If you had to leave your law firm tomorrow, where would you go?
Not where you could get an offer. Not which former colleague might take your call. Where could you realistically build a successful practice, serve your clients, and be happy for the next ten years?
For a surprisingly large number of accomplished lawyers, the answer is unclear.
I’ve spent years helping lawyers navigate career decisions, and one pattern continues to concern me. Some of the most successful partners I meet have devoted decades to building their practices, protecting client relationships, and managing their financial futures. Yet they have given remarkably little thought to what they would do if their professional circumstances changed overnight.
They assume there will be time to figure it out.
Recent upheaval in the legal industry, including the proposed wind-down of Weil, is a reminder that even the most established institutions can face unexpected challenges. But a firm does not have to collapse for a lawyer to suddenly find themselves needing a new home. Leadership changes, compensation disputes, strategic shifts, mergers, and practice group departures can all make a once-comfortable position untenable.
The real risk is not being forced to make a career decision. It is making that decision without doing the work.
The Most Attractive Offer Can Be the Wrong One
Fear changes how people make decisions.
When a lawyer believes their career, income, or client relationships are at risk, priorities can shift dramatically. The objective becomes finding somewhere to land rather than somewhere to succeed.
I’ve seen lawyers turn immediately to former colleagues, law school friends, or familiar firms. An offer comes together quickly, the compensation looks attractive, and the immediate pressure disappears. Then reality sets in.
Perhaps the new firm’s culture is more competitive than collaborative. Perhaps its client conflicts limit the lawyer’s practice. Maybe the leadership promises that secured the move never materialize. Or perhaps the platform simply lacks the capabilities needed to support the lawyer’s clients.
What seemed like a solution turns into another problem.
I suspect we will see lawyers who make hurried moves during periods of industry disruption reconsider those decisions within six or twelve months. Not necessarily because they made unreasonable choices, but because they made permanent decisions under temporary pressure.
Moving quickly and making a rushed decision are not the same. You can act with urgency and still be deliberate. The difference is preparation.
Know Your Market Before You Need It
I encourage lawyers to approach their careers as they approach their most important client matters: understand the risks, evaluate the alternatives, and have a plan before circumstances dictate the timetable.
That does not mean constantly looking for another job. It means knowing what your options are.
Start by asking yourself a few questions:
- Where would my practice genuinely thrive? Which firms have the clients, complementary practices, geographic reach, and institutional resources to help me grow?
- What kind of culture suits me? Am I better suited to an entrepreneurial environment or a more established institution? How important are collaboration, autonomy, and access to leadership?
- What would make a firm the wrong choice? Are there conflicts, compensation structures, management styles, or cultural characteristics that I already know would create problems?
- What matters beyond money? How do I weigh compensation against stability, professional satisfaction, client service, and long-term opportunity?
- Who would help me make an informed decision? Do I have someone who understands both my practice and the market well enough to challenge my assumptions?
You should be able to answer these questions while you are comfortable in your current role, not after you have decided to leave it. You should revisit the answers periodically. Firms change. Leadership changes. Your practice changes. The platform that seemed attractive five years ago may be entirely unsuitable for you today.
Build the Relationship Before You Need the Advice
One of the biggest mistakes lawyers make is treating search executives as contacts to call only when they want to move. I understand the hesitation. Lawyers are understandably protective of their time and reputation, and cautious about signaling they might be available. But building a relationship with a trusted search adviser does not require putting yourself on the market.
An experienced advisor can help you understand which firms are growing, which practices are under pressure, how different platforms operate, and where your experience might fit. They can provide a confidential, objective perspective on opportunities and help distinguish market intelligence from rumor.
More importantly, they can get to know you better. Your clients. Your ambitions. Your values. What motivates you. What frustrates you. The kind of leadership you respect and the environment in which you perform best.
That knowledge cannot be developed adequately during a frantic phone call when you need an answer by Friday. A good advisor should also be willing to tell you what you do not want to hear. Sometimes the firm offering the most money is the wrong choice. Sometimes following your colleagues is a mistake. And sometimes the best decision is to stay exactly where you are.
Preparation Is Not Pessimism
None of this means lawyers should spend their careers anticipating disaster. Most will never face the sudden disruption that forces an immediate move. Yet the absence of a crisis is precisely what enables thoughtful planning. You have time to ask questions, build relationships, understand the landscape, and identify the firms where your practice could succeed.
The goal is not to have one foot out the door. It is to preserve the freedom to make a considered decision if circumstances change. When that moment comes, the most valuable thing you can have is not an offer. It is knowing which offer to accept, which to decline, and why.