How Early Should You Start Preparing for Partnership at Your Firm?

The answer to this question is simple. It’s never too early to start preparing for partnership.

Why? In part, because it will take you years to master some of the skills you need to become a partner. Also, because when your firm evaluates your candidacy, they will look at your productivity and financial metrics for several years. The strength of your candidacy will, therefore, depend on things that occurred long before the year you are considered. That is why you should start preparing for partnership as early as possible.

Let’s take a deeper look.

The Quantitative Categories Considered in the Promotion Process. 

You know them all too well. These are billable hours, collections, originations, and other productivity metrics. After all, the firm is a business. And they will expect a candidate for partner to make economic sense for the firm.

Assume your firm, like many, applies a 3 or 4 year look-back period when evaluating candidates. This means that when your firm considers your candidacy, they will look at your billable hours, collections, originations and other metrics, for that year, and for the the three prior years.

It is, therefore, not enough to meet billable hours, collections, or other requirements the year you are considered for partner. If your performance in any of these areas was poor three years ago, those underwhelming metrics will likely be on the table when the decision-makers are considering your candidacy. You will be in a much stronger position if you have been consistently meeting your firm’s requirements for several years.

The Qualitative Categories Considered in the Promotion Process.

Firms want their partners to have depth of knowledge in the areas of law in which they practice. They also want partners with strong litigation, transactional or other applicable skills. It is no secret that firms promote attorneys who have strong substantive skills and a stellar professional reputation. Accordingly, you will be in a stronger position if you:

• have developed an area of legal expertise, particularly in a highly specialized or technical area
• regularly speak at events on topics related to your area of expertise
• have become the go-to lawyer in your firm to handle class actions or federal appeals, or other complex matters
• repeatedly receive praise from colleagues, clients and others for being a competent and knowledgeable attorney

These skills and reputation, however, take time to develop. An attorney does not become a tax law expert overnight. They do not magically develop superb litigation skills. It takes time to hone the knowledge and skills that will place the candidate in a solid position for a promotion. The earlier you start working on this with intentionality, the better.

The Importance of Building Relationships.

You should never overlook the importance of establishing solid relationships within your firm. The attorneys at your firm who make partnership decisions will likely favor candidates who they have worked with and they trust. These are lawyers who the decision-maker can depend on, and who have proven to be reliable, competent, and trustworthy.

It takes time to gain the trust and respect of the individuals who can support your candidacy, or who are the decision-makers in the process. You may need to work with them on multiple matters before they come to like and trust you.  It is only with time that you will win their support.

Develop a Strategy.

The bottom line is that you should begin positioning yourself for partnership early on in your career. Start by learning your craft, working hard and establishing relationships with the right people at your firm. Work on a promotion strategy 3 to 4 years before the year in which you aspire to be promoted. Remember, it is never too early to start preparing for partnership at your firm. You will do much better if you have a plan.

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