How to Make Partner and Respect Yourself in the Morning
Making partner without having to sell your soul on eBay is the subject of a new ABA book.
“Accelerating Lawyer Success: How to Make Partner, Stay Healthy and Flourish in a Law Firm” was written by three social scientists, all with doctorates in psychology and experience in the legal arena. Their book studies the relationship between law firm success and personal fulfillment.
The bottom line: the two aren’t as incompatible as you might have been led to believe.
The authors (one is a law professor, another a psychologist and the third is a law firm development director) interviewed hundreds of lawyers at firms across the US. They found many who had made partner and not only enjoyed what they did, but believed their work had meaning.
Far from being soul-crushing, making partner had given their career new purpose.
Learn more about “Accelerating Lawyer Success: How to Make Partner, Stay Healthy and Flourish in a Law Firm” or order it here.
Predicting Success in the Law
Researchers and recruiters have long sought a formula to accurately predict which prospects are most likely to succeed in the law firm environment.
Early on, predictions were based on academic success and law school status. Later, recruiters began looking for competencies – verifiable traits that are strong markers of success.
“Accelerating Lawyers” takes a step forward by studying how successful lawyers (i.e., those who make partner without losing their mind or going over to the dark side) did it. In the process, they examine how these happy partners:
- Tackle their own work
- Work with others
- Approach their work mentally
Their conclusion: attitude is a more reliable predictor of firm success than a high GPA or prestigious law school.
“[S]kills, mindset and approach to work provide a more compelling picture of who succeeds in law firms than pedigree alone.”
In the process of their research, the authors came up with a blueprint on How to Succeed in Practice. Click here to read their blueprint.
Sources:
- American Bar Association www.ambar.org/news
- American Bar Association http://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2016/07/new_research_suggest.html
