By Murray Gottheil | August 19, 2025
At my first law firm, there were three partners. After one moved on and another passed away, the remaining owner announced that he had no intention of making any associate a partner soon.
So I left.
At my next firm, it was my job to create a corporate department from scratch. I did a phenomenal job, if I must say so myself (and I must, because lawyers don’t offer compliments very easily). I thought that I would be rewarded with a partnership after one year. When it was not forthcoming, I gave serious consideration to moving again. However, I chose to stick it out and became a partner the next year.
Back in those days, it seemed to every young lawyer that becoming a partner was the most important professional goal. We didn’t have much of an idea of what being a partner entailed, or even why we so desperately wanted to be one, but we knew that we did.
They were simpler, and stupider, times.
The shine came off the partnership bloom for me over a number of years.
First, in the early 1990’s, there was a well-respected Toronto law firm which experienced some financial difficulties. Their solution was to invite a number of their associates to become partners. The associates were so delighted to receive the invitations, they put up their money without asking very many questions. When they finally figured out what the financial position of the firm was, they sued. I marveled at how the lure of partnership was so great that the associates put themselves at risk without much thought, and without professional advice. And I realized, that but for the grace of God, it could have been me.
Some years later, we had an excellent lawyer in our firm whom I will call Barb. Barb was loved by her clients and enjoyed her practice. However, she was not immensely profitable, primarily because she did not buy into the notion of working and billing excessively to achieve partnership. When told that if she wanted to become a partner, she would have to work harder, she asked, “Why would I want to become a partner?” Of course, at the time, I thought that Barb was crazy. With the benefit of hindsight, I realized that she was one of the saner people at my firm.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to become a partner in a law firm. However, it is not the be all and the end all, and frankly, it is overrated.
I will explain it all in subsequent articles.
Murray is a happily retired lawyer who lives in the country, drives a pick-up truck, writes, teaches and mentors. You can reach him at murray@murraygottheil.com or see what he is up to at lawanddisorderinc.com.
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