Big Law Life

When a law firm describes itself as "one firm," it can suggest integration, shared economics, and aligned incentives across offices and practice groups. In this episode of Big Law Life, I explain why that is often more branding than reality. Drawing on my experience inside large global firms, I walk through how BigLaw is actually structured behind the scenes, from formal frameworks like Swiss Verein models to more subtle but equally powerful internal siloes. I explain how profits, compensation systems, practice group economics, and lateral partner deals can create very different financial and operational realities within the same firm.  I also share how these structures affect decision-making, collaboration, and career outcomes for lawyers, often in ways that are not visible from the outside. If you are trying to understand how your firm really operates, or evaluating a move, this episode outlines how to assess where power, credit, and money actually flow and why that matters more than the firm's formal structure. At a Glance 01:20 What "one firm" means and why it often does not reflect reality 02:17 Why most BigLaw firms operate as multiple economic units under one brand 03:11 How Swiss Verein structures separate profits, liabilities, and governance 05:02 How practice groups and offices often function as de facto siloes within one firm 06:05 Why high-performing groups often resist cross-subsidization and collaboration 07:20 How compensation systems create internal competition and shape behavior in different ways 08:32 How separate entities and service lines shift profits and costs within firms 09:04 How practice groups operate like independent boutiques within larger firms 10:06 How lateral partner deals and guarantees create unequal economic realities 11:56 How shadow accounting systems influence compensation and decision-making 13:21 Why "one firm" is often just branding and how you can instead evaluate the real operating structure Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

In this episode of Big Law Life, I walk through what partnership actually looks like inside large law firms and why many lawyers only discover the realities after they have already stepped into the role. I explain how partnership structures vary widely across firms, from non-equity tiers that function as holding categories to equity models that require significant capital contributions and business generation. I also break down how compensation is really determined, how origination expectations are applied in practice, and why so many answers you receive during the process are incomplete or difficult to interpret.  Throughout the episode, I share specific examples of partners navigating these systems, including how assumptions about timelines, compensation, and support can play out very differently once you are inside the firm. If you are considering partnership or evaluating a lateral move, this episode outlines the questions you should ask BEFORE making that decision and why understanding the economic model matters as much as the title itself. At a Glance 01:20 Why becoming a partner often feels different than expected 02:13 Why you need to understand how partnership actually works before joining 02:49 Key questions about partnership tiers and movement from non-equity to equity 03:12 When non-equity partnership becomes a long-term holding category 04:26 What to ask about capital contributions and repayment terms 05:22 How partner compensation is determined and why it can be unclear 06:16 How origination expectations affect compensation and advancement 07:08 Why unclear answers signal how little visibility you may have later 08:01 How stated origination requirements compare to actual partner performance 09:11 What kind of client development support firms actually provide 11:18 How equity structures and points systems affect compensation over time 12:29 How partner benefits, costs, and retirement structures differ from associate Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

One of the most challenging transitions in BigLaw is moving from being a strong contributor to becoming a lawyer who can generate business. As a junior or non-equity partner, you are often expected to build your own book of business, but that can be tough if many key client relationships where you have contacts or already have strong relationships yourself are already tied to more senior partners.  In this episode of Big Law Life, I walk through how business development actually works inside large law firms and how you can better navigate client ownership without stepping on your partners' toes. I also explain the three factors that truly drive client relationships and give you grounds to claim client work: who the client trusts, who they call first, and who can generate new work. Plus, I share how those factors evolve over time in ways that allow you to build your own position, show value that you are adding to the firm, and do it without taking anything away from others.  I also share practical ways to expand relationships, develop new workstreams, and build credibility with clients through small, consistent actions. If you are a junior partner or senior associate thinking about business development, this episode explains how to grow your book in a way that aligns with firm dynamics and strengthens your long-term position. At a Glance 01:20 The challenge of building a book when client relationships belong to other partners 01:42 Why client ownership can be less formal than it appears inside most firms 02:10 The three drivers of client relationships: trust, who gets called, and who generates work 02:36 How junior partners build relationships while senior partners maintain visibility 03:07 Expanding relationships without competing with existing partners 03:48 Identifying new legal needs and creating additional workstreams 04:37 How internal contacts at a client can become your own relationship base 05:22 Turning personal connections into new types of work for the firm 05:52 Using targeted insights and tailored outreach to deepen client trust 06:34 Why consistent relationship-building over time creates future opportunities 07:20 How to build trust internally while developing external client relationships 08:01 When to use judgment versus asking permission on new matters 08:46 How client relationships can lead to entirely new clients and referrals 09:45 Why building a book is slow, steady work tied to firm economics Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

The reality inside BigLaw is that the majority of associates stay for some time but eventually leave, and the lawyers who navigate that transition well are usually the ones who began thinking about it long before they need to do so. In this episode of Big Law Life, I explain why exit planning should start early in an associate's career and why planning for an exit is not the same as planning to leave. Instead, it is about protecting your options before stress, burnout, or unexpected changes narrow them.  I walk through how exit planning looks at different stages of an associate's career, from the early years of building transferable skills to the mid-level years when recruiters begin evaluating judgment and independence. I also explain how prestige alone does not translate into marketability, why specialization by default can quietly limit opportunities, and why waiting until you are burned out often leads to weaker exits. If you want to maintain control over your career and keep your options open, this episode outlines how thoughtful exit planning helps you move strategically rather than reactively. At a Glance 01:20 Why most BigLaw associates leave and why exit planning should start early 02:58 The career risk of relying on one partner or narrow assignments 04:14 Early warning signs your work is limiting transferable skills 05:06 How recruiters evaluate associates in their third and fourth years 05:44 What changes when associates reach the fifth and sixth years 06:36 How timing affects the strength of your exit narrative 07:07 Why BigLaw prestige does not equal marketability 08:02 How to explain the value you bring beyond your firm name 09:21 Why being essential to one partner does not make you marketable 10:34 Why burnout-driven exits weaken interviews and opportunities 11:29 How generic phrases in your resume can signal a weak description of experience 13:43 How early exit planning preserves career leverage Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

Social media can be one of the best platforms BigLaw legal and business professionals have to build reputation, visibility, and network strength, but it can also create real risk if you post without understanding what your firm and clients expect. In this episode of Big Law Life, I walk through the practical and ethical guardrails that govern what you can share online, including restrictions that go beyond bar rules and get enforced through firm policies you agree to when you join. I explain why even public matters can be off-limits for comment, how clients and firms control messaging, and the types of posts that frequently trigger internal problems, from case outcomes and document screenshots to location tagging, colleague commentary, and statements that appear to speak for the firm. I also share concrete, safe ways to use LinkedIn strategically without naming clients, violating firm policies or revealing confidential details. We talk through how to describe your work by focusing on role and skills, how to signal growth and credibility without overselling your position, and how to build thought leadership using public trends rather than client- or firm-specific content. If you want to raise your profile while staying aligned with BigLaw culture and policy, this episode lays out what to avoid, what to ask before you post, and what to say instead. At a Glance 01:20 Why social media helps lawyers build visibility and where it can create firm risk 02:06 Ethical guardrails and why public matters can still be off-limits 02:58 How firms enforce restrictions through employment policies 03:31 Examples of posts that can violate firm policies 04:18 Why misrepresenting your role, title, or experience is treated as misleading 05:15 The kinds of conduct firms treat as reputational risk 05:39 What restrictive policy language can look like in practice 06:55 Why LinkedIn is treated differently from other platforms in the US 07:34 How to describe your work without naming clients or revealing case details 08:19 A safe example for describing deal work without giving away identifiers 09:03 How to post in a way that signals credibility without advertising you are job searching 10:55 How to use pro bono and firm-approved content safely 11:19 Thought leadership that demonstrates expertise without confidentiality risk 12:32 Why your LinkedIn experience section should describe skills, not just titles 13:33 A practical workflow: remove confidential details, then use ChatGPT for a first draft 13:57 Build a LinkedIn cheat sheet to avoid writer's block 15:08 Milestones, awards, and community engagement that strengthen your professional persona 16:02 Career reflections and lessons learned as safe content when your matters are sensitive 16:50 Profile positioning for maximum impact and accuracy 18:04 How to ask marketing or practice leadership before posting and why it builds trust Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

Artificial intelligence is not replacing BigLaw associates, but it is fundamentally changing what partners evaluate, tolerate, and trust. In this episode of Big Law Life, I explain how AI has raised the mechanical floor of legal writing and why that shift is accelerating scrutiny of judgment and critical thinking, particularly for junior and mid-level associates. Errors that were once treated as developmental noise, such as inconsistently defined terms, misaligned dates, and grammatical errors, now stand out as avoidable and erode trust more quickly. But the deeper issue is not these easily corrected problems. It is discernment, judgment and effective writing. I walk through how AI-generated polish exposes gaps in prioritization, risk calibration, and recommendation clarity. We explore how "competent but not helpful" writing compresses the middle tier of associates, how trust erodes when partners still have to rethink the problem themselves, and how judgment shows up differently in litigation versus transactional practice. If you want to understand how AI is reshaping associate development, up-or-out dynamics, and partner expectations, this episode breaks down exactly what is changing and what now differentiates lawyers in large law firms. At a Glance 01:20 How AI is raising the baseline expectations for BigLaw associates 02:09 Why minor drafting errors now signal carelessness rather than inexperience 03:20 Why mechanical competence is no longer the differentiator 04:17 How AI exposes judgment gaps in overinclusive, cautious drafting 05:08 When polished writing still fails to help a partner make a decision 06:06 The difference between sounding like a lawyer and thinking like one 07:37 How AI is compressing the middle tier of associates 08:28 Why "reliable but not helpful" accelerates attrition 09:14 How partner psychology shifts when trust erodes 10:06 The consequences of burying key points and hedging conclusions 11:22 Why unclear recommendations stand out more in an AI-assisted world 12:22 Structural prioritization and connecting analysis to action 14:20 How judgment manifests differently in litigation versus transactional work 16:11 Why AI sharpens distinctions instead of leveling the playing field Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast  

BigLaw is being rebuilt in ways that are reshaping power, risk, and career trajectories across large law firms. In this episode of Big Law Life, I walk through the structural moves firms are making right now that are leading to longer paths to partnership, more discretion in compensation, and increased pressure on senior associates, counsels and junior partners. I talk about why firms are expanding non-equity partner tiers to preserve leverage without sharing ownership, the reason that equity partnership is becoming conditional rather than permanent, and the explanation behind the shift to lateral hiring accelerating at the expense of internal development. I also explain how profits per partner has become a primary organizing principle driving these decisions, even when it creates long-term fragility beneath the surface. Further, I share how lawyers can read these signals inside their own firms to understand where they sit in the economic model and make more strategic career choices during this period of structural change. At a Glance 01:20 Why today's BigLaw changes are a structural rebuild, not a normal cycle 02:52 The real reason firms are expanding non-equity partner tiers 04:34 How equity partnership is becoming conditional and reversible 05:30 Why lateral partners are favored over internal development 06:47 How the goalposts for making partner keep moving 07:55 Why PEP now drives almost every major decision in firms 09:05 How pressure is shifting onto senior associates, counsel, and junior partners 10:24 The growing divide between firms with pricing power and everyone else 11:37 Why rate increases are buying time rather than fixing structural problems 12:30 How risk gets pushed downward through bonuses, raises, and workload 13:43 How to tell whether you are revenue, leverage, or expendable capacity in your firm 14:38 Why informed lawyers can make the best choices during structural shifts Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

In this episode of Big Law Life, I break down three of the most powerful unwritten systems inside large law firms that every lawyer needs to understand to navigate their career strategically. I share why staffing is one of the main currencies firms use to allocate value; how you can't rely on just on your past successes but always need to be actively refreshing leadership's understanding of what you bring to the firm; and why the culture of a firm, not its policies, is what truly matters. If you want to understand how BigLaw actually operates beyond what its says in manuals, through policies and in written guidance, and how to position yourself for growth, visibility, and long-term success, this episode gives you a clear framework for reading the system and responding strategically. At a Glance 01:20 Why BigLaw runs on unwritten rules, not just formal policies 01:46 Staffing as currency and how lawyers are quietly "traded" 02:11 Why being constantly busy can actually stall advancement 03:06 How becoming the "reliable solution" associate turns into a trap 04:02 Why firms reuse high performers instead of protecting them 04:49 The real difference between being needed and being valued 05:15 Why constant work without development signals optimization, not growth 05:41 How institutional memory fades faster than lawyers expect 06:11 Why BigLaw operates on recency, not career-long performance 07:26 How visibility determines staffing, reviews, and promotion narratives 08:40 Why your firm's story about you is only a snapshot unless you shape it 09:32 How to refresh your value through outcomes, not effort 10:29 Why written policies matter less than real culture 11:22 How knowing culture can impact career trajectories 12:29 What culture actually rewards versus what policies technically allow 13:26 How perceptions form and quietly limit opportunities 14:48 Why smart lawyers study who uses policies safely, not what's permitted 15:34 What BigLaw's unwritten rules are really incentivizing Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

If you work in BigLaw, you already expect weekends to be part of the job. But you find that not all weekend work is created equal. In this episode, I walk through the difference between healthy, role-appropriate weekend demands and the kind of constant disruption that signals deeper management and culture problems inside a firm. I explain the three traits that define normal weekend work: a real reason tied to client reality, a clearly scoped task, and a true endpoint. We then unpack what dysfunctional weekend work looks like in practice, including poor planning disguised as urgency, perpetual low-grade emergencies, and being kept mentally on call even when no real deadline exists.  I break down how these patterns show up differently in transactional versus litigation practices and why weekend culture is one of the strongest predictors of burnout and reactive exits. Finally, I share concrete strategies for setting boundaries that actually work in BigLaw by shaping timelines, preempting chaos earlier in the week, and using seniority to delegate rather than absorb endless work. At a Glance 01:20 Why the real issue isn't working weekends but how and how often 02:09 The three traits that define normal weekend work in BigLaw 02:41 Why real deadlines feel different from anxiety-driven urgency 03:10 How scoped tasks and clear endpoints protect your time and sanity 04:03 How poor planning gets passed down as "emergencies" 05:16 What perpetual urgency without deadlines actually signals 05:46 When firms stop buying labor and start renting your nervous system 06:13 Why constant weekend work becomes a structural problem 06:38 How weekend chaos at senior levels signals stagnation, not growth 07:11 How transactional and litigation practices show dysfunction differently 08:25 Why weekend culture predicts burnout and rushed exits 09:35 The clear difference between purposeful intensity and endless chaos 10:24 Why the goal isn't fewer weekends but fewer bad weekends 10:51 How structured availability reshapes expectations without backlash 11:21 How anticipatory communication prevents most weekend emergencies 12:22 Why reliability during real crises earns boundary credibility 12:53 How delegation becomes the senior lawyer's real boundary tool 13:17 How to read firm reactions to boundaries as cultural data Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

By the time you reach mid-level or senior associate status, the Cravath Scale often stops feeling like a promise and more like a moving target. In this episode, I break down what the scale actually governs, what it never covered, and how discretion quietly replaces transparency as you become more experienced. I explain why base salary uniformity masks wide variation in bonuses, timing, and opportunity, and how firms use the language of "market" and "culture" to justify outcomes that feel inconsistent year to year and group to group. We walk through concrete bonus scenarios, how hour thresholds quietly drift upward, and why performance reviews are comparative rather than absolute.  I also unpack the role of discretionary and special bonuses, including when they signal genuine investment versus when they function as golden handcuffs. Finally, I explain why salary compression at the senior level is structural, not accidental, and how to assess whether staying on scale still makes sense given your responsibilities, leverage, and future prospects. At a Glance 01:20 Why the Cravath Scale feels predictable early and flexible later 02:37 What the scale actually standardizes and what it never promised 03:35 How discretion replaces transparency for mid- and senior-level associates 04:02 Why bonuses are the first place cracks appear 04:32 How billable hour thresholds quietly move beyond the stated minimum 05:43 Why performance ratings are comparative, not absolute 06:31 How practice group and firm overlays affect identical profiles differently 07:53 How firms "shade around" the scale without openly breaking from it 09:41 When bonuses become forward-looking signals, not rewards 10:42 How to tell reward bonuses from golden handcuffs 12:22 Why senior-level salary compression is structural 13:22 Why waiting without clarity is no longer neutral 14:16 How comp reveals if the firm sees a future partner or a long-term senior associate 14:47 How to assess your effective compensation and leverage over time 15:47 The real question long-tenured associates need to ask themselves Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

Being told you ready for partnership creates expectations that are hard to unlearn. In this episode, I walk through what it really means when you are encouraged, guided, and perhaps even implicitly promised by firm leadership, only to be told at the end of the cycle that you did not make partner. This is not just a professional disappointment. It often feels like a betrayal of an assumed agreement, especially when you followed the roadmap you were given and told if you followed that this was your year. I explain why this situation is far more common in BigLaw than firms admit, including how headcount, internal politics, profitability pressures, and decision-making power can quietly override performance. I unpack why encouragement is not the same as influence, why firms often avoid hard truths during partnership conversations, and how vague feedback keeps lawyers stuck in uncertainty. I also outline how to approach post-decision conversations strategically, what questions actually surface usable information, and how to distinguish between fixable gaps, moving goalposts, and structural ceilings in determining whether you actually make partnership at your firm. At a Glance 01:20 What it means to be "in consideration" for partnership 02:08 Why doing exactly what you were told would mean partnership can still mean "no" 03:01 Why missing partnership feels like a broken narrative, not just rejection 04:23 How reliance on firm guidance costs lawyers optionality and time 05:29 Why encouragement is not the same as decision-making power 06:18 How firms avoid hard truths through vague feedback 07:21 How to prepare for partnership conversations without burning bridges 07:48 Why post-decision meetings are about information, not catharsis 08:16 The exact process questions that surface real explanations 09:09 How to determine whether issues are fixable or structural 10:21 What a fixable partnership gap actually looks like in practice 11:25 How to recognize when the goalposts are always moving 12:20 What it means to hit a structural ceiling in the firm that may block partnership 14:26 Why quietly exploring external options is rational, not disloyal 16:11 How to reframe not making partner as information, not failure Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

Junior associates in BigLaw often ask for more client exposure early in their careers, but what they really need most is a clearer understanding of how clients actually operate and make decisions. In this episode, I speak with Lynda Galligan and Josh Klatzkin, both members of Goodwin's management and executive committees, and co-chairs of the firm's Business Law Department, about why the firm's early client immersion program for junior associates addresses this key development and training issue. Lynda and Josh explain how traditional BigLaw training can delay meaningful client exposure, why business undersanding is assumed rather than a differentiator, and how understanding of a client's business needs and concerns must be learned. We also discuss how Goodwin's structured training program makes early immersion viable, what clients gain from working with junior lawyers, and how early exposure reshapes the way associates approach client relationships throughout their careers. At a Glance 01:20 Why junior associates ask for more hands-on client experience 02:17 Why traditional BigLaw training can delay better understanding of what juniors need to know about working with clients 02:52 How Goodwin's client immersion program differs from the usual secondments 03:24 Why empathy is a core legal skill that law school cannot teach 06:30 The role of intensive first-year training in preparing juniors for client work 07:31 Why doing excellent legal work is the baseline, not a competitive advantage 08:08 What associates learn by seeing clients as people with careers and pressures 09:52 Why consistent early training matters more than ad hoc learning 11:02 How immersion opportunities are identified and matched 13:35 The criteria clients must meet to participate in the program 15:39 Why clients repeatedly request junior associates after trying the program 16:26 What happens when immersion leads to in-house offers 18:16 How immersion strengthens firm-client relationships in unexpected ways 21:52 Addressing associate concerns about missing firm relationship-building 24:42 How partners evaluate the value of early client immersion 26:27 Why firms may need to rethink associate training more broadly 29:06 How early client exposure builds confidence long before partnership is in view Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Reach Lynda Galligan: https://www.goodwinlaw.com/en/people/g/galligan-lynda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynda-galligan-41ab058/  Reach Josh Klatzkin: https://www.goodwinlaw.com/en/people/k/klatzkin-joshua LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-klatzkin-a186022/  Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

 hear this question constantly: do you actually have to be a rainmaker to succeed in BigLaw? The short answer is no, but the longer, more important answer is that success depends on whether your firm truly rewards lawyers who help win, grow, and retain clients without personally originating them.  In this episode, I break down what that looks like in practice. I explain why firms that rely on a handful of star originators are more vulnerable over time, and also why many firms say they value collaboration and the contrbutions of many to major firm clients but quietly reward something very different. I walk through how non-originating lawyers can become force multipliers by expanding existing clients, owning client problems instead of just matters, and positioning themselves as essential to client growth rather than execution alone. I also explain how to diagnose whether your firm will actually promote and reward this type of lawyer by looking at promotion histories, credit allocation practices, compensation structures, and who really holds power inside the firm. This episode is about clarity: understanding what success looks like at your firm before you invest years playing the wrong game. At a Glance 01:20 Why rainmaking dominates BigLaw conversations and why firms still need more than originators 02:39 Why firms dependent on a few rainmakers become vulnerable over time 03:17 How non-rainmakers succeed by acting as force multipliers inside client relationships 03:43 Growing existing clients instead of chasing cold starts 04:22 Becoming the lawyer rainmakers cannot afford to exclude 05:07 Owning client problems, not just discrete matters 06:12 Building internal political capital through client expansion 06:40 Why "supporting" a client is the wrong way to describe your role 07:25 How to articulate leadership and revenue impact without origination credit 07:52 How to assess whether your firm really values non-originating partners 08:16 What to look for in recent partner promotions 09:20 Credit allocation, shared origination, and what collaboration actually looks like 10:42 Warning signs that your firm has a structural ceiling for non-originators 12:26 The non-equity partner tier and what it really means at your firm 13:12 Who holds real power over comp, promotion, and clients 14:07 The core diagnostic question every lawyer should ask about partnership success Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

As the calendar turns, I see the same pattern repeat inside large law firms. We talk about fresh starts, priorities, and strategy, but most people carry the exact same work habits, assumptions, and risks into the new year. And yet the beginning of the calendar year when you can slow the system down just enough to make some key but deliberate decisions before urgency takes over. This episode is not a motivational reset or a list of aspirational goals, but rather some practical actions that can give BigLaw lawyers and business professionals more control over how the year unfolds. I walk through specific decisions that experienced professionals tend to avoid because they require uncomfortable honesty, including: auditing where your time actually went, naming which relationships really matter and which pose risk, deciding what work you are no longer willing to do, and defining what success looks like this year instead of defaulting to growth at all costs. I also talk candidly about replaceability, utilization ceilings, lateral vulnerability, and why clarity around evaluation and compensation mechanics must happen earlier than most people think. If you choose only two or three of these actions and do them well, you can reduce surprises and actively shape the year ahead rather than simply reacting to it. At a Glance 1:20 With a new year, why most BigLaw professionals don't actually change how they operate 02:12 Audit where your time and effort were actually spent last year 03:53 Name your five most important relationships and identify the riskiest one 05:16 Decide what work you are no longer willing to do this year 06:43 Set a personal utilization floor and a sustainable ceiling 08:24 Do an honest assessment of how replaceable you really are internally 10:09 Look at lateral movement and lateral vulnerability around you 11:01 Get clear on when evaluation, compensation, credit, and bonus decisions will be made (and how) 12:34 Define what success means for you this year 13:23 Choose one or two relationships to deepen deliberately 14:47 Let go of a skill you keep forcing that isn't compounding for you 16:14 Why choosing just two or three of these actions can change how the year unfolds Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast  

As the year closes, I'm focusing in this episode on BigLaw goals for associates without resorting to platitudes, firm retreat slogans, or vague resolutions that quietly collapse by February. After years as an equity partner in BigLaw, I've seen that the associates who actually move forward are not the ones making dramatic promises to work less, do everything better, or reinvent themselves overnight. Instead, the associates who most often make progress are the ones who focus on taking smaller, actionable steps in specific, visible ways that compound inside a system that is in many ways beyond their control. In this episode, I walk through what that looks like in practice. We talk about why goals built around staffing, hours, or personality change usually fail, and what BigLaw actually rewards instead: reducing friction for partners, exercising judgment, managing up, and being predictable and reliable in ways that matter. I explain concrete behaviors partners notice when evaluating and promoting associates, including how you frame decisions, communicate risk and timing, and signal judgment without overstepping. This is about learning how to operate more effectively inside BigLaw as it exists, not as we wish it did. At a Glance 00:00 Why BigLaw goal-setting can feel hollow and frustrating - even cringey  01:19 Why extreme "everything must change" thinking misses what actually moves careers 02:40 Why goals tied to things you don't control quietly set you up to fail 03:40 The compounding advantage of getting slightly better in visible ways 04:08 Reducing friction: how partners actually experience working with you 04:29 Anticipation and judgment versus stopping exactly at the four corners of the assignment 05:57 Managing up by framing decisions instead of asking open-ended questions 06:44 Predictability, early flags, and why silence is riskier than bad news 08:00 How BigLaw gives you positive feedback without ever saying "good job" 09:17 Why choosing one key incremental improvement beats trying to fix everything 10:06 The practical bottom line for building momentum year over year For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast  

If you are a senior associate staring at year seven, eight, or nine and trying to decode whether you are "behind," I want you to hear this clearly: your timeline is not controlled by your work ethic or your reviews.  In this episode, I break down why partnership timing is driven by structural economics inside your firm, not individual merit. We walk through the forces that actually move or stop the process, including practice group capacity, leverage ratios, PEP pressure, capital constraints, succession bottlenecks, client portability, and internal power dynamics. I also give realistic timing ranges for Am Law 100 versus Am Law 200 firms, explain why non-equity partnership has become a much longer and often permanent tier, and outline what truly accelerates movement toward equity: client dependency and demonstrated revenue that the firm believes it must protect. Finally, I take apart the myths that quietly sabotage senior associates, like assuming seniority triggers review, assuming class-year promotions move in waves, and assuming non-equity is automatically a short bridge to equity. If you want to make smart career decisions in BigLaw, you cannot plan around a "clock." You plan around the system you are in and the conditions required for the firm to say yes. At a Glance 00:00 Why partnership timing creates anxiety for senior associates 01:20 The hard truth: there is no universal partnership clock, only a limited-seat business model 02:58 The structural drivers that actually control timing: capacity, leverage, PEP, capital, succession, portability, and internal power 03:31 Why excellence alone does not create a partner seat 04:02 Realistic timelines: Am Law 100 versus Am Law 200 ranges for non-equity and equity 05:34 Why non-equity is often no longer a short path to equity 06:04 What truly moves the process: client dependency, not hours or "indispensable service" to other partners 06:39 The quiet equity credibility thresholds and why you can be deferred repeatedly below them 07:06 Why lateral paths can promote faster than internal BigLaw timelines 08:03 Why the same firm still has different clocks across different practices 08:53 Myth 1: hitting a year range means you will automatically be up for partner 10:18 Myth 2: if others in your class year are promoted, you should be too 11:41 Myth 3: non-equity is a stepping stone to equity, as long as you build a book 12:20 The moving goalposts: equity thresholds rising, and why conversion is not automatic 13:29 Myth 4: if you are good enough, the firm will speed it up 14:55 The rough odds: who makes non-equity and who makes equity internally 15:30 The practical posture: how to operate if you are serious about partnership 16:24 The most damaging mistake: planning on an orderly, certain process that is designed to be slow and protective Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

Mid-career partners can begin quietly wondering whether they should stay where they are or explore a move. This isn't driven by crisis or failure. It's driven by subtle shifts, such as declining energy for a platform that once fit well, strategy drift inside the firm, client relationships that feel different, or internal politics that have grown wearisome. Yet most partners stall making a decision because they don't want to make the wrong call and the ambiguity keeps them stuck. In today's episode, I walk through the five stages I see that partners typically move through when confronting the stay-or-go question: detecting early signals without overreacting, running a true cost-benefit audit, separating fact from extreme thinking about portability, pressure-testing the market and assumptions, and exploring parallel stay and go plans.  I share the specific diagnostics I suggest partners consider, the risks partners often underestimate, the structural problems that rarely improve with time v. the irritations that can usually be changed, and how to evaluate the potential options through financial, client-continuity, and cultural-stability filters. If you're a partner feeling the need to examine your place in your practice or platform, this episode helps you approach that crossroads with clarity, data, and control. At a Glance 00:00 Why mid-career partners begin questioning whether to stay or go 02:44 Stage 1: Quiet doubt and the early signals partners tend to overlook 03:54 A three-question diagnostic for evaluating how to initially frame what may be going on  05:39 Stage 2: The cost-benefit audit and quantifying what staying v. going actually buys you 07:18 How politics, write-offs, and strategic stagnation erode partner value 08:42 Distinguishing temporary irritations from structural misalignment 10:10 Stage 3: Counterfactuals and why partners get stuck in best-case and worst-case assumptions 10:55 Reality-checking which clients would follow you and which would not 11:24 How to quietly stress-test the market without signaling intent 12:37 Stage 4: The real risks of leaving: portability, client transfer, compensation, and culture 14:19 Identifying what must change for you to stay, and how to design parallel stay and go plans 15:35 The three filters for evaluating any move: financial survivability, client continuity, and cultural stability 16:25 Stage 5: Why this decision can feel like an identity crisis and how to regain agency Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast

After years as a partner inside global law firms, I've seen one stage of a BigLaw career quietly determine everything that comes after it. It isn't the first year, when everyone expects some struggle and a lot of learning. And it isn't partnership, when you've reached that tier and are now working to build your book of business and establish your role in that space. The most dangerous stage is the mid to senior associate years. Years four through seven are where many lawyers stall without realizing it. They're billing hard, getting strong reviews, and hearing they're "doing great." But behind the scenes, their future is already taking shape. In this episode, I break down the shifts most associates never see coming: when technical excellence stops being enough, when your reputation gets fixed without your input, and when firm economics matter more than compliments. I walk through why at this stage judgment matters more than output, how client readiness is built long before partnership, and why waiting to become strategic often means you've missed your chance to demonstrate what your firm needs to see. If you believe good work alone will carry your career, this episode explains why that mindset can quietly derail it, and what you should be doing now instead. At a Glance 00:01 Why years four through seven matter most 02:50 When execution gives way to judgment 05:24 How reputations form without you 07:45 Why client work can't wait 10:04 How firm economics affect you early 12:02 How political capital can determine survival 13:59 Defining your value before others do 15:36 Managing matters and people 17:01 When non-billable work counts 18:10 The signals firms send before decisions 19:10 Becoming more than a technician Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast  

After years as a partner in global firms, I've watched countless associates struggle with the billable hour for reasons that have nothing to do with their talent or work ethic. What often derails them are avoidable habits: reconstructing time at the end of the month, underbilling to appear efficient, overlawyering simple assignments, taking on too much work at once, relying on one partner for all their hours, failing to bill fully legitimate work, and assuming non-billable hours will meaningfully count toward their annual target. In this episode, I walk through the seven most common pitfalls I've seen across firms and explain exactly how they show up in day-to-day practice. These aren't theoretical issues. They're the real behaviors that cause associates to miss targets, lose credibility, or burn out. If you've ever wondered why your hours don't reflect the amount of time you know you're putting in or why the math never seems to add up, this conversation will help you identify what needs to change and how to regain control of your billable life. At a Glance 00:00 Why the billable hour creates so much anxiety 02:08 How late time entry leads to lost hours 03:41 Why underbilling backfires 04:29 How overlawyering wastes time and damages trust 05:29 What to clarify with partners before starting work 06:22 The danger of saying yes to everything 07:31 What to do when teams overload you 07:59 Why relying on one partner is risky 09:28 Legitimately billable work associates forget to record 10:15 How travel time rules differ across firms and clients 11:03 The trap of "fake billable hours" 13:59 Why unbilled time erodes your evaluation 14:27 A final reminder to examine your billable habits Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast  

After over two decades in BigLaw, I've seen just how rare it is to find candid, practical conversations about what life in a large firm is really like. That's why reaching the 100-episode milestone of Big Law Life feels so significant.  In this special episode, I step out from behind my usual role behind the microphone and reflect on the real stories, hidden challenges, and universal themes that have surfaced over the past hundred conversations. I share why I started this podcast, what continues to surprise me, which episodes unexpectedly struck a chord with lawyers across firms, and how this work has continued to expand and deepen my own appreciation BigLaw culture.  If you've ever felt isolated in your BigLaw career or wondered whether others are grappling with the same uncertainties, this behind-the-scenes milestone episode offers clarity, validation, a preview for what comes next. At a Glance 00:00 Why I launched Big Law Life and the gap it fills 01:20 Celebrating 100 episodes and shifting to a special interview 02:49 How my experience sparked the idea for the podcast 03:28 What practical BigLaw conversations were missing elsewhere 05:12 The unseen challenges lawyers face in firms 07:18 The most meaningful listener feedback 08:41 How many BigLAw attorneys lack mentorship and internal guidance 10:23 Themes that repeat across firms and career levels 12:57 Some of the episodes that particularly resonated with listeners(#39 & #79) 14:40 Why partnership and practice area choices carry so much uncertainty 16:25 Reactions from lawyers who find the show while seeking help 18:18 What's ahead for the next 100 episodes 19:16 Innovations from firms that have been great to spotlight on the podcast 21:19 Gratitude for listeners and the community Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Do you enjoy listening to Big Law Life?  Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps support and reach more people like you who want to grow a career in Big Law.  For Apple Podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast here!  For Spotify, tap here on your mobile phone, follow the podcast, listen to the show, then find the rating icon below the description, and tap to rate with five stars. Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her: www.lauraterrell.com  laura@lauraterrell.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraterrellcoaching/  Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast