five people to keep out of partnership

you’ll resent them later.

by marc rosenberg
how to bring in new partners

many firms make the mistake of admitting to the partnership someone who will not be a strong contributing member of the group. they miss the signs that this person will be a bad fit.

more: nine ways to woo a prospective partner | tell potential partners what it takes
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the following red flags may signal a potential future challenge in the partnership. consider whether your candidate

1. lacks skills your firm needs today to be successful. if you are in dire need of a rainmaker, you probably don’t have room for another partner who has no skills or interest in bringing in business. this can be problematic without a separate solution (e.g., hiring someone for business development). same goes for technical, client service and team development skill sets.
2. has difficulty meeting expectations; makes promises and doesn’t deliver. most firm members have good intentions, but when it comes to partner-candidates, individuals need to meet their commitments reliably.
3. is difficult to work with. while not everyone needs to be a star mentor that staff are clamoring to learn from, admitting a new partner whom no one wants to work with will damage your firm’s ability to retain employees and run an efficient practice.
4. has financial troubles, substance abuse or similar undesirable traits. just like in marriage, don’t plan on fixing somebody once you’re in the relationship.
5. doesn’t support group decisions or firm policies. they might say yes in the meeting (or not), but then turn their backs and tell staff how they think an initiative is a bad idea. they don’t uphold the partnership’s position. a classic example: resisting technology changes and sticking with the old way, including requiring less experienced team members to comply.

how do you screen out these potential partners, especially if they’ve been hearing that after a certain number of years they’ll likely be able to make partner?

start by getting very clear as an existing partner group on what your expectations are of the role of a partner. is it ok for a partner not to mentor? not to bring in new business? not to take on leadership initiatives at the firm? any of these, maybe even all, could be fine at your firm (if, say, you’re in need of a strong qc partner). but if it’s not, don’t let someone in who can’t step up to the plate. you’ll hold it against them, creating an unhealthy and unproductive dynamic.

posted on january 5, 2023