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Ruth Salamon
Private Practice team
Sydney office
Typical Meeting Process
There is a huge amount of variation between each firm: as a rule the smaller the firm the faster the process.
THE PROCESS :
First Meeting:
Large UK firms - Informal meeting with one or two of the key partners in the relevant practice area.
Medium/Small UK Firms - Informal meeting with one or two of the key partners in the practice area and often the Managing Partner.
US Firm - Informal meeting with the head of the department.
Second Meeting:
Large UK firms - Meeting other partners in the relevant team.
Medium/Small UK firms - Meeting other partners in the relevant team, in smaller firms the departments have fewer partners so at this stage you will tend to meet key partners in the firm.
US Firms - Larger meeting, sometimes up to 5 partners, often the Managing Partner and other very senior partners from the London office.
Third Meeting:
Large/Medium-sized
UK Firms - This can often be quite informal, a dinner or a lunch with
some of the key partners in the team or if other partners have been
hired from the same firm as yourself.
Small UK Firms - This will be a discussion about following and contacts.
US Firms - Often meeting other partners from the London office (this stage of the process can go on for quite some time, as US firms tend to be smaller in London and the partners have historically liked prospective partner hires to meet all the current partners based in the London office).
Fourth Meeting:
Large/Medium-sized firms - Discussion about business plans and then the preparation of the business plan.
Small UK firms - Drinks and then offer or vice versa. That is effectively the end of the process.
US Firms - Preparation and discussion of business plans.
Fifth Meeting:
Large/Medium-sized UK firms - The process then becomes more formal. You will meet with the partnership review committee and then possibly other executive boards. These committees/boards will only meet at specific times - this can delay the process.
US Firms - Often there will be some informal meetings, but the process becomes more formal as you will have to visit the other relevant overseas offices. This may involve key European offices and then a trip to the US. You will visit the key offices and the head office. The cities tend to be New York and one other if the firm is not a New York firm.
Final Round:
At this stage all the formal and informal meetings are completed. If the partners are in favour of taking the process forward, then the partnership will decide to take the process to a vote. The partnership will set a date for the vote and these now tend to done by email or telephone, where all the global partners will vote.
Timing (from the first meeting to a formal offer of partnership):
Large UK firms - Generally about 4 or 5 months, the internal procedures generally delay the process as there are set dates at which they meet.
Medium-sized UK firms - Generally about 3 or 4 months if the firm does not have a significant number of international offices. (There are firms where timing can be as quick as one month but it is very unusual)
US Firms - Can be anywhere between 3 or 4 months and up to 9 months in some instances. There are also exceptions, there was one particular partner who was recruited within two weeks, and one within 13 months!
Small UK firms - If both sides are keen and available to meet the process can be quick as two weeks.
