Professional services firms appoint partners twice. They appoint for expertise, which can be tested through interviews, work and reputation. And they appoint for relationships, the clients and networks a partner is expected to bring. The second is harder to verify, and it is usually what decides whether a lateral appointment strengthens the partnership.

Mapping before the approach

Before any approach, we map relationships against the firm's target clients. Which of those clients does the candidate know well enough to introduce the firm? Which relationships belong to the candidate, and which belong to their current firm? That mapping turns a general conversation about portability into a specific, testable one.

A lateral partner strengthens a firm when their relationships and their way of working both travel.

How a partner builds work

We assess how a partner builds and shares work, not only how much they bill. Partners who bring colleagues into their relationships, develop associates and contribute to the firm's reputation create value that lasts beyond their own practice. In consulting, strategy and advisory, and in legal services, this is what the existing partnership notices first.

What we assess

  • Partner track calibration. Whether the candidate's experience matches the level and expectations of the partnership.
  • Client book portability, tested in confidence against the firm's target clients.
  • Practice specialisation. Depth in the areas the firm is building, and credibility with peers in that field.
  • Collaboration. How the partner shares relationships and develops people.
  • Ethics and independence. Judgement on conflicts, confidentiality and professional standards.

Aligning the partnership

Aligned Acquisition asks the firm to be clear about the mandate first: is the partner joining to build a new practice, to deepen an existing one or to open a market? The capability and the relationships required follow from that choice. We then read the culture of the partnership, including how decisions are made and how credit is shared, because a lateral partner succeeds when they fit the way the firm works as well as the work it does.

For in house legal and compliance leaders, the same principles apply with a different emphasis: the trust of the board and the chief executive, and the judgement to protect the organisation while enabling it to grow.