5 Reasons To Lateral To a Different Law Firm
Even if you're doing great at your law firm, there are always perfectly valid reasons to consider a lateral move:
To move locations (even if your firm has an office there).
When I advised Harvard Law students, they often thought they should pick a firm that had offices in all the locations they might be interested in one day. What if they wanted to move offices down the road? Well, that's not so simple. Law firm offices can be so different from each other that they can be like different law firms. Plus, if someone in another office never worked with you, who will help you make the move? And certainly, if you're doing well, the team in your current office won't want to see you go. Instead, a new firm might make the most sense. You can keep the credit for your years' of experience while excelling at a firm that is a better fit for this point in your career.
To shift practice areas (even if your firm has the practice).
Since law school does not expose you to the ins and outs of most law firm practice specializations, you may not realize you don't like a practice area until you try it. At the same time, from a business perspective, many law firms are pushing new lawyers to decide on a practice specialization as soon as possible. It may take a couple years until you realize: "I don't really like this. I want to do that." Your firm may allow you to shift to that work, or they may not. But even if they do, is it the right fit? Are the people in that practice the people you want to work with? Maybe you want to braoden and shift your practice, not change it completely. In these instances, you might need a firm that has a different model when it comes to how attorneys are grouped into practice areas.
To set yourself up for a better in-house move.
The most common way to move in-house is to do so with a client of your law firm. Maybe you have years of experience working "underwriter-side" in a corporate practice, but have no interest in going in-house to an investment bank. A lateral move to a firm that works more with clients in other industries that have strong demand for in-house talent (like health care or tech, for example) might make sense for you.
To make equity partner.
You can be doing great at your law firm and feel really supported, but still know that making equity partner will be a longshot. Maybe you are in a practice area that does not promote a lot of equity partners. Maybe your firm has a small number of true equity partners, many of whom are not planning to leave or retire anytime soon. In these cases, it could be time to move to a firm that will reward your work and business-building with a clear path toward equity partnership.
To find a better personal fit.
The #1 thing Harvard Law students would ask me about when picking their first law firm was: "How do I know if the firm is a good "culture fit"? Will I like the people that I work with?" The answer I often provided was not super-satisfying: "Unfortunately, you might not know until you get there." Large law firm offices are made up of so many departments, practice groups and working groups that it can sometimes feel like you work at a very small firm even in an office of 500+ lawyers. Over time, you start to understand what you need from the people in your law firm working environment and that a change may be necessary.
The legal market remains strong at the start of 2019 and there are lots of opportunities.
Photos courtesy of unsplash.com. Credited photographers are Jose Csunyo, Jon Tyson, Dylan Nolte, Alexander Pembe and rawpixel.