What If Your Firm Will Not Give You a Straight Answer? | Associate Career Q&A

In this Associate Career Q&A, Gordon Houseman answers eight practical questions about progressing towards partnership and building a successful legal career. Questions covered: 1. My partner keeps saying it is too early. How do I know whether that is genuine? 2. Someone else keeps taking credit for my work. How aggressively should I respond? 3. What does ‘be more commercial’ actually require from an associate? 4. A partner will not let me attend important client meetings. What can I do? 5. How long should I wait when the firm says partnership is coming but gives no date? 6. How do I choose a niche without limiting my career too early? 7. How do I work with a partner who constantly changes direction? 8. How can I tell whether there simply is no partnership seat? Gordon has been a partner at A&O Shearman, DLA Piper and Shearman & Sterling, and has seen hundreds of lawyers considered for partnership across nearly two decades in international law firms. Full Potential for Lawyers explains what firms often leave unclear about progressing, becoming partner and building a successful practice. Learn more about the Associate to Partner Program: https://fullpotentialforlawyers.com Build your career like a business. #LawFirmAssociate #LegalCareer #PartnershipTrack #LawFirmPartner Chapters 0:00 Introduction 0:57 Is “too early” genuine? 3:37 What if someone takes credit for my work? 6:28 What does “be more commercial” require? 9:41 How do I gain access to client meetings? 12:03 How long should I wait without a date? 14:12 How do I choose a niche? 16:09 How do I work with a partner who changes direction? 18:46 How do I know there is no partnership seat?