It s not just associates who need to fret about bringing home the bacon in their briefcases, she notes. Today partners move around from firm to firm, something that a few decades ago was as rare as a senator switching sides during a presidential election. But to make a move, partners need to have portable business, she says. If you don t have clients you can take with you, you won t be invited to sit at the partners table anywhere else in town. Not surprisingly, clients are guarded with the wariness of prospectors protecting their claims in the California gold rush.
Nobody trusts anyone.
Partners have been known to forbid associates working on a case with them to meet with their clients without them present, or even to phone. Aggressive associates can start nibbling at a client s heels and make the senior partners feel besieged. And everyone fights over who gets credit for bringing in new business. Captain Hook would feel right at home. Although the Cadwalader example is extreme, it s a cautionary reminder that there s no patience for lawyers not focused on profits.