Page 9 - San Antonio Vol 1 No 3

PARTNERSHIP: What Are
You Getting into or What
Have You Gotten into?
BY DEBBIE ROOS
Partnership: a key, if not ultimate achievement for many aspir- ing attorneys. Acceptance into
these ranks checks many boxes. First, it credentials the attorney, elevating them into a class of lawyers consid- ered masters at their cra . Second, the promotion o en widens doors of in- uence in the rm. Next, the title fur- ther anchors the relationship between organization and individual much like tenure does for a professor at university – while changeable, buy-in agreements are harder to break than pinky-swears. And if tradition and luck hold, with this anchoring comes the hoped-for nancial pay-o .
e challenge o en lies when an as- sociate is asked, “Do you know what it takes to be a partner?” Without fail they quickly respond, “X-many bill- able hours, and Y-many shared credit dollars (or whatever metrics the rm values).” Yet for most rms, this isn’t the full answer. It’s not the full answer because it’s di cult to believe a rm would readily promote an associate who repeatedly abused the expense policy or disrespected the sta despite outstanding metrics. While law rms aren’t known as bastions for employee feedback, and dollars may cause some to turn a foggy eye, most rms have some list of “other” (perhaps hyper- subtly) communicated acceptance criteria.
e challenge doesn’t lie solely with associates. e same question can be asked of tenured partners: “Do you know what it takes to be a partner?” Without fail, they pause, hesitate.
“ e question is moot; I have already arrived.” But it frequently comes up during bonus time or new unit alloca- tion: “What about me?” Metrics like billable hours remain key, but other criteria – for being a good partner – must exist. ose, like entrance crite- ria, are also not explicitly communi- cated.
For the most part rms haven’t ar- ticulated what it looks like, behavior- ally, to be a good partner. Yes, part- nership agreements exist, but they primarily cover legal aspects and are usually shared a er an invitation has been extended. ey fail to speak to the role’s human aspects: the behav- iors, character traits, competencies, etc. Most speci cally they fail to pro- vide the necessary mirror for re ec- tive consideration and personal de- velopment.
e joke for parents is that there is no manual for raising a baby. Seem- ingly the same is true for law part- ners – unless or until it is created. Firms actually know how partners are made, and what it means to be a part- ner in their organization. ey sim- ply haven’t codi ed or shared it with people who need and want to know. A “Path to Partner” document is a tool that takes the historically unspoken but very real traits, concepts, respon- sibilities, and mysteries about the role and addresses them as candidly as possible.
e document tells the rm’s “sto- ry.” Maybe it addresses how long it typically takes to make partner – a more consistent way than relying on
a bevy of partner folklore. It may dis- cuss when the partnership agreement would be shared or how the buy-in process works, allowing candidates insight into their future nancial ob- ligations. Perhaps it articulates some of the risks associated with becoming a partner, helping people understand the di erence between a title and a role. At a minimum, it should outline the behavioral criteria required for partnership as deemed necessary for and by the rm.
Legally binding? No. Operationally helpful. Absolutely. A document such as this helps striving associates un- derstand the complexity of the role, the various evaluation hurdles others may be assessing them on, and it pro- vides an eyes-wide-open view of what they’re working toward. Partnership, through this exercise, is no longer just a promotion or a title; it’s a legitimate rite of passage. For existing partners, it provides minimum standards, es- tablishes retention criteria, and allows opportunities for performance dis- cussion against agreed upon norms. “Path to Partner” documents take the mystery out of this prestigious role and creates better partners.
DEBBIE ROOS, SHRM-SCP, IS THE FOUND- ER OF SIMPLY PEOPLE AND IS A GAL- LUP CERTIFIED STRENGTHS COACH. SHE WORKS WITH SMALL- TO MEDIUM-SIZED ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO DEVELOP TALENT AND LEADERSHIP CA- PABILITIES, BUILD TEAMS, AND GROW PROFITABILITY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.SIMPLY-PEOPLE.COM OR CALL (210) 867-4330.
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