| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Legal and Compliance |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Managing Partner |
| Direct reports | Principal Associate, Senior Associate (Law Firm), Legal Associate |
| Experience | 12+ years in legal practice with a client following |
Partner (Law Firm) job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Partner (Law Firm)
Department: Legal and Compliance
Reports to: Managing Partner
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Partner at a law firm owns client relationships and a practice area, brings in and leads the work, and shares in the firm profits. They advise clients, lead the biggest matters, mentor associates and build the firm business. The role reports to the Managing Partner. A good partner keeps clients loyal and paying, wins new work, delivers strong outcomes on complex matters, builds and mentors a capable team of associates, manages billing and realisation, and grows the reputation and revenue of their practice year after year.
Key responsibilities
- Own and grow client relationships in the practice area and win repeat and new work.
- Lead the biggest and most complex matters and take final responsibility for the advice.
- Advise clients on strategy and risk and be their trusted point of contact.
- Bring in new business through networking, referrals and reputation in the field.
- Lead teams of associates on matters and review their work for quality.
- Mentor and develop associates into the next generation of the firm.
- Manage billing, fee arrangements and realisation for the practice.
- Uphold professional ethics, conflict checks and client confidentiality on every matter you handle.
- Contribute to firm strategy, hiring and practice development as a partner.
- Keep abreast of legal developments in the practice area.
Requirements
- LLB, with an LLM an advantage
- Enrolled with the Bar Council of India
- A strong record in the practice area
- 12+ years in legal practice with a client following
KRAs and KPIs for a Partner (Law Firm)
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Client revenue | Practice billings and revenue meet the annual target |
| Client retention | Key client retention held above the agreed level |
| New business | New matters and clients brought in against the annual target |
| Matter outcomes | Complex matters delivered to the agreed outcome and quality |
| Realisation | Billed time realised into collections above the agreed level |
| Associate development | Associates developed and retained against the agreed plan |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Legal research databases, Matter and billing software, MS Office, Document management systems, e-filing portals.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Senior Partner, Managing Partner, Practice Head
Interview questions for a Partner (Law Firm)
- How do you build and keep a loyal client base in your practice area?
- How do you win new work in a competitive legal market?
- How do you lead a complex matter with a team of associates?
- How do you balance client work with mentoring and firm building?
- How do you handle a matter where the client wants an aggressive position?
- How do you manage billing and realisation across your practice?
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What does a Partner at a law firm do?
A Partner owns client relationships and a practice area, brings in and leads the work, and shares in the firm profits. They advise clients, lead complex matters, win new business, and mentor associates. They manage billing and realisation and help build the firm reputation and revenue.
How do you become a Partner at a law firm?
Most partners rise through the associate ranks over many years, from junior to senior to principal associate, building legal skill, client relationships and a book of work. Partnership usually comes after proving both strong matter delivery and the ability to bring in and retain business.
What is the difference between a Partner and a Principal Associate?
A Principal Associate leads matters and teams and handles clients, but works under the partners and does not share firm profits. A Partner owns client relationships, brings in business, takes final responsibility for advice and shares in profits. The partner carries ownership and business development that the associate does not.