If you are an associate lawyer at a big law firm and you are on partnership track, you may feel as though you are living in two realities at once: the pressure to perform at an elite level, and the reality that your energy, health, and relationships also have limits. Many associates I meet are already carrying significant exhaustion by the time we begin working together. Some are edging into burnout, and some are noticing strain at home because work has steadily crowded out personal life.
When you are on partnership track, “working hard” is not enough. The question becomes: How do you build a career that is sustainable and strategic over the eight or nine years before you are put up for partnership?
In this article, I outline practical principles that can help you pursue partnership while protecting your long-term functioning. The goal is not to avoid hard periods altogether — it is to recover well, stay visible for the right opportunities, and develop the relationships and skills that matter most when partnership decisions are made.
Plan your career development with your eyes wide open
I often work with associates who work at big law firms and are on partnership track. Many are tired when we meet. Sometimes they are in burnout. Sometimes their spouses have threatened to leave because they prioritize work over their relationships.
For these associates, a major objective in our work together is to help them achieve partnership while maintaining balance in their personal lives. There are several strategic principles that you can follow over the eight or nine years you are at the firm before you get put up for partnership. I have outlined a number of these below.
Manage workload strategically to reduce burnout risk
Work crazy hours strategically
If you are an associate at a big law firm and are on partnership track, you need to not burn out. Of course, you will experience periods of exhaustion. But don’t allow this to happen too often or to go too deep.
Sometimes the benefit is worth working crazy hours for a month or two: when you are seen as invaluable to the success of the file; when you work shoulder to shoulder with key partners who can make your career; when you emerge with valuable knowledge that you couldn’t learn any other way; when you develop relationships with clients that will go the distance. During these periods, it can be worth drawing down your energy reserves.
Some files will require you to take yourself into exhaustion. That’s okay if it doesn’t happen too often, and if you will have the opportunity to recover after the file closes. You’ve noticed that partners disappear for a couple of weeks after they close big files. Yes, they work from home during these periods, but they’ve disappeared to recharge their batteries.
Don’t exceed annual targets
Don’t go so overboard bagging hours that you’re constantly tired. Yes, you will be paid a bonus, but you pay a high price for that bonus.
Go into the year knowing the target you want to achieve, and stick with it. If your firm’s target is 1700 hours, don’t work 2350 hours. Shoot for something like 1900 hours if you’re eager. Hitting 1800 hours will be accepted with grace by the higher ups.
I know that some senior associates were penalized for not hitting target during the pandemic when opportunities were reduced and hitting target was difficult. Some of these associates were blocked from being made partner in recent years because they missed target. This is a tragedy, so strive to always meet target. But don’t go overboard.
Build relationships that influence partnership outcomes
Develop strong relationships with partners
You need someone who will point out opportunities to you for your career to blossom. Someone who will regularly take you to lunch and answer your questions about next steps in your career. Someone who likes you and can demystify the process.
You can be the best lawyer in town, but you need someone powerful standing behind you who will help push your partnership application through when the time arrives. What if it comes down to choosing between two candidates to make partner, and only one has a mentor at the table when the decision about who to put through is made?
Don’t miss out on face-to-face opportunities
Some people think that it’s okay to work from home, so long as the work is getting done. If this is you, you’re missing those strategic face-to-face moments when relationships are built, and when opportunities are handed out.
You will not get first choice, and you will not get a last-minute shot at working on a plum assignment if you aren’t visible when the work is handed out.
Also, you aren’t developing your skills at the speed you could if you can’t pop your head into someone’s office to ask a question that will take time to figure out on your own.
Listen when partners take you to lunch
If a partner takes you to lunch and tells you to stop being a workhorse, listen to them. Read between the lines. They are telling you to be more selective in the work you take on and to choose a direction to develop in.
Choose files that build a credible specialty
Work on increasingly strategic files
You need to take on strategic files to build your CV and make yourself increasingly valuable to the firm. Being a workhorse isn’t enough once you are a fourth year. You need to have the right experiences to advance.
If you’re seen as a workhorse, you will be incredibly valuable for a period, but you may not make it. You need to develop your skills and not remain a grinder. If your experience is too diverse, no champion will emerge to take you under their wing because no one will really know you.
Identify your specialty (and focus)
Identify your specialty. You might choose two or three. But know what they are, how they intertwine, and then focus. Increasingly wean out work that isn’t in your chosen area.
Learn how to find increasingly selective and high-profile files. Hang out in the doorways of partners so you will hear when projects are coming down the pipeline. Chat with partners. Ask what they’re working on. Ask what files they’re trying to land. They will tell you if you ask. They will also keep you in mind to work on a file if you ask.
Say no to non-strategic files
Don’t automatically say yes when you’re asked to work on a file. If you need hours, by all means say yes. But if you don’t need hours, consider whether you will benefit from the work. Is the file in your area? Is the work senior enough? Are you being asked to stretch? If you won’t benefit, say no and focus on finding work that will move your career forward.
Know when to say no to partners you don’t enjoy working with or who won’t play a role in your partnership bid. You’re just a workhorse for these individuals. Sure, you’ll bag hours. But if you know when desirable work is coming down the pipe, you’ll be able to sidestep undesirable files and not be tied up when good opportunities become available.
Learn the art of how to say no
The art of saying no has to be learned. Do it well. Say something like, “When is the file due? I won’t have any time until next Tuesday. Will that be too late?”
If you’re waiting for a file to start, you can say that you’ve already committed your time. Offer the time you have available, but no more. Set firm boundaries. Maybe try, “I am available until next Thursday but then I will be tied up. Will that be enough time?” Then put forward the name of a colleague who is looking for work.
Delegate to protect your time and build leadership skills
Delegate more
Sometimes you can’t say no to work you don’t want, or to partners you don’t like. Sometimes work will land on your desk and you will have to get it done. If you’re good at delegating, you won’t have to do it alone.
Every partner has mastered the skill of delegating, so you need to master it, too.
Here’s the math. If it takes you as long to supervise getting work done as it does to do it yourself, then delegate. Don’t expect to be efficient when you begin. Every skill takes practice to acquire. Accept that you will not be elegant initially.
If it would take you four hours to do a task on your own, but three hours to delegate, then delegate to get the hour back.
If it takes longer to supervise getting work done than it does to do it yourself and you have some available time, then delegate to practice the skill.
Delegate to more than one junior
Don’t delegate to only one junior associate because that person might leave the firm and you will be left with no one trained to assist you. Accept that you will train associates and that they will leave.
Instead of working with only one junior associate, delegate to four or more when you have work to feed them. Learn which associates are good and develop strong relationships with them.
Develop business development skills over time
Not everyone enjoys doing business development. But jump in. Interact with existing and potential clients.
Being good at BD is a skill you will have to work on throughout your career. Shadow partners who are successful. Watch how they learn about potential work, put themselves forward, and close the deal.
In sum
In sum, take yourself into exhaustion from time to time, but not too frequently and not without understanding the benefits you are accruing. Be strategic about who you work with, the files you take on, and how you spend your time. Develop new or underdeveloped skills you have put off addressing.
I wish you well in your career development, and I hope you achieve your dreams.
Considering next steps
If you are an associate on partnership track, it can be useful to step back and look at your career decisions in a broader context—not just in terms of advancement, but sustainability.
You might reflect on questions such as:
- Am I being intentional about the work I take on, or responding primarily to pressure and availability?
- Do the relationships I’m building at my firm support the direction I want my career to take?
- How often am I pushing into exhaustion, and am I giving myself sufficient space to recover?
- Is my current pace compatible with the life I want to have outside of work?
- What trade-offs am I making implicitly, rather than consciously?
These questions don’t require quick answers. They often benefit from thoughtful consideration over time, especially in careers where expectations are high and the consequences of missteps can feel significant.
If you are finding yourself persistently depleted, conflicted, or uncertain about how to proceed, it may be helpful to speak with a psychologist who works with professionals navigating complex career pressures. Having space to think strategically—outside the demands of your firm—can support clearer decision-making and more sustainable choices over the long term.
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