Many lateral moves fail quietly.
Not because the lawyer lacks talent. Not because the new firm is a bad platform. Often times, they fail because the move happens before the lawyer has built real leverage. By the time many attorneys start thinking about switching firms, they are reacting to frustration, stalled growth, or broken promises. That is too late to be strategic.
The most successful lateral moves are not driven by dissatisfaction. They are driven by preparation.
If you are even considering a move in the next one to three years, there is work you should be doing now. That work has less to do with recruiters or offers and more to do with how clearly your value shows up outside your current firm.
Leverage is not how busy you are
Many lawyers assume leverage comes from hours billed, internal importance, or being indispensable to a partner or practice group. Those things matter inside your current firm. They matter far less in the lateral market.
Firms are assessing something different. They are trying to understand how portable you are. Not just whether clients will follow you, but whether your work, reputation, and relationships exist beyond your current platform.
If your professional identity is tightly bound to one client, one partner, or one internal role, your leverage is weaker than it feels.
Before you move, you need to know the answer to a simple question: would people outside my firm know what I do, who I help, and why I am impactful?
Audit your practice honestly
Preparation starts with clarity. That requires an honest assessment of your current practice.
Look at your last ten meaningful matters. Ask yourself:
- Who brought the work in?
- What role did you play that was unique or replicable?
- Which matters do you want more of and which do you want less of?
This exercise often reveals uncomfortable truths. Many lawyers discover that they are excellent executors of work they do not want to build a future around. Others realize that they have been underselling their role in client relationships because no one ever asked them to articulate it.
Clarity here is about alignment. If you cannot explain the work you want to grow, neither can a prospective firm.
Define the platform you actually need
Lawyers often talk about wanting a “better platform.” Few stop to define what that means.
A bigger firm is not automatically a better platform. Neither is a firm with more offices, higher profits, or stronger name recognition.
A useful platform is one that supports the work you want to do next. That may mean deeper bench strength in a specific area, stronger industry relationships, better geographic reach, or a culture that rewards collaboration in practice.
Before engaging seriously with recruiters or firms, be clear on what you need to succeed. Otherwise, you risk moving into a different version of the same problem.
Start building visibility before you need it
Visibility is often misunderstood. It is not about self-promotion. It is about making your value easier to recognize.
Lawyers who wait until they are unhappy to build visibility put themselves at a disadvantage. Visibility takes time to compound. Articles, speaking roles, relationships, and reputation do not appear on demand.
Start small and focused:
- Make sure your bio and online presence reflect the work you want to grow, not just what you have done.
- Share insights on issues that matter to your clients or industry.
- Take visible roles in internal or external groups aligned with your direction.
- Reconnect with former colleagues and contacts with intention.
This work is not disloyal. It is additive. Lawyers who are clear about what they do and visible for the right reasons make it easier for their firms to staff them well, pitch them credibly, and position them with clients.
Visibility helps colleagues understand when to involve you, helps clients see your value, and strengthens your standing internally.
The lawyers who navigate change best are not the ones hiding their ambitions, but the ones who made their focus legible early.
Relationships create optionality
Most lateral opportunities originate through relationships, not job postings. Former colleagues, clients, referral partners, and peers are often the first to surface opportunities or make introductions.
If your network is limited to people inside your firm, your options will be too.
Begin building and maintaining relationships outside your immediate environment. Not with an agenda, but with consistency and generosity. Over time, these relationships become sources of information, perspective, and opportunity.
Optionality is not about leaving. It is about knowing you could.
Preparation changes the entire experience
Lawyers who prepare before a move approach the lateral process differently. They ask better questions. They evaluate firms more clearly. They move from a position of choice rather than urgency.
Just as important, preparation improves outcomes even if you never move. Many lawyers find that once they clarify their focus, increase visibility, and strengthen relationships, their current situation improves. They attract better work, gain more influence, and feel less trapped.
If you wait until you are ready to leave to start preparing, you have already given up leverage. The best time to build it is long before you think you will need it.
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Lana Manganiello is the founder of Practice Growth Partner, where she helps attorneys and firms build profitable practices and fulfilling careers through strategic business development, marketing, and coaching. Connect with Lana on LinkedIn.
