For candidates

Career resources for lawyers and senior legal professionals

The guidance we give the candidates we represent — written down. How to weigh a lateral move, what your Big Law exits really look like, in-house versus the firm, and the diligence a partner move demands. Read freely; talk to us when it gets specific.

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01 Why we publish this

Most legal-recruitment advice exists to sell you a job. These resources exist to help you make the right decision — including the decision to stay. We are a legal-recruitment specialist, not a job board, and the candidates we place tend to move once, deliberately, after thinking clearly about the trade-offs.

Each guide below distills the conversations we have every week with partners, associates, in-house counsel and legal-operations leaders. They are deliberately candid about what a move costs as well as what it returns — book portability, platform fit, compensation structure, hours and trajectory. Where compensation enters the picture, treat any figure as a directional range as of 2026 that varies by market, firm, sector and hours; for the one hard, sourced number set in the US market, see our Big Law associate salary scale for 2026.

02 The library

Six guides for the most common turning points.

From your first thought of leaving to the questionnaire that clears a partner move, start with the resource that matches where you are now.

Should I Make a Lateral Move?

A clear-eyed framework for deciding whether to leave — book portability, platform fit, comp, and the questions to answer before you ever pick up the phone.

Read the decision guide 02

Big Law Exit Options

Where associates and counsel actually go after the firm — in-house, government, smaller firms, business roles — and how to time and position the move.

Explore exit options 03

In-House vs. Law Firm

The real trade-offs between a corporate legal department and private practice — autonomy, comp structure, hours, advancement and what suits your stage.

Compare the paths 04

The Lateral Partner Questionnaire (LPQ)

What the LPQ asks, why firms require it, and how to prepare your book-of-business and conflicts disclosures so a partner move clears diligence cleanly.

Understand the LPQ 05

The Legal Operations Career Path

How legal-ops roles are structured, the skills that compound, and the route from analyst to head of legal operations or chief of staff to the GC.

Map the career path 06

Foreign Lawyer Relocating to the US

Qualification routes, the bar, visa and work-authorization realities, and how internationally trained lawyers position for a US firm or in-house role.

Plan your relocation 07

The Real Partnership Math: Your Odds by Market

How many associates compete for each partner seat, city by city — the structural driver behind your promotion odds. A candidate-facing read of leverage, with cited partner-track data.

Read the partnership math 08

Is 'Counsel' a Dead End?

The non-equity and of-counsel track, sized and explained — roughly 24,000 US counsel and of-counsel lawyers make it one of the most normal destinations in the profession, not a consolation prize.

Understand the track

03 Find your starting point

Where are you in your career?

A quick map of who each resource is written for — so you can go straight to what matters.

If you are a partner or senior associate considering a move

Start with whether a lateral move is right for you, then read how the Lateral Partner Questionnaire works so your book-of-business and conflicts disclosures are ready before any firm asks. When you want a confidential read on the market, our partner candidate resources are the next step.

If you are an associate or counsel weighing your next chapter

Read your Big Law exit options alongside the in-house versus law-firm comparison to pressure-test the trade-offs before you commit. For role-specific guidance, see our resources for associates and in-house counsel.

If your path runs through legal operations

The legal-operations career path explains how these roles are structured and the skills that compound over a career. Pair it with our legal-operations candidate resources.

If you trained outside the United States

Relocating to the US as a foreign-qualified lawyer covers qualification routes, the bar, and the visa and work-authorization realities, while our international lawyer resources show how we support cross-border moves.

04 How we work with you

Discreet, no obligation, always in your interest.

We are paid by the firms and companies that hire — your conversations with us cost nothing and commit you to nothing.

Complete confidentiality. Your CV and your interest are never shared without your explicit say-so. No mass submissions, no name-dropping to firms you have not approved.
Doors that are not on a job board. Many of the most consequential moves — lateral partner, first GC, lift-outs — never reach a public posting. We open those conversations quietly.
Honest counsel, including "don't move." If the timing or the fit is wrong, we will tell you. A move that fails serves no one.
Market intelligence, applied with judgment. We map the whole legal market, then advise from evidence — not from whoever happens to be on a list.

When you are ready, the simplest first step is to submit your CV confidentially or join our talent network to hear about relevant roles before they are public. To understand the process in depth, see how we run a search.

05 Related

Keep reading.

Benchmarks, market data and the wider candidate hub to inform your next step.

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