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By Murray Gottheil | October 7, 2025
We all know people in wonderful marriages. We also know people in terrible marriages. Sometimes we attribute this to them having been so desperate to have a life partner that they rushed into things without taking the time to get to know their partner, or even being negligent or willfully blind to the couple’s incompatibilities.
The same can be said of law partnerships. Some are great. Some are not so great. We have all come across young lawyers who want to make partner so badly that they do not spend nearly enough time pondering existential questions, such as “Is it a good partnership or a bad partnership?”, or “Do I fit in with this group of people?”, or “Are these people good business people?”, or “Do these people have a realistic plan to adapt to new technology, or new practice areas?”, or even “Are any of these people unethical, narcissistic, sadistic, or obsessively and ruthlessly self-centered?”
It is great to be able to say, “I am a partner. I have made it”. But the substance is more important than the title. Being in the right partnership is fantastic. Being in the wrong partnership can be just as devastating (not to mention costly) as being married to the wrong person.
So what is an aspiring partner supposed to do, and what questions should they be asking? Here are a few ideas:
- Develop a portable client base so that you have options;
- Figure out whether you like and respect the partners at your firm. If not, don’t slave away for years aspiring to be a partner there;
- Get to know all of the partners (or in a large firm, all of the partners in your group) and form judgments as to their integrity, business acumen, generosity of spirit, and character;
- Determine what you want to achieve from a partnership. Are you looking to maximize income? Do you want to be part of a team who support each other through good and bad times? Do you crave the ability to draw on expertise and assistance to handle projects? Are you hoping to have a leadership role? Are you looking for support for your career aspirations?;
- Do the partners share your attitudes toward supporting women in the profession? What about diversity in general? Do the partners have strong political leanings with which you are uncomfortable?;
- Does your firm want to expand and have an appetite for the accompanying risk? Do you?; and
- Think about the partnership’s capacity to adapt to new business conditions. Look at their history, and don’t imagine that they’re going to start doing things that they never did before unless they have a demonstrated capacity for adapting to change.
Some of us have have learned the hard way that it is a bad idea to marry people with whom you do not share an enduring and unconditional love. You don’t have to love your partners, but for God’s sake, try to get involved with people you like and respect.
A version of this article was originally published by Law360 Canada, part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.
Murray Gottheil is a retired lawyer living in the country, happy and driving a pickup truck. Reach him at murray@murraygottheil.com, and see what he is up to at www.lawanddisorderinc.com.
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