EPISODE 10: Evaluating Portability: Which Clients Will Actually Follow You?
The most common way a lateral move goes sideways is when an attorney walks into the room with the wrong number. It’s not that the number is fabricated; it's that it represents what you bill today rather than what you can actually take with you.
In this episode, Andrew Wilcox—legal recruiter since 2003—teaches you how to "stress test" your book of business. Learn the disciplined assessment required to separate personal loyalty from institutional inertia, ensuring your credibility remains intact when you enter negotiations.
Who Originated the Relationship? If you built the connection from scratch, it’s yours. If you inherited it or were assigned to it, the institutional claim is significantly stronger.
Where Does the Relationship Live? Who does the GC call at 8 PM? If the primary decision-making relationship is with you, portability is high. If it's distributed across multiple partners, the math changes.
What Are the Institutional Threads? Are there preferred panel arrangements, enterprise-wide rate agreements, or cross-practice dependencies that create high switching costs?
How Has the Relationship Evolved? Clients who have increased their spend specifically due to your work are tracking you. Static engagements are more likely to stay with the firm.
What has the Client Actually Said? Have you had direct conversations about what they value? Clients who "hire the lawyer, not the firm" provide your most reliable data.
To find your "Real Market Number," categorize every client into one of these four buckets and apply the Wilcox Discount:
"Portability is not a feeling; it's a disciplined assessment of which clients will make an active decision to follow you over institutional inertia. Know your number. Own your number. That number is your leverage." — Andrew Wilcox
Before you tell anyone you’re moving, make sure you're working with the right numbers. Reach out for a confidential, objective audit of your client base.
Email: Andrew@Wilcox-legal.com
LinkedIn: Connect with Andrew Wilcox
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