“The answers should be obvious. However, I think there are huge contradictions and fault lines around this particular topic,” observes Moray McLaren, founding partner of Lexington Consultants, during a recent Platforum9 session. His insights reveal the evolving complexity of partnership promotion in modern law firms.
The Senior Associate Paradox
The traditional path to partnership faces fundamental challenges. While senior associates must demonstrate technical excellence, work long hours, and show cultural fit, McLaren notes a disturbing trend: “The brightest associates realise that they’re competing with each other to make partner, which poisons the water.”
The Partnership Politics
McLaren identifies a critical “elephant in the room” – whether firms actively incentivise or discourage partner promotion. “If I’m a partner rewarded on the success of my team… you as the number one senior associate are helping me reach my target,” he explains. This creates a perverse disincentive for partners to promote their best talent.
The Cultural Question
The definition of “cultural fit” itself presents challenges. As McLaren notes, “One law firm explained this to me as ‘how do you feel sharing a flight to New York from London on Friday evening with this person?'” This subjective criteria often perpetuates existing biases and hampers diversity efforts.
The Technology Opportunity
Contrary to common wisdom, McLaren sees technology as an enabler for junior lawyers: “If you’re in a practice area which is going through change and you can use technology, you can accelerate… young people, who have the understanding of technology, and the mental agility, and the motivation, are really well able to accelerate their careers.”
The Path Forward
For aspiring partners, McLaren emphasises specialisation: “Today being a general M&A lawyer isn’t good enough… Are you in corporate finance? Are you in private equity?” Success requires finding a unique niche, particularly in emerging areas like cryptocurrency or blockchain where older partners may lack expertise.
The message is clear: while technical excellence remains important, the path to partnership increasingly requires strategic positioning, technological fluency, and the ability to bring something genuinely new to the partnership table. As McLaren concludes, “You have to find an area of law you’re interested in… if you’re not interested in the topic, let’s be honest, you’re not going to be a very good lawyer and you’re not going to be very successful.”
