#214: What Do Law Firms Really Want To See (Before Promoting You To Partner)?

[00:00:49] Well, hey there, everybody. This is Heather Moulder, host of Life & Law. And today's podcast comes courtesy of a recent coaching session that I had with a senior counsel who will be up for partner within, probably the next two years. And I am bringing the questions that this particular person brought to me to today's show because I hear them so often.

I hear a couple of themes coming up over and over again. The first is, well, how much expertise do I really need? The second relates to kind of a leadership issue. What's more important - that expertise and the ability to do the work that I'm expected to be doing myself, versus deal or case management?

And then the third relates to, okay, Heather, real facts here, what do I really need to have from a BD perspective because it seems like it's all over the place, and I don't even know that I can bring in any business without partner or shareholder next to my name.

[00:01:54] So we're just going to tackle all three of these today. And I have gone over a couple of times now the types of things you need to know and be doing in order to be promoted to partner. And I stand by all of those. But these are the things that we're going to cover a little bit differently, I guess, today.

Because the questions come up so very often. And I'm basically going to tell you what I told my client in our session a couple of weeks back. And by the way, I am going to put links to a couple of other episodes that I highly recommend, which will be partners to today's episode. They cover the same kind of questions, although a little bit differently.

And I highly recommend that you listen to them if you are interested in being a rock-solid associate who turns into a perceived leader and actually makes partner.

All right, so let's start with the first question that I got asked recently and that is:

What kind of expertise do I really need? How much?

[00:03:02] Now, let's just state that this varies. And it varies based on the size of your firm. Big law requires more expertise than some smaller or mid-sized firms do. But I said some because some boutique firms are very, very specific to specific practice areas, and they can require even more expertise in their areas before they're willing to make somebody a partner. So it does vary.

Check-The-Box (Obvious Skills + Knowledge)

But generally speaking, you've got a couple of things you need to pay attention to and really figure out. Now, number one, there are certain, what I like to call, check-the-box items, that most law firms and practice areas within a law firm require.

[00:03:51] So you need to find out what that is. That's the knowledge piece. And a lot of this has to do with what is your experience level, have you done these things, and how often and how much? Because over time, you should have done those things. You should have shown that you're capable in those areas.

And not just that you're capable of drafting, but you're capable of negotiating, that you're capable of managing. You kind of moved up the ranks in those areas. So if you are not sure what those things are, you need to be asking the leaders of your practice areas, "What is it?" What is, what are they looking at? And hopefully they do.

I call them check the box items because a lot of firms have almost like check the box items, like have they done this? Have they done this? Have they done this? Figure out if you guys have one, and if you don't, ask for them to create one because it, they really should have it.

And that helps you get a better understanding of what it is they think you should know and be doing by the time you get to be a senior associate or senior counsel, ready for discussion around partnership.

[00:05:07] So that's the skills area.

[00:05:09] And I call that skills and knowledge, right? So it's the skills and the knowledge that because you've been doing the work for X number of years, you've pretty much done a wide array of the type of work that everybody does. And you've done it enough times, you are considered knowledgeable in those areas. Now there are two other areas that you want to think about.

Credibility

[00:05:33] Do you have credibility with other people? This is not just about your knowledge, it's about how do others perceive you. So you need to have a good understanding of how clients perceive you.

And this isn't as hard as you might think because if you have a lot of client facing relationships, you're doing the client, you know, one on one work with them, you're talking to them, that is telling you that you probably have the credibility piece, because most partners are not going to let you do that with their clients unless they feel you are credible and their clients feel you are credible. But if you don't, that is telling.

[00:06:14] You need to be able to get in front of clients pretty regularly. You need to be dealing with them, you need to be negotiating on their behalf. You need to be able to kind of act like a partner before you become a partner. So how do others perceive you?

But let me just note, it's not just about clients that's necessary, but it's also about how other lawyers within your firm perceive you.

[00:06:38] And this one trips up a lot of people, and unfortunately, unfairly so sometimes.

So I've talked before about having mentors and sponsors. Mentors are those people you go to for guidance, who help answer your questions, who help you navigate through. Here's how things are done here. Here's your next step.

[00:07:01] Sponsors can be mentors, but they are a step above that because they have some sort of power within your firm, whether they are within leadership, whether they are the ones making the decisions as to whether to put you up or not, whether they are rainmakers that other people just listen to because of their status level as a rainmaker. That's what a sponsor is.

You need to make sure you have some sponsors in your corner because sometimes there are people that just don't like you, or maybe they didn't feel like you were quote, unquote, responsive enough on a deal.

[00:07:38] People can get sideways of being able to be made a partner because of really weird stuff sometimes. So this is a piece that you need to understand. How credible are you to others within your firm? And is there anyone who feels like you are not?

Whether fair or not, you've got to get ahead of that and make sure you have the right people in your corner.

Wisdom/Judgment

[00:08:01] The third piece of this is what I call wisdom.

So wisdom is the wisdom to know what you don't know, get help as appropriate, but also figure things out, things out on your own. You are not expected to know everything. You are not expected to be perfect. What you are expected to have a certain level of knowledge and skills, and then also have the wisdom to know when you know what. This is beyond my scope. I need to get help.

Or this is similar to other things I've done, but I need to be careful here. I need to research a little. I might want to go talk to some people about what their thoughts are. That is wisdom.

[00:08:50] That is what goes into the whole mix of what level of expertise "Do I have to have?" There are the basic check the box knowledge and skills. There's the credibility piece based on what others, how others see you. And there's the wisdom piece. Do you have the wisdom to know what you don't know? Get help as appropriate, but also figure things out things out on your own when it makes sense to.

What Leadership/Management Skills Are Expected Of You?

[00:09:16] Now let's get into the second piece, what I call leadership.

So there's a couple of pieces to this as well.

Strategic Leadership

[00:09:24] There is deal and case management. That is a piece of leadership. So do you micromanage? Do you let go? Do you delegate? How do you deal with clients?

[00:09:38] Right. Are you able to lead a deal or a case - i.e., negotiate creatively, problem-solve, come up with strategies?

Now, they don't have to be huge deals or cases, by the way, but typically speaking, to make partner, you do have to be at that level where you are seen as a leader of deals and or cases. You are the one managing it on the day-to-day, you are the one coming up with the strategies, you are the one creatively problem-solving. And it doesn't mean you're doing it all on your own. By the way. Again, that wisdom piece comes into play here, too.

But are you generally doing those things?

People Management/Leadership

[00:10:19] The next piece of leadership is what we typically think of it. It's the leadership and management of other individuals.

How are you relating to those that you are managing? Do you micromanage? Are you overbearing? How do you treat them when they make mistakes? Is it reasonable?

This does matter. Sometimes it matters more, sometimes it matters less.

[00:10:49] I wish it mattered more everywhere, to be quite honest with you, because I think people that learn how to lead and manage well, by the time they're senior associates and senior counsel and of counsel and that, you know, two to three years out, one year out of being made a partner, people who do it well at that level are typically much better off as partners of law firms because they are better at managing from the get go and they're better at managing themselves. They're better at managing their team, they're better at managing their clients.

And frankly, they're often better business builders too, FYI.

So focus on these things. If you're not very good at it, get better. It will help you and the firm.

What Business Development Is Really Required To Make Partner?

[00:11:39] Okay, so that's the leadership piece. The third piece is the business development potential. And this one is really kind of hard, y'all, because every firm is very, very different.

And I know this because I have a lot of clients whom I have helped to make partner, and the requirements are not the same everywhere. They're just not.

[00:12:06] So some law firms require you to have an actual book, albeit small, yourself. Others don't require anything at all.

I will say, albeit small. There are some law firms where you have to put these massive memos together, and you need originations to be over a huge number. But let me just tell you, they're not really yours. They're shared originations from other people who are trying to ensure you make partner.

[00:12:33] Those I kind of despise because it doesn't really show much other than somebody else was in your corner and shared stuff with you. So, for those law firms out there who are requiring that, I don't get it. I'll just be honest. It doesn't say much about whether that person can build their own book or not.

[00:12:50] If I were you and you cared that much, I would see if they have something of their own. And it doesn't have to be big.

And yes, y', all, it is possible to have something of their of your own because I did and many of my clients do as well. Again, they're not million dollar books of business. It may be 25,000, 80,000, 100,000, 150, but that's something. And it is harder to do when you don't have partner or shareholder next to your name. So for the people who can do it before that, that shows the ability, the BD potential.

Showing BD Potential As An Associate

[00:13:28] Now how do you show potential if you have no business? And what about those firms that don't require it at all?

There are things that you can look at, and this is where your networking really comes into play. So they start to look at what organizations you are a member of, what outside activities you are actually involved in, what you do. How do you network?

[00:13:55] Those are the types of things that eventually lead to business. Fits the right people, right? So what is it that you're doing? What kind of networking are you doing? What conferences are you attending? What professional or industry associations are you actively engaged in? Are you giving talks? Are you writing? Are you doing the marketing and the networking that would be expected of you as a partner to build your business?

You should be doing those things already, way before they ever put you up for partner.

[00:14:25] Also, are you doing the internal networking if you're in a bigger firm? I talked about this last week in my business networking framework for lawyers. We talked about how, if you're in a bigger firm, internal networking is important. Doing that shows that you're a natural networker. It shows you're capable.

It shows BD potential. Because let me just tell you, you're gonna build your business primarily based on networking. If you are in a bigger law firm, especially if you're a B2B lawyer.

Tell People What You're Doing

Now, when it comes to the BD potential, it's hard sometimes for people to know what it is you're actually doing.

[00:15:11] So you need to be sure that you are selling this, that you are letting people know what it is you're actually doing. And yes, they probably know about your internal firm activities, but they are not going to know about the external stuff.

And again, the whole purpose of doing both of these, but especially the external, is to show you have the confidence and capability to generate business in the future. So make sure you're telling people in the know that you are letting the right people know what it is you are doing when it comes to marketing and networking.

Let them know that you're developing relationships with important people who could potentially send referrals or business your way in the future. And don't assume people know just because you're going to events, because they won't. So who do you talk to about this? Well, first your practice group leaders. They need to know what you're doing. They're probably the people who are doing the initial decision-making as to whether you're ready to even be put up for partnership.

[00:16:20] But do not stop there. Firm mentors within and outside of your immediate practice group need to know as well, especially those outside of your group, because those are the people you want to be giving you good reviews.

They're also the people you can ask for advice. So make sure they know what you're doing. Ask them for advice regularly. It can be a very natural part of the mentorship that they're giving you.

[00:16:46] And then that way, when they get asked, and they probably will be when you are being considered, hey, is this person ready for partnership? They can say, oh yeah, he or she is really ready. And here's why. I know, I know they go above and beyond. I know they have these relationships. I know they've worked the last two years on this. That can go a long way.

[00:17:09] And by the way, you need to be telling sponsors about the things you're doing. The people with power. That's firm leadership, that's rainmakers. And you need at least one sponsor that is not within your practice group. It can be people you've done work for, but it's not always necessary.

Tooting Your Own Horn, Professionally

[00:17:28] So how do you, how do you do this? How do you toot your own horn? Well, number one, make sure throughout the year that you're keeping record of the things you're doing and you put it in writing in your ear ear End review. Most law firms require year end reviews and they require you to self assess, get it in there, talk about it in your annual review. But do not just do that again.

You need mentors, you need sponsors that you have relationships with. Ask to meet quarterly. Ask, you know, tell them, hey, I'd like to meet quarterly. I know I should be up for partner within the next two years, three years, I'd like to start having quarterly meetings with you or at least twice a year with you. Would you be willing to do that? And I can kind of keep you updated on the things I'm doing and get your feedback.

The vast majority of people you say that to are going to say yes, absolutely, I'd be happy to help you.

[00:18:22] That is what you need to be doing. That's how to make sure everybody knows what it is you're doing and for you to get credit for it. All right, so hopefully after listening today, you have a much better idea around what law firms really want to see before promoting you to partner again. I have a couple of other episodes on this topic. I am going to put those in the show notes so that you can find them because they are wonderful, complimentary episodes.

Partnership doesn't have to be this black box that we know nothing about. It doesn't have to be this super secret, have no clue what they're really looking at process.

[00:19:10] I think a lot of times it feels that way because we lawyers aren't good about advocating for ourselves, about asking the right questions, about seeking out good mentors and sponsors. If you ask these questions, if you do these things, you seek good mentors and sponsors, you ask them the questions, you are going to get a much better idea for what is expected generally and then over time what is expected of you and where you are in the process.

Advocate for yourself. All right, that's it for this week. We will be back next week with another episode. Bye for now.