a challenge or a problem to solve.
Show the client you have the competency and commerciality to make the big decisions but that you involve a partner for reassurance. How you do this is important. This is about your language and approach. You are being collaborative, not hiding behind the decisions of a partner.
One of the concerns I’ve heard expressed by partner aspirants is that if they engage and involve other partners in BD etc., be collaborative, the partners will take the clients for themselves, and they’ll never get the credit.
This is always the risk with collaboration, and your approach will depend on the culture in your firm and the policy around client relationships. To a large extent, this is about being wise and adopting the right mindset.
Obviously, if a partner is just using you with no level of appreciation or reciprocity, then you need to focus your attention elsewhere. But equally, what mindset do you want to adopt? One of fear and insecurity around people taking your clients, or an abundance mindset, having the confidence that even if a few clients don’t become yours in the short term, when you are a partner, you will be able to build and maintain strong long-term client relationships?
Cutting to the chase of partnership
It is easy to get caught up in the machinations of trying to become a partner and the challenges that this presents. And it can be a sort of purgatory when you are doing many of the things a partner would do but do not have the title, or the remuneration.
The general sentiment I hear, however, from newly appointed partners is, not that it is more of the same, but rather it’s like starting all over again.
The key, then, is to go back to basics, build a practice that is profitable, and do this in a way that is sustainable. Nothing is more compelling than a strong business case that has all the key elements that would make partnership successful.