Changing Jobs Without Making a Move

By Valerie Fontaine –

It’s possible to change jobs without leaving your desk. With today’s frenetic pace of partner moves, practice group divestitures and acquisitions, new firms spinning off, and law firm mergers, you might find yourself working for a progression of different employers without really changing jobs. This can impact your career advancement, however, as each new law firm iteration brings changes in culture, expectations, career paths, challenges, and opportunities.

The legal marketplace is increasingly dynamic. A 2006 study found that at least 72 of the 253 law firms surveyed in 1996 no longer existed, having disbanded or been acquired in the intervening decade. Since then, several more disappeared. Each year more than 2000 partners move laterally within the largest 200 U.S. law firms alone. Law firm mergers and other combinations, both nationally and globally, continue apace.

You may be impacted by law firm realignment even before you graduate from law school. If you receive an offer of post-graduation employment after your summer stint with the law firm of your dreams, you may discover that, by the time you complete your third year and graduate, study for and take the Bar exam, and start work approximately a year later, the firm completely changed. Perhaps the attorneys you expected to work with decamped to another law firm. If you’re lucky, the attorneys you summered with invite you to join them at their new firm. If not, you must make a new place for yourself at the original firm.

Or, when you accepted the offer, you expected to work in a particular practice, but find the firm no longer needs you in that area. In the interim, the firm may have lost or gained major clients, deals, cases, or specific types of work. In those circumstances, you may be assigned to a different practice group, working for different partners and clients, or on different types of cases or matters. Sometimes, these changes are a blessing in disguise, but you may be less than satisfied with your new situation.

In another scenario, as a hard-working associate you unexpectedly learn that your department is moving en mass to another firm, spinning off to form a new firm, or your entire firm is acquired by or merged into another. Sometimes this means you show up to work at a different location but, other times, physically, only the name on the door changes. Don’t let appearances fool you, however. Each time the firm morphs, you must take other important factors into account.

You used to know the rules of the game, but expectations may have changed. The new law firm incarnation might possess an entirely different culture and set of priorities. There might be different billable hours requirements, partnership tracks, compensation structures, bonus and benefits programs, and attitudes towards pro bono work and business development activities. Changes in firm structure may require you to report to different partners, or get your assignments through new channels. Furthermore, each firm can prefer different modes and styles of communication, more than just learning new computer systems and passwords.

With any important change in your law firm’s landscape, keep a low profile while you scope out the situation. Look for any variations and nuances in the power structure and alliances, and which partners, practice areas and clients are most and least valued in the new organization. Learn who you need to get to know to increase your chances of advancing at the firm. Make sure you gain exposure to lawyers in new locations and integrate yourself into your practice firm-wide. Adapt to any new styles and refrain from saying “this is the way we used to do it.”

Take a look at how the new version of your firm fits into the legal marketplace as a whole and how it suits you in light of your personal and career goals. Ask yourself: Is the firm stronger financially? What is its reputation and stature in the legal community? Do the practice mix and billing rates lend themselves to the types of clients I wish to service and want to pursue as I build my own book of business? Would I like to be a partner here and, if so, do I have a realistic shot? If you’re comfortable with the answers to these and similar questions, hunker down and work hard. If not, polish your résumé and look for a situation that suits you better.

When you update your résumé and LinkedIn profile, make sure they reflect the fact that your firm changed around you; you didn’t change jobs. In other words, note that you followed a partner or group to a new firm, or your firm disbanded, merged, was acquired, or spun off from the previous firm. You can include the various firm names in one entry if, indeed, it wasn’t a move on your part. You want to minimize the appearance of being a job-hopper, when it really was a case of “same job, different firm.”

Blog Author

Valerie Fontaine is a partner in Seltzer Fontaine Beckwith, a legal search firm based in Los Angeles (www.sfbsearch.com). She can be reached at vfontaine@sfbsearch.com or (310) 842-6985. The second edition of her book, “The Right Moves: Job Search and Career Development Strategies for Lawyers,” was published in 2013 by NALP.