What do you guys think about firms or LinkedIn talking heads encouraging junior associates to do BD?
My thoughts…
How often are juniors able to build successful practices as associates? They face a couple of headwinds.
Firstly, law firms do not reward associates with originating credit. All matters are placed in the name of a supervising partner. And if a certain client (regardless of its origin) becomes a profitable component of a partner's practice, you can be sure that supervising partner will want to nurture that client as his or her own. It is difficult for a junior associate to distinguish themselves with their own brand when a client is being wined and dined by a recognized rainmaker, especially when the junior associate (1) works for that rainmaker and (2) offers the same value proposition.
Secondly, nowadays most law firms operate on the "eat what you kill" model. Given compensation is linked to originating credit in that model, there is an incentive for partners to keep a tight grip on their client relationships. Firms used to encourage business development in practice a lot more under the lockstep model, but these days much of it is lip service (other than wheeling out the team to show capacity to run high margin transactions or litigation matters).
Ultimately, partnership in biglaw firms still remains very much the master/apprentice model. Namely, find a rainmaker who has gravitas within the firm and a history of supporting partnership applications, and build a strong relationship with them. Sometimes, "having great business development skills" is simply a euphemism for having this type of support within a law firm.
Yes, there is overlap between a demonstration of partner skills and who the rainmaker chooses to promote into the partnership. But all too often, it is simply due of politics or the associate being really good at kissing that partner’s backside (bonus points if there is flirting or sexual attraction involved)… I know I sound cynical, but I have been in biglaw for a while and feel that I have seen it all. Most people who make it to senior associate / counsel level are already decent lawyers by default.
BD as a junior Forum
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Re: BD as a junior
BD gives you visibility within your group and with your peers. So yeah, drafting a client alert and sharing it on Linkedin will not lead to anyone reaching out to you with new business. But people will notice that you do XY work, that you're ambitious and that you're interested in developing new business.
I agree it's not super important. Doing good work and being on good terms with the partners in your group is way more important. But still, it can help your career over the years.
I agree it's not super important. Doing good work and being on good terms with the partners in your group is way more important. But still, it can help your career over the years.
