As part of our partnership special, we asked young partners and managers alike for their take on the latest wave of partners coming through
Buck stops here
‘The biggest change for me when becoming partner was this immediate sense of responsibility – a responsibility to retain and attract talent, and to bring in interesting work. Suddenly you are supervising work and the buck stops with you. I miss the gossip! You got all the gossip when you were an associate, but when you become a partner people don’t want to gossip with you that much.’
Nicole Jadeja, partner, Fieldfisher
Millennial myth
‘Those on the cusp of partnership have the same aspirations in terms of their career development that I would have had 20 years ago. But people are far more open minded and flexible. The trite narrative is that they are more astute and far keener to have a better work/life balance, but I don’t think that can be extrapolated as Millennials not working as hard as we did. It’s nonsense.’
Ian Cox, regional managing partner UK, US and EMEA, Herbert Smith Freehills
Not the endgame
‘I’m not sure it [partnership] is the end goal anymore. The people who are already senior associates – most of them still aspire to it, but I feel there’s been a loss of a universal aspiration at the more junior end. Fundamentally they want to be doing the things that partners do but are more concerned about the work/life balance and whether there are other options.’
Kate Corby, partner, Baker McKenzie
‘We want them to bring in a lot of work and to hit their targets, and then to have great social skills. We are asking the impossible.’
Michael Chissick, Fieldfisher
Hard day’s graft
‘I haven’t seen the Millennial effect very much. The vast majority are hard working, as they always were. There are a few exceptions, but I’m sure the world has always had that. People work hard; they’re not shy of hard work. I don’t think there’s an across-the-board malaise or condition.’
Roland Foord, senior partner, Stephenson Harwood
Impossible dream
‘What we want partners to do is very challenging. We want them to bring in a lot of work and to hit their targets, and then to have amazing CVs and great social skills. We are asking the art of the impossible.’
Michael Chissick (pictured), managing partner, Fieldfisher
Communication counts
‘We focus more on making sure all partners have the capability of having their own network. It used to be a lot more focused on intellectual studying, a bit more snobbish. The soft skills and client relationships are more important now. In spite of everything, all the phones and screens, this generation is better at communicating face-to-face than the last generation. That’s probably because firms are no longer looking at hiring just brains on sticks.’
Steve Cooke, senior partner, Slaughter and May
‘As a full-equity partner your voice counts just as much as other partners’ from day one.’
Victoria MacDuff, Slaughter and May
The perks of Non-equity
‘Non-equity partnership at a young age is an amazing opportunity. Being a partner makes it easier to be out in the market, meeting clients and leading deals. Our partners have their own client relationships and are actively involved in the development of our business at a much earlier time in their careers than their peers.’
Neel Sachdev, partner, Kirkland & Ellis
T-shaped partners
‘We are looking for people with expertise to grow opportunities. The idea of someone developing a widget and recommending it for the next 30 years has gone. Here, we are trying to create a T-shaped partner, with wide and broad expertise.’
Malcolm Sweeting, senior partner, Clifford Chance
Taking ownership
‘As a full-equity partner at a lockstep firm, you become involved in the running of the firm and your voice counts just as much as other partners’ from day one. There is real enthusiasm because it is your business. We pride ourselves on original thought and being cutting edge. The only way to maintain that is to have a diverse pipeline of talent. Firms need to make law an attractive proposition at graduate stage.’
Victoria MacDuff, partner, Slaughter and May
The long-term view
‘The Millennial attitude doesn’t mean lack of ambition. They are conscious that they are going to live and work for longer, that they’re not going to retire at 50. It’s OK if partnership takes them ten years instead of six. What’s the rush? You can go and try other things, go on secondment and maybe come back to it later. There is an option to lift off the accelerator.’
Charlie Jacobs, senior partner and chair, Linklaters