An associate earns a well-deserved promotion to partner. Does that mean they immediately become lead on the firm's biggest case? Probably not. The advancement recognizes that they're ready for the next stage of their career. But with that elevation comes a new peer group, new expectations and new opportunities to establish themselves.
Progression doesn't always mean immediate placement at the top of the next level. We understand this in law and in sports, too. Very few athletes go from being a varsity high school star to immediately starting in college. Of course, there are exceptions. Caitlin Clark started every game of her freshman season at Iowa. Some extraordinary talents really do arrive ready for the starting lineup.
Then there’s A’ja Wilson, who arrived at South Carolina as one of the nation’s most highly regarded recruits. She played in every game as a freshman but started only once. I don’t think anyone would argue that spending most of her freshman season coming off Dawn Staley’s bench was an indictment of Wilson’s talent or future. She had simply moved onto a deeper roster at a higher level of competition. And we know how amazing her story turned out.
Moving to the Next Stage of Recognition
Legal careers aren't so different. Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognizes outstanding lawyers who are still developing their professional reputations. As their careers progress, Ones to Watch recipients eventually reach a point when they move beyond the eligibility criteria for that recognition. It was designed specifically for outstanding lawyers earlier in their careers, not to be a permanent designation.
Keeping an accomplished lawyer in an earlier-career recognition simply because there is uncertainty about immediate Best Lawyers® recognition wouldn't serve the lawyer, or the integrity of either award. The two awards represent distinct career stages and peer-review populations. Moving from one to the other isn't an automatic promotion, it means entering the appropriate research process as a lawyer's career progresses.
Why Peer Recognition Takes Time
Occasionally, we hear concern about a "gap" between someone's final Ones to Watch recognition and their first Best Lawyers recognition. We also sometimes hear a related frustration: "Our associates got in, but our partners didn't."
As a reminder, those individuals aren't being evaluated by the same voting pool. Associates are being considered for Ones to Watch among their peers, while partners are competing for recognition at the Best Lawyers level, among a more established group of practitioners. One group receiving recognition while the other does not isn't a judgment that the associates are better lawyers than the partners. They're at different points in their careers, being evaluated against different cohorts.
For every Caitlin Clark who arrives and starts from day one, there’s an A’ja Wilson, an exceptional, generational talent who unquestionably belongs at the next level but doesn't immediately enter the starting lineup. The same can be true for lawyers. A lawyer can be an exceptional practitioner and an entirely appropriate Best Lawyers nominee without immediately being recognized. It can take time for a lawyer's reputation and referral network to broaden within a more established legal community. That transition isn't a criticism of the lawyer or their practice, it's career progression.
And building the professional relationships that help establish that reputation looks different today. There was a time when connections developed naturally through bar lunches, in-person CLEs, conferences and other regular points of contact. Today, a bar event may be online and a CLE may be an on-demand webinar that never requires leaving your desk. Lawyers have to be more deliberate about creating and maintaining the networks that once formed almost by default.
We sometimes see earlier-career lawyers embracing that work with particular energy. They're growing their practices, making connections, getting involved and working to establish themselves before and around that partner promotion. More senior lawyers can't assume their reputations will simply travel with their titles. Peer recognition still depends on peers knowing you and your work.
Supporting the Next Generation of Recognized Lawyers
There’s another lesson from great athletic programs, they never stop developing the next generation. Great programs continually identify talent, cultivate it and move it forward. Law firms should approach nominations the same way.
Continue identifying outstanding earlier-career lawyers and nominate them for Ones to Watch consideration. When those lawyers reach the appropriate career stage, transition them into Best Lawyers consideration and keep supporting their journey. At the same time, look behind them. Who’s next on your bench? Who should be entering the recognition pipeline today?
Nomination is only one part of the process. Encourage lawyers at every career stage to build relationships outside the firm, participate in their legal communities and stay connected to colleagues who know the quality of their work.
Best Lawyers has tools to help firms review their rosters, identify nomination opportunities and make these transitions efficiently and seamlessly. Firms play an important role in identifying candidates for consideration at each career stage. You nominate the talent, their peers evaluate them and over time, you build a deeper bench of recognized lawyers across generations.
So, this nomination season, don't worry about avoiding the "gap." Graduate your talent, support their progression and keep building the team.
Need help reviewing your Ones to Watch candidates, identifying lawyers ready to transition into Best Lawyers consideration, or finding the next group of lawyers to nominate?
Contact help@bestlawyers.com to connect with our Research Team.
Ready to nominate? Submit a nomination today.
