Hiring a Law Firm Marketing or BD Professional: What the Search Actually Involves
Law firm marketing and business development hiring is one of the most nuanced searches a firm can run. Here's what makes it different, what to look for in candidates, and how to think about the search process — from a recruiting firm that specializes in exactly this.
What Nobody Tells You About Making Equity Partner
Equity partnership is often treated as the natural next step for senior lawyers. The title promises higher compensation, greater influence, and a voice in firm leadership. What is less often discussed is the financial reality behind the transition. In today’s legal market, becoming an equity partner frequently requires a significant capital contribution, sometimes reaching 25 to 50 percent or more of annual compensation. That shift transforms the role from employee to investor, introducing financial risk and liquidity constraints that many lawyers do not fully understand until they are already on the path to partnership.
Why Boutique Legal Search Firms Often Outperform Large Recruiting Companies
What's the difference between a boutique legal search firm and a large national recruiting company? For law firms and attorneys alike, the answer has real implications for how searches are run, how candidates are treated, and what outcomes actually look like.
When Your Team Struggles, Look Up, Not Down
Leadership development doesn’t happen overnight. It deepens through experience, reflection, and a growing awareness of how profoundly leaders shape the environment around them.
For many senior attorneys, leadership evolves from overseeing work to intentionally enabling others to do their best work - creating clarity, context, and conditions that allow excellence to compound over time.
Keeping Your Momentum When Lateral Moves Take Months
Lateral hiring rarely moves in a straight line - and for many attorneys, the process now stretches six to nine months or more.
This blog breaks down why legal hiring takes so long, how to stay motivated through the silences, and what it really takes to maintain momentum during a non-linear search.
Onward Insights - July 2025
A talent crisis is brewing in the legal profession, and it's hiding in plain sight.
While law schools continue producing graduates, the training infrastructure that develops them into experienced practitioners is rapidly shrinking. Summer associate classes are getting smaller each year as firms reassess the economics of entry-level hiring, creating a bottleneck that will leave the entire industry scrambling for mid-level talent within the next five years.
The implications reach far beyond BigLaw. In-house departments, boutique firms, and government agencies all rely on the same pipeline of experienced lawyers – a pipeline that's about to run dry.
We explore why this structural shift is happening, what it means for legal careers, and how smart organizations are already adapting their talent strategies.
Why Analysis Paralysis Is Derailing Smart Lawyers: A Psychological Perspective
Overthinking is costing lawyers real opportunities.
A candidate declined a simple meeting with a firm he admired—out of fear, not facts.
This article breaks down how legal training fuels analysis paralysis and why refusing low-stakes conversations can sabotage your career.
Onward Insights - June 2025
We’re halfway through 2025 and the legal market is anything but quiet.
Hiring cooled in Q2, but key trends are emerging: litigation is steady, real estate finance is hot, and in-house roles are on the rise.
Firms and lawyers who act now (while others wait) may come out ahead.
👇 Get the data, insights, and roles worth watching in our Mid-Year Market Check.
The Power of Being Liked
Technical skills may get you in the door, but likeability is what accelerates your legal career.
From landing client trust to snagging partner-track assignments, being someone people want to work with is a legit strategic advantage.
This article breaks down the science and the strategy behind professional likeability, plus real ways to build yours without losing your edge.
Because in law, trust is currency, and likeable lawyers are rich in it.
Onward Insights - May 2025
Summer might seem like the legal industry's slow season, but that perception is exactly what creates the opportunity.
While firms manage summer programs and lawyers balance mentoring with client work, there’s a unique opening for strategic career movement that most people miss.
This edition of Onward Insights explores why Memorial Day to Labor Day is one of the smartest windows for lateral moves.
With fewer candidates in motion and firms operating at a slightly more reflective pace, summer offers the ideal conditions for thoughtful career conversations and smarter hiring decisions.
The Human Edge: Why Soft Skills Are Reshaping Legal Talent Strategy
As law firms cautiously adopt AI and automation, soft skills are emerging — not as new priorities, but as long-standing strengths now seen as competitive essentials.
In a profession where trust, judgment, and human connection remain irreplaceable, legal talent strategies are shifting their focus back to what has always set great lawyers apart.
This post explores why emotional intelligence, adaptability, communication, and leadership are becoming the primary differentiators in legal hiring and development. For firms and lawyers alike, it's not about reinventing the skill set, it's about doubling down on what matters most.
The Second Archetype: Why In-House Lawyers Are Built for the Hybrid Era
Why In-House Lawyers Are Built for the Hybrid Era
As the legal world adapts to AI, automation, and cross-functional demands, in-house counsel are uniquely positioned to thrive.
This post explores the "second archetype" — a blend of legal expertise and business fluency — and why it’s essential (not optional) for lawyers navigating corporate environments.
If you're eyeing an in-house move or already in the seat, this is your roadmap to staying relevant, resilient, and ready.