You're on the Pathway to Partnership - But are you leading the way?

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing the six most common mistakes I see women lawyers make on their journey to partnership. And today, we’ve arrived at the sixth—and in many ways, one of the most disempowering:

Mistake #6: Relying too much on your firm to support your progression to partner.

This came up in conversation with a woman who attended one of my Firm Women Breakfasts. She’s a partner in one of the Big Four, and she said something that stuck with me: “So many women are told they’re on track for partnership, and then… nothing happens. They’re left waiting—and confused.”

They’ve done everything “right.” They’ve been told they’re in the running. And then the silence becomes deafening. No roadmap. No feedback. No support. And naturally, frustration creeps in.

The truth is: some firms have brilliant partnership programmes. Others offer patchy, inconsistent support. And many—far too many—offer nothing at all. They expect you to just “figure it out.”

If this sounds familiar, here’s what I want you to know: You can’t afford to wait. You have to take the lead on your own development.

From Reactive to Intentional

Let’s talk about your day-to-day reality. Client work lands in your inbox—and you do it. More work comes in—you do that too. It’s a cycle of reactivity. One client told me: “If the senior partner calls, you drop everything and say yes.”

But here’s the thing: you have more agency than you think. Becoming a partner isn’t just about saying yes. It’s about being intentional—with your time, your energy, your learning, your visibility.

If partnership is something you really want, then you need to get crystal clear on:

• What skills you still need to develop

• How you’re going to build those skills

• And—critically—how you’ll fit that into your client work without burning out

This is Why Having a Niche Matters

One of the key things we focus on in Pathway to Partnership is niching—because clarity unlocks capacity.

When you know exactly who your ideal clients are, you no longer try to serve everyone. You stop being reactive. You become focused, expert, and efficient. You know:

• What keeps your clients up at night

• Where to focus your time

• How to deliver real value without overwhelm

That’s how you free up the headspace to work on the strategic skills that matter for partnership. You stop spinning plates—and start building momentum.

It’s All About Balance (And Yes, You Can Have Fun Too)

One of the biggest realisations my clients come to is that success isn’t about going all-in on just clients or just self-development. It’s not about doing everything for the firm—or ignoring your own growth. It’s about balance.

Balance between what you need, what your clients need, and what the partners need. Balance between doing the work and building the relationships that will carry your career forward.

Let me share a wonderful example.

My dear friend Sharon Lewis—now a senior partner at Hogan Lovells—used to book early-round tickets to the tennis at Roland Garros. She’d invite clients and potential clients with their children, and bring her own children too. Everyone had fun. Clients connected with each other. And the best part? They started marketing her—to each other.

It wasn’t expensive. It wasn’t stressful. It was a brilliant, joyful way to combine work and life—and to let her strengths speak for themselves.

What We Do in Pathway to Partnership

When you join Pathway to Partnership, we don’t just talk about theory. We build your roadmap. Together, we figure out:

• Which skills you still need to develop

• Where you are on each of those skillsets

• How you’re going to build them—realistically—around your client load

• How to set boundaries so that your development doesn’t get endlessly postponed

And most importantly, we help you do all of that without feeling overwhelmed.

It’s about being proactive, strategic, and focused. And it’s often far less time-consuming than you think.

That wraps up my six-part series on the most common mistakes women make on the journey to partnership. Let’s make sure you’re not just waiting for someone else to move your career forward. Let’s get intentional—together.

Warmly,
Cecilia