After more than two decades working in lateral partner recruiting and integration, I’ve seen the same patterns emerge in firms that ultimately lose valued partners. Early in my career I had direct involvement in partner placements for Am Law 100 and 200 firms across multiple markets, and managed large recruiter teams. Today I lead the Lateral Talent Practice at LawVision, where I help law firm leaders diagnose and address the real drivers of partner instability, as well as help them attract partner talent.
What many firms call an “unexpected” departure is rarely unpredictable when you know where to look and what to ask. The questions that follow reflect the recurring signals I’ve observed in situations where partners begin to disengage before they actually leave.
Questions That Tell You if Your Partners Are Staying or Leaving
1. Would your top 10 most productive partners convey the same story about how the firm makes decisions?
If the narrative isn’t consistent, the Leadership of the firm isn’t connecting or stable.
2. Do partners trust the compensation system enough to stop running alternative scenarios?
Side spreadsheets either written down, or roughly calculated in the head, indicate the early stages of a flight risk.
3. Did any partner bring you the same problem two or three times because nothing changed the first, or second, time?
If there is silence after the second conversation, there is usually an exit plan in the works.
4. If a partner wanted to develop or grow a new client relationship tomorrow, is the firm ready to support it—or to slow it down?
Growth friction is one of the biggest push factors at the senior level. If a partner feels a lack of support or encouragement to build or expand their client list, departure plans start to take shape.
5. Can every partner name the person who actually owns and is accountable for their integration, development, and success?
If nobody owns them or takes responsibility for their growth and advancement, they will own and drive their own exit.
6. Are client handoffs common and predictable—or do partners hoard work because they don’t trust or believe in, their colleagues will follow-through?
Hoarding is not greed; it’s a health temperature metric.
7. When partners raise concerns about underperformers, does anything happen?
If performance and accountability is optional and not valued or required, so is loyalty.
8. Have you lost an associate or counsel recently that one partner still complains about?
Support-staff friction, or shortages, are hidden leading indicators of partner flight.
9. If a recruiter called your strongest partner today, what is the one thing they would complain about within the first minute?
That first complaint reveals the real risk profile and what you need to pay attention to, and fix, right away.
10. Would you be surprised by a lateral move tomorrow?
If yes, that’s the problem—not the move. You need to be close to the issues and concerns that are driving partners out.
If several of these questions gave you pause, that’s intentional: they’re designed to surface issues before they crystallize into exits. Understanding where the instability lies gives you a chance to act strategically rather than react defensively.
If you’re seeing warning signs in your partner dynamics and want to talk through what they might mean for your firm, I’m available to help you assess the situation and identify practical next steps. Contact me here.
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