Big Law Life
On Big Law Life, Laura Terrell and her guests discuss the strategies, steps, relationships and communications you need to navigate the world of large global and national law firms, from the perspective of lawyers, business and legal professionals, in-house counsel, and others with experience working in and around this environment. Laura dives into what you want to know about BigLaw but didn't learn in law school and what wasn't covered in your law firm orientation. To learn more about how she works with attorneys and to access her blog and resources, go to www.lauraterrell.com
Episodes
In this episode, I tackle a critical question for many partners - how to tell when your firm no longer values you and what steps you should take next. I've seen too many strong, capable partners blindsided by subtle shifts that signal declining influence, reduced credit, and a fading role in firm strategy. Drawing from my own experience as a BigLaw partner mentoring and managing other partners, as well as serving on e...
Most lawyers can recite their firm's PEP number, but few truly understand what it measures, how their day-to-day actions affect it, or how it affects them (even if they are a non-eequity partner). In this episode, I explain why PEP is often misunderstood, the hidden levers that drive it, and what partners need to know about how it can broadly impact all attorneys across the firm.
From billing and collecti...
When you've spent years building trust with a partner who once championed your career, it can be deeply unsettling when they suddenly stop giving you work, exclude you from client calls, or even fail to support your partnership candidacy. I've seen this happen often in BigLaw. It's painful, hard to understand, and often tough to find a way to move forward without that support.
In this episode, I explain th...
Today, the road to partnership involves more than billing hours and producing great work. It's also now about more than business development, firm economics, and client relationships. A new factor also driving advancement is artificial intelligence. AI is already reshaping research, diligence, drafting, and reporting. In addition, it compresses tasks that once justified entire teams of associates. That means the old Bi...
If you have built your BigLaw career around a thriving regulatory or enforcement practice, you know how difficult it can be for you and your practice when that work suddenly isn't there. One month you are buried in nvestigations motivated by government inquiries or merger reviews, and the next your phone goes quiet because enforcement priorities shifted, agency budgets got cut, or a new administration has redirected re...
Collaboration can feel like a buzzword that doesn't align with how law firms actually reward people. Hours and origination credit often outweigh teamwork, and silos, competition, and fee pressures make working together seem like an uphill battle. But here's the truth: collaboration isn't optional if you want to grow in BigLaw. Clients expect seamless service across firms and practices, and internally within your firm, ...
One of the toughest parts of BigLaw life is dealing with unclear or contradictory instructions. Partners often send cryptic emails, clients can be vague, and deadlines shift without explanation. You can waste hours second-guessing what a partner really wants. Or you can get smart about how to deal with ambiguity and recognize that mastering it is part of the job in BigLaw.
In this episode, I share the pra...
Profitability is a word that makes many lawyers cringe. We know firms measure it, but the methods and metrics often feel murky—or worse, toxic to firm culture. Still, ignoring profitability is not an option if you want to succeed and thrive in BigLaw. In this episode, I break down what profitability really means inside large firms, why it's far more than just gross billings, and how to take control of the numbers that ...
Strategic planning often feels like corporate jargon that doesn't belong in law firms. Yet without a clear plan, too many lawyers end up chasing random opportunities, wasting time, and missing the clients and matters best suited to help them succeed with building their practice and their business.
In this episode, I talk with Sheri Palomaki, Director of Practice Operations at K&L Gates [Energy, Infrastruc...
Building and sustaining a practice in BigLaw can sometimes feel like you're carrying the entire business development and marketing load yourself. From writing client alerts and chasing follow-ups to hosting webinars and developing leads, many lawyers know the frustration of not having enough support from firm marketing and business development teams.
In this episode, I break down how to work smarter with ...
Making partner in BigLaw is rarely a straightforward path and the feedback you get from your firm can be really cryptic. In this episode, I break down common things firms say to explain why they're holding off on your promotion and what they really mean. We go deeper into three of the most frequent partnership "holding patterns": the need for more visibility, more business development, and more leadership.
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The legal industry has long assumed that once you make partner, you no longer need training. But as law firm operations have become more complex, and leadership expectations more demanding, that mindset no longer serves the firm or its partners. In this episode, I talk with Leigh Riley, a longtime partner at Foley & Lardner and architect of the firm's PEAK (Partner Excellence Actionable Knowledge) program, which is red...
When you're early in your legal career—or even well into it—it can feel like raising your professional profile is only possible if you're already visible. But in this episode, I share how lawyers at all levels can expand their reputation strategically, even without headlining conferences and events, or getting opportunities to publish in legal journals and publications. I walk through the barriers lawyers face with get...
If you've ever wondered why business development in BigLaw feels so slow, frustrating, and opaque even when you're doing everything right, this episode is for you. I break down the structural and strategic reasons many top-tier BigLaw attorneys struggle to build books of business.
From long sales cycles to limited access to decision makers and visibility issues within firms, I explore what's really going ...
If you've ever lost credit for work you led, grown a client relationship that someone else now claims, or watched a colleague take center stage at a pitch you prepared, this episode is for you. I walk through what professional credit theft looks like in Big Law and how to respond in a way that's smart, strategic, and fact-based. Whether it's origination, execution, or visibility, losing credit can hit your comp, promot...
If you've ever found yourself rewriting an email ten times, hedging every sentence in a memo, or avoiding a hard conversation with a colleague or client—you're not alone. In this episode, I dive into why communication is one of the most underestimated challenges in Big Law, and how it can make or break your success.
Lawyers are trained for precision and risk mitigation—not for clarity or connection. And fi...
If you've ever left a conference wondering whether it was worth the time, money, and disruption to your client work, this episode is for you. I break down how Big Law attorneys can approach conferences more strategically—before, during, and after—so they actually generate business, deepen client relationships, and build visibility with the right people.
Too often, conferences are treated as obligatory or ...
Most BigLaw firms offer a broad array of benefits, including to meet important needs for caregiving for children. But there is still a large gap in many firms for lawyers and other professionals when it comes to benefits that assist in meeting broader family needs, including when it comes to caring for parents, adult dependents, spoues and other family members. In this episode, I speak with Thomas Adrian, who leads HR ...
When you've been assured you're "on track" for partnership, but still don't have a clear timeline, it's time to push for specifics. In this episode, I walk through how to navigate one of the most sensitive—but critical—conversations in Big Law: asking WHEN you'll actually be put up for partner. I lay out the right questions to ask, the right people to approach, and how to handle vague responses or firm-wide delays that...
In Big Law, doing what is asked of you is expected—what sets you apart is how you show up beyond that. In this episode, I talk about the silent missteps that hold many associates back, from treating assignments as isolated tasks to assuming visibility and feedback will come without asking. I walk through real examples of how missed context, lack of sufficient follow-through, and playing it safe can quietly stall your c...
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