How do you become a biglaw partner Forum

[Anonymous User]

HOW? WHY? What are some horror stories about your partners?

[zot1]

By sacrificing your firstborn to the ancient biglaw gods.

[Devlin]

Get big law clients.

[Lincoln]

Depends on the firm. Bringing in business is generally a sure-fire way to make it, but at my firm, you become a partner by doing excellent quality work while making it clear through the quantity of work you perform that the firm (and its clients) is your first priority. That sounds easy but it's not.

[Anonymous User]

In all seriousness, it's all about the clients. At my firm, the baseline is bringing in $300,000 and billing $600,000. Those numbers are fungible, but they're a good goal. Some of the $300k comes from split billing and origination work, and the rest is work you bring in and do. This ensures that you're developing business, and that you're doing good work - because you probably won't get much above $600k without big partners liking you (at least, not with the billable rates at my midlaw secondary market firm). Also, this is for income partner - not equity. You gotta bring in way more than that for equity.

Oh, and don't be an asshole.

[Lincoln]

In all seriousness, it's all about the clients. At my firm, the baseline is bringing in $300,000 and billing $600,000. Those numbers are fungible, but they're a good goal. Some of the $300k comes from split billing and origination work, and the rest is work you bring in and do. This ensures that you're developing business, and that you're doing good work - because you probably won't get much above $600k without big partners liking you (at least, not with the billable rates at my midlaw secondary market firm). Also, this is for income partner - not equity. You gotta bring in way more than that for equity.

Oh, and don't be an asshole.

This sounds about right for midlaw, and the smaller the firm the more important it is to bring in business, generally. But the above does not necessarily apply to big law (which is what OP was asking about). Almost none of the people who made partner at my firm -- and that's equity, since we don't have income partners -- brought in any significant business. (On the other hand, I easily bill $1M per year without generating any business whatsoever.)

[Anonymous User]

At my firm it is basically:

Be well-liked by the key rainmakers
Be in a practice group that is booming
Bill 2500+ (more like 3000+ these days) per year in the run-up to partnership
Not get unlucky early in your career with workflow slumps or working for the wrong partners

If you do all of the above there is a chance, but not a guarantee, that you will make partner.

[nealric]

I read a good book about the process.

[deepseapartners]

Be well-liked by the key rainmakers
Be in a practice group that is booming

The first is obvious, but if you look at incoming partner classes, you'll notice that a lot of the partners are in "hot" areas of legal practice (IP, healthcare M&A, etc.). Lucking into a practice group that will boom 8-12 years after you start there seems to be the real x factor, more than grinding or being well-liked or performing a virgin sacrifice or whatever other thing you think will get you to the top.

[mist4bison]

In all seriousness, it's all about the clients. At my firm, the baseline is bringing in $300,000 and billing $600,000. Those numbers are fungible, but they're a good goal. Some of the $300k comes from split billing and origination work, and the rest is work you bring in and do. This ensures that you're developing business, and that you're doing good work - because you probably won't get much above $600k without big partners liking you (at least, not with the billable rates at my midlaw secondary market firm). Also, this is for income partner - not equity. You gotta bring in way more than that for equity.

Oh, and don't be an asshole.

This sounds about right for midlaw, and the smaller the firm the more important it is to bring in business, generally. But the above does not necessarily apply to big law (which is what OP was asking about). Almost none of the people who made partner at my firm -- and that's equity, since we don't have income partners -- brought in any significant business. (On the other hand, I easily bill $1M per year without generating any business whatsoever.)

0L here, but I work at a V30 firm in a major market where bringing in business is a huge part of becoming a partner. The way our firm promotes makes it difficult for anyone who doesn't suck up to become a partner and as an effect have some clients passed onto them as if they originated them. Like I said, 0L, so I can only attest to my firm, but there's at least one biglaw firm that that works this way. Obviously, that's in addition to doing quality work, not being an asshole, and surpassing your billable goal.

[Lexaholik]

From my highly anecdotal and admittedly limited understanding from working a couple years at a V5, the following factors are necessary but not sufficient. They are (roughly in order of importance)

- Doing high quality work (ie. billing a ton)
- Being super reliable (ie. billing a ton)
- Avoiding making enemies; political maneuvering
- Having a big-name sponsor/supporter (preferably someone on the Management Committee)
- Specializing in a practice area that's growing (ie. billing a ton in the right practice area)
- Business need for one additional partner for that practice area

You can control somewhat the first few factors but they're not that important. You have less control over the last few factors. In fact I've seen destined-to-be-partner candidates have everything except the last one. They were passed over. (One guy I can think of ended up becoming counsel then head of litigation at one of the biggest clients. So all in all not bad.)

Also, the first few years you have some control over the first few factors but as I mentioned above, they don't really play a huge role in making partner. The last few factors really come into play after you're a midlevel or senior associate.

Note: This likely applies to the handful of big firms that don't need to "get business" so rainmaking probably doesn't matter quite as much.

[itbdvorm]

From my highly anecdotal and admittedly limited understanding from working a couple years at a V5, the following factors are necessary but not sufficient. They are (roughly in order of importance)

- Doing high quality work (ie. billing a ton)
- Being super reliable (ie. billing a ton)
- Avoiding making enemies; political maneuvering
- Having a big-name sponsor/supporter (preferably someone on the Management Committee)
- Specializing in a practice area that's growing (ie. billing a ton in the right practice area)
- Business need for one additional partner for that practice area

You can control somewhat the first few factors but they're not that important. You have less control over the last few factors. In fact I've seen destined-to-be-partner candidates have everything except the last one. They were passed over. (One guy I can think of ended up becoming counsel then head of litigation at one of the biggest clients. So all in all not bad.)

Also, the first few years you have some control over the first few factors but as I mentioned above, they don't really play a huge role in making partner. The last few factors really come into play after you're a midlevel or senior associate.

Note: This likely applies to the handful of big firms that don't need to "get business" so rainmaking probably doesn't matter quite as much.

Vaguely right, but remember that "business need" and bringing in business can reinforce each other. So if you've brought in some major clients (or are key to the relationship with some major clients - not just doing a lot of work, being the one who gets the call to actually do the deal)

But at the end of the day, it comes down to important voices pushing for a yes, other important voices not pushing for a no, and the practice area you're in supporting additional partner-level resources.

M&A will nearly always be able to support more partners. Employee benefits will almost never be able to support more partners. So the qualitative skills needed to get through the hoop may change.

[grand inquisitor]

you should enjoy working and pain and be uncommitted to sleep