Episode 69: Making it Known + Sustaining Success as Partner

Partnership goals can feel weirdly unspoken in big law, like everyone is supposed to “just know” the rules and quietly hope the right people notice. In this episode of The Grace Period, we get real about what actually helps you move from senior associate to law firm partner without burning out, and why sustainable success has to be a deliberate choice, not a lucky break.

We also dig into the idea of the “happy rainmaker,” including pillars that support career longevity: self-care for mental health and physical health, boundaries you stick to, intentional planning, continuous learning, and designing a legacy you’re proud of. 

Then we get tactical about the path to partnership. We talk about how to figure out what your firm expects even when the process is opaque, why you need to start building toward those expectations years in advance, and how requirements can differ across offices and practice groups. 

Finally, we tackle the most uncomfortable step: telling firm leadership you want to make partner. Those conversations can be scary, but they unlock real feedback, clear next steps, and the confidence that comes from being seen. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more attorneys can find a healthier way to pursue big law ambition.

Find out more at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilystedman/.

Transcript

Welcome And Important Disclaimers

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Grace Period, where we get real about attorney mental health and well-being and pull back the veil on the high-stakes world of big law. I'm your host, Emily Logan Stedman, a commercial litigator, partner, and someone who believes there's always room for a little more grace, even in a high-stakes profession. On the grace period, I share real stories from my own journey in big law. I invite you behind the scenes, past the billable hour, to talk about what it means to stay human in a demanding field. Whether you're a lawyer, a legal professional, or someone trying to find your footing, this space is for you. Let's pull back the curtain, start the conversation, and find our grace period together. Disclaimer, the views and opinions shared on this podcast are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of my firm or any organization. This podcast is informational, is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Partnership Series And The Happy Rainmaker

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Welcome to episode 69 of the Grace Period. Today I want to continue talking about the path to partnership. And before I dive into my last bit of advice on making sure you're on the path to partnership, I want to talk about what my friend Jennifer Gilman calls the happy rainmaker. Jennifer wrote a novella called The Happy Rainmaker, and in it, she defines pillars, pillars that rainmakers use to mark their lives and mark their journey as a partner who develops, sustains, and enjoys a book of business. I think her book, which is available on Amazon and it's Jennifer Gilman, G-I-L-L-M-A-N, The Happy Rainmaker, her book captures so much of what I try to talk about in building a sustainable practice and having a career with some longevity to it, and one that we don't just get through, but we actually enjoy. If you are looking for some insight on that, I cannot recommend her book enough.

Six Pillars For Sustainable Practice

SPEAKER_00 1:26

And here I'll just take a very brief moment to talk about what those pillars are. It is caring for yourself, self-care, and taking care of your health, mental health, physical health, spiritual health, defining boundaries and sticking to them. It is planning intentionally and learning continuously, doing all of these goals and steps with intention and having a growth mindset while you do them. And then thinking about designing your legacy. What do you want to leave behind as the impact of your practice and a practice that has longevity and that you enjoy? Sustainable success is possible, but we have to make it a priority. And you can do that by doing all the things I talk about on my podcast or by finding Jen's book and reading about the six pillars of a happy rainmaker.

What Your Firm Actually Expects

SPEAKER_00 2:03

Now, in addition to those six pillars, what do you need to do to make partner and ensure that you're on the path to partnership if that's what you want? Well, you must know what your firm expects. This will be opaque and vague at some firms, and it'll be as clear as glass at other firms. Your firm might spell it out for you. Your firm might not tell you. So ask a mentor, ask a senior associate who's almost there. You must know what you need to do to make partner, and you need to start building towards those expectations early, about three to four years out from making partner or while you're a senior associate. If you're already in those windows, you need to start doing that, what your firm expects now. So at my firm, associates are expected to hit 1900 billable hours and 150 investment hours. That's 2150 hours all in. Partners are expected to track 2,400 hours. So the year or two or three before making partner, I started hitting 2,400 hours all in, billable and investment time. Why? To show my firm that I was already thinking like a partner and already acting like a partner. I wasn't scared of the commitment. I knew what it was and I was already doing it. For some of you, you will need to have your own book of business. That was not required at my firm, but it will be for some of you. And you can't just turn that on in the 365 days before you may partner. You need to start laying the groundwork for that as soon as possible. You need to, for some of you, have what's called managing credit on your files. That's where I excelled. I started increasing the dollars in the door, so what clients were actually paying for my work. And I started getting credit for leaving files and managing clients. We at my firm we call that managing credit. What it takes to make partner will be different at every firm. It might be different in every office of your firm. It might be different from practice group to practice group, but it's important that you know what is required required and you start doing that or building towards that in those last two to three to four years as you're approaching partnership.

Say You Want Partner Out Loud

SPEAKER_00 3:42

Lastly, you gotta tell your firm that this is your goal. You need to tell your firm that you want to be partner. You need to make it known. They will not assume this for you. You need the decision makers to know you're on that path and this is what you want. This was extremely uncomfortable for me. I remember when a leader at the firm sat me down and said, Have you told your boss, the decision maker in my life, that you want to be partner? Have you called them and told them this? No, why would I have done that? I just thought they knew. And so because she advised me to do that, I set out to do it. And it was so uncomfortable for me. But knowing that I was on the list of people who they knew wanted to be partner, and learning that I was on the list of people that the firm thought could be partner gave me the confidence I needed to write out that last year of senior associateship as if I was gonna make a partner. So tell your firm, make it known, advocate for yourself and find the decision makers who can in turn advocate for you. And that might result in some tough conversations, like it's a year too soon, or you need to wait, or you need to do X, Y, and Z before we'll put you up. But those conversations are powerful and they help you know that you're on the right track, what you need to do to be on the right track, or if you need to make a jump to another firm. So don't be afraid of those conversations. I promise you, as scary as they feel and as uncomfortable as some of you will be to have those conversations, they are always worth it.

Closing Reminder On Well Being

SPEAKER_00 4:55

I hope you've enjoyed those last few episodes about the path to partnership, and I hope they've shed some light on what you can and should be doing if that is your goal. Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Grace Period. Remember, you don't have to choose between your well being and your ambition. By setting boundaries, building supportive habits, and giving yourself permission to pause, you can thrive in law and in life. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. That is the path to our grace period. Disclaimer The views expressed here are solely my own and do not represent the official policy or position of my firm or any organization. This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only, not professional or legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney client relationship.