As a BigLaw attorney, the sky’s the limit and the world is truly at your feet. With a highly sought out skill set, resume to boot and an impressive deal sheet, you may find yourself with job offers in new cities. Relocation and moving are tremendous life changes that could yield long-term career growth opportunities. Sounds tempting? The grass always seems greener, right? Maybe, but there’s a great deal of planning and thought to put into this decision. At Langer Search, we take the time to weigh and measure opportunities for our candidates while hashing out the pros and cons associated with relocation.
Here are some of the most common things that come up in our conversations:
- Bar Exam: Are you willing to take a new Bar Exam? Does your admission reciprocate?
- Connections/Support: Do you have family or connections to the new city?
- Reason: Why are you looking to leave?
- Family: Are you married? Can your spouse easily relocate? Are your kids school-age?
- Timing: When do you receive your bonus? Figuring out a strategic start date is key and do you want to plan it around a vacation prior to starting?
- Scope of Practice: If you’re moving from New York, practice areas tend to be much broader.
A successful and seamless relocation requires proper planning, timing and precision. Langer Search can reduce your stress and mitigate any unknowns by engaging in thoughtful conversations before you take your leap. We’re here to help facilitate a meaningful dialogue, even if it’s in the earliest stages of your planning.
These are the 5 areas to consider when evaluating your job satisfaction and goals. I’m leaving this here for you to think about over the next week. If you’re unsatisfied in any one of these areas, I suggest we chat to devise a plan.
1. Compensation
2. Title
3. Responsibility / Scope of Work
4. Substantive Experience / Exposure
5. Culture
You’re the one who’s responsible for examining your overall job satisfaction. Langer Search will help you take charge of your long-term goals and career. We’re here to help you identify the issue and to implement a plan to position you for success.
Making partner at a top law firm is a major achievement. Some people may not know it, but there are actually a few different types of partners. You can be a service partner or a partner that runs his/her own practice. As a partner in a practice area such as tax or executive compensation law, you will most likely be servicing transactions. Building your own practice comes with different types of challenges than being a partner in a service field. Many attorneys I’ve spoken to have reported that it’s more difficult to build their own practice. Some attorneys enjoy billing hours and reviewing documents, while others like to be social and enjoy the process of bringing in new clients.
Let’s use the M&A practice as an example. If you’re ascending the ranks as a 6th or 7th year associate at an elite firm, you have a decision to make. Will you put your head down and make a run for partner at your current law firm or will you pursue a more entrepreneurial route? If you make partner at your firm, most likely the clients are going to be institutional and you will not have the ability to handpick your practice. If having your own clients is important to you, you may want to consider a different firm that is open to bringing in smaller transactions.
The pandemic has completely changed the way we think about working remotely & in new locations. I’ve heard from many attorneys in recent months who have expressed interest in applying to multiple offices (of one firm) in different cities. It’s understandable that you may want to “change it up” & try a new city, but there are some factors to consider when doing so. As I’ve mentioned before, the way you frame your “story” is very important. The application process is a delicate one and should be handled with care. Working with an experienced recruiter can provide helpful insight for this process.
The last thing you want to do is raise red flags at the firm to which you’re applying. Law firms value decisiveness in their candidates. Do some research and determine which office would best suit your career for long-term growth. If you’re applying to a new location, you should be able to speak to why you would like to relocate. Many firms are open to considering candidates for multiple locations, but this conversation should take place between your recruiter and the law firm. Most importantly, this should not be two separate submissions.
Langer Search has advised many candidates in this way and is happy to help you navigate the entire process.
It’s almost the end of September….
While it’s important to keep your career goals in mind all year long, Q4 is approaching and we’re heading into bonus and promotion season. Are your expectations realistic based on your performance and the firm’s stats? It’s time to take a closer look…
I created the “Langer Search Partner Checklist” to highlight the areas to consider if you’re committed to making partner. These are the most common things I see attorneys struggling with while trying to make partner at their current firms. Go through it and give yourself an unbiased rating. Of course, I’m always here to hash it out with you as well.
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YOUR REPUTATION:
Are you getting stellar reviews? How many partners will go to bat for you? What are your strongest and weakest areas?
YOUR BOOK OF BUSINESS:
What does your client list currently look like?
YOUR PRACTICE AREA:
What is your firm’s most profitable practice area? Is it yours?
YOUR GROUP SIZE:
How large is your particular group? How many people are ahead of you? How many others in your class are also trying to make partner?
YOUR OFFICE:
Are you in the main hub or a satellite office?
HISTORY OF PARTNERS:
How many people have been made partner at your firm in the past 5-10 years? Has the firm brought in partners from other firms with no business? Do they value promoting from within?
PARTNER PROFITS:
What are the partner profits? This correlates *directly* to the firm’s ability to promote you.
ORIGINATION CREDIT:
Do you get origination credit?
Fifth to seventh year attorneys, listen up! These pivotal years can make or break your next big step in your career. During this time, you may start considering in-house positions or you decide to take a run for partner at your current firm (or a different one). Either way, this is the time to really reflect on your experience & plan for the future.
If you’re going to take a run for partner, look around and take stock of how many partners your firm has named recently. What does your class year look like? Who is ahead of you & behind you? What value are you bringing to the table? Is there a business case for your firm to make a partner? If not, you should look around & find a platform that would set you up for success. What are your best relationships? Can you utilize the relationships at your current firm? If you do this inventory you’ll recognize whether your current firm can provide the opportunity to make partner.
I encourage candidates to think about where they see themselves in 5, 10 & 20 years. My experience as a recruiter enables me to see the big picture. I’m able to analyze your experience & map out your options. I offer this type of planning & coaching sessions to all of my candidates, even before they commence a formal job search.
