My friend Peter was an accountant. He told me that at his partners meetings there were partners who worked hard to build the firm for the benefit of all. Then there were others who stayed mostly quiet and out of sight, but every so often rose silently and blew a poison dart into the discussion before slinking away. Those outside of the firm would never have guessed at the internal dysfunction.
In my own partners meetings, those who opposed management were more like the British Redcoats, advancing with a drummer and making as much noise as possible. But again, that was inside the firm. From the outside it looked serene.
What brought these thoughts to mind was a recent post by the managing partner of a law firm announcing that he was stepping down and being replaced. The post was positive and upbeat and, at least on the surface, indicates a well-run firm where the baton is passed respectfully from one leader to the next. I have no reason to believe that is not actually the case. Nonetheless, I remember the ceremony that was held when I resigned as the managing partner of my firm, complete with a plaque lauding my accomplishments. There was no mention of those less than completely supportive partners whose antics made me feel compelled to step down to try to avoid a full-blown mental health crisis.
That is what good public relations does. It creates an external vision of a firm which is much better than the internal reality. It covers up a multitude of sins.
But where does that leave lawyers seeking to join a firm or associates who need to decide whether to join a partnership?
An expression that I learned in the legal profession is, “bullshit baffles brains.” Young and not so young lawyers have the brains, but need to ensure that they are not taken in by the bullshit. They have to look below the surface of law firms when making career decisions. It is not an easy task to do the research. They have to ask the people who know.
So, who knows?
Current partners of the firm know, but most of them will not be talking. Former partners, associates and staff of the firm may know stuff, and can sometimes be tracked down on social media. The better recruiters will have an idea of how functional certain partnerships or practice groups are and may be willing to help those who can pick up on subtle hints and read between the lines.
And sometimes following a firm’s social media posts may be useful. For example, if you only read the announcements that law firms make about new lawyers joining them, you might think that every firm is bigger than it actually is, since they never announce departures. A little research might show that a firm or department is not actually growing, because just as many lawyers are leaving as arriving.
Lawyers contemplating career moves have to do the research. Nobody said it would be easy.
This article was originally published by Law360 Canada, part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.