The podcast for lawyers and business professionals working in, with, and around Big Law
Hear from lawyers and other professionals who have experience navigating work and life in the challenging world of large law firms.
The Podcast
Expert insights and advice to help you achieve your goals in your legal career
Working in and with big law firms is full of challenges — everything from becoming a partner to succeeding as a partner or pivoting to another role, making your case for compensation and recognition as a professional at any level, managing and steering the business of the firm, and engaging these firms as outside counsel.
On this podcast, I share what I’ve learned in a long career as a Big Law partner, and also talk to others — lawyers, business developers, project managers, legal pricing experts, clients, and other professionals — about what they find exciting, engaging, frustrating, challenging and motivating in working with these firms.
You may be:
Already working in Big Law and are looking to advance your career or transition out;
Wondering what it takes to move into a Big Law from government or corporate legal departments;
Trying to improve your relationships with outside counsel at large law firms; or
Otherwise want to understand more about how to engage in the large, complex business environment of major global law firms
For all of these and many other situations, the podcast offers candid and honest advice that will help you take the next best step toward your professional goals in the world of Big Law.
#147: When Do BigLaw Associates Get to Do “Real Work”?
What is the work you’re doing now giving you as a foundation for the next, more challenging opportunity?
#146: Why BigLaw Development Approaches Aren’t One-Size-Fits-All
Make your approach to client relationships about what works well for you, not what works well for someone else.
#144: How BigLaw Firms Measure Your Book of Business
Make sure you understand what the firm is looking at behind the numbers
#145: The BigLaw Career Shift: From Matter Lawyer to Trusted Advisor
How do you transition from handling specific tasks or matter to being the person clients call directly when something happens?
#143: Can You Change Your Reputation in BigLaw?
Don’t assume you can’t change a negative perception that is impacting you professionally.
#142: Why Easy to Brief Lawyers Stand Out in BigLaw
You don't have to be the person who knows the most to be the person everyone wants in the discussion.
#141: How BigLaw Partnership Promotion Committees Really Make Decisions
The most important conversation about your partnership candidacy can be the one happening when you’re not in the room.
#140: Practical Business Development for BigLaw Mid-Level Associates
It’s about building the foundations of business development - with some specific steps you can take now.
#139: What Business Development Should Look Like For Big Law Junior Associates
Focus on building relationships relationships that aren’t focused on selling and what steps help in forming those relationships - not in an awkward corporate way but in a real person-to-person way.
#138: The BigLaw Mindsets You Need to Leave Behind
What are some of the small things that can hold you back from long term success?
#137: Leaving BigLaw Without a New Job: Managing Your Reputation and Search
The key is maintaining control over the narrative and preserving the professional capital you have built.
#136: When Your BigLaw Firm Wants You to Move On - But Hasn’t Yet Said When
Don’t assume not hearing a specific exit date means you don’t need to start navigating your transition planning now.
#135: Why BigLaw Junior Partner Compensation Stalls and How to Increase It
Compensation isn’t just about origination but where you can show measurable contribution to the firm’s revenue engine
#134: Why Some BigLaw Problems Never Get Solved
How organizations really work when it comes to who owns a problem is key.
#133: How Your Can Better Bill Your Time to Show Your Value in BigLaw
Entering your billable time can be more than just an administrative chore - it can help you show how you add value for the firm and clients.
#132: The 7 Signals BigLaw Associates Consistently Misread
Learn to identify what you’re seeing that signals a deeper understanding of how your career is progressing in BigLaw
#131: The Biggest Mistakes BigLaw Attorneys Make with Business Development Plans
If your business developing planning focuses on planning a lot activity but lacks strategy, it’s time for a change.
#130: How to Find Stability When BigLaw’s Structure is Changing
Be aware not just of what changes in BigLaw’s operating and structural approaches are, but how you can best navigate them.
#129: What Junior BigLaw Partners Wish They Understood Earlier
Get prepared to launch well as a new partner, with a deeper understanding of how your responsibilities and challenges will change.
#128: How BigLaw Associates Build Confidence Without Having All the Answers
Instead of trying to eliminate uncertainty, focus on becoming more effective in spite of it.
Guests on Big Law Life
Interested in being a guest on Big Law Life?
Contact Laura at laura@lauraterrell.com to share what you would like to add to the conversation about life in big law firms.