Career Clinic: I'm not interested in promotion!

Do whatever you want, it's your life... just do it in a diplomatic way so your firm won't lose interest in you and start to look for somebody more business-oriented (which is a part of our profession these days, I am afraid). Anyway, this is all only applicable if you don't want to lose your position at this particular firm.
I've heard the following lovely expression: 'if you want to stay where you are, you need to run fast'.

lawly -20 Nov 2009 | 14:33

Lie

Mate, no matter how nice they are, no matter how good a relationship you have with them, they are partners and they'll shaft you good and hard if they thought there was half a farthing in it for them. ALWAYS be enthusiastic about your future with the firm when asked, and NEVER be honest and say that you are happy being just an associate. Tell them what they want to hear and then do everything you can behind their back or under cover of all the excuses you can use not to actually do the stuff you are not interested in. Trust me, English law firms have zero loyalty to their associates - play them at their own game.

Anon -20 Nov 2009 | 14:57

Try Lovells?

Why not try to become a partner at Lovells? They have an excellent work/life balance and tend to leave the office in time for the 6:30 train back to Tunbridge Wells. Also, most of them don't worry about client development, so there should be no concerns on that front.

In-house lawyer -20 Nov 2009 | 15:00

What if the OP doesn't live in Tunbridge Wells?

Anonymous -20 Nov 2009 | 15:09

And by the way, the second poster is absolutely spot on (unfortunately).

Anonymous -20 Nov 2009 | 15:10

Er, not for long

All the senior people I know who sit back and wait for others to find them work so they can sit on their own and complete are generally quite jaded, miserable people who don't much enjoy their work, and are often at the front of the redundancy queue. Your boss wouldn't ask you to move up unless they needed someone to do that role, and thought you could at least potentially manage it. If you won't or can't, your future comes into doubt.

Certainly no firms recruit people at a senior level who have no prospect of bringing in work, especially now. If you want to carry on for a few years then jack it in and maybe rear children, or maybe go and do tedious work in local government, or whatever, then stay as you are - but recognise that it is the end of any sort of career in private practice. You will have a job where you are until you lose it, and then probably not get another. Even in-house and decent public sector jobs will require team management skills, plus some internal business development.

Cheesy Wotsits -20 Nov 2009 | 15:24

free to get off that treadmill

I am sorry but I disagree with most of the above. If you love your job and are good at it, get well paid and have a healthy balance in your life - FANTASTIC! Put the right way, any halfwit would see you are worth your weight in gold, are good for the long-term health of the team, will be fantastic at bringing on the junior members, become a more and more experienced safe support for complex work - and you get paid a fraction of the sum of those above you doing similar stuff. Why should we all want to be partners if you please? Some of us work to live. Well done you - you have got life taped and should be the envy of all.

Anon -20 Nov 2009 | 15:43

Lazy associate - you're toast, or should be. Why is your boss giving you the chance to step up when you plainly can't be ar8ed? Qualify during the boom did you? I'm afraid life's a bit tougher than you lot have had it. Suck it up or ship out.

Anon -20 Nov 2009 | 16:18

Some things, you can't control...

One of the bedevilling things about life is that sometimes you just can't control when opportunities are going to come your way; and you can never, ever guarantee that things aren't going to change. The lesson of Life (not just legal practice) is that if you're not growing, not evolving, not adapting, you're next in line for the chop.

Your wish to stay where you are, in order to retain the perfect balance is very laudable, and it may be that you're right to stick where you are, but in doing so, you make yourself vulnerable.

There are all too many people in the law who believe that because they're intelligent and work hard that their career should be entirely controllable to suit their demands. Unfortunately, life isn't like that, and these days, in such a hard, competitive environment, you have to be growing and adapting much more than previous generations.

Be very careful before you reject this opportunity, because you might not get another one, and there will be others who will take it like a shot. From being the apple of the boss's eye, you could quickly become surplus to requirements.

MarkB -23 Nov 2009 | 16:43

I don't really understand the "lazy associate" comment.

Just because you value your work/life balance and watch in horror as those moving up the career ladder surrender what's left of what could be called any semblance of a 'life' to the 24/7 always-on-call demands of the BlackBerry generation does not mean you are lazy at all. It is perfectly acceptable (and, to many, desirable) to be a career associate working more sensible hours but accepting that this will never lead very high up the greasy pole both in terms of job title or salary. All firms have career associates, and to suggest that everyone either has to become a partner or leave is ridiculous.

regional associate -23 Nov 2009 | 16:53

Goodness me, some of these comments are rather venomous. 16:18 perfectly captures the macho bulls*it attitude of the City's legal profession. What an inane and unhelpful attitude. One can only assume you were up all night drafting a gargantuan pile of the world's most tedious documents again. No doubt you found five minutes in the wee hours to update your Facebook status with a suitably self-congratulatory note along the lines of 'I'm still at work... again!' desperately hoping your equally dull friends will see it and comment in praiseworthy disbelief. You hero, pat yourself on the back. I despair.

L. Michaels -24 Nov 2009 | 09:09

Whilst some of the posters above are putting it a little strongly, the general principle that you cannot remain standing still at a City firm is essentially true. How many colleagues do you have who (for example) have been mid-level associates for more than, say, four years? None. I am not saying that is a good thing particularly but essentially the City law firm model - many people coming in at the bottom very few (relatively) remaining at the top - means you move up or out. You could try and obtain a counsel type role but there are not many of those in most firms. If you want a job with regular hours where you can easily stay with what you are doing for many years try in-house. If you really want to stay where you are I agree with the poster above who says make the right noises, say the right things but just try and avoid actually doing the things requested and say you were too busy with work etc, etc.

Anon -24 Nov 2009 | 10:27

Not interested in promotion?

Unless you are really brilliant at your job, you risk being labelled as a plodder. That may be OK, but there are two problems. First, your firm may take an economic view. You say you are happy with your salary, but I presume you still expect a rise every year to reflect experience/seniority? If all you want to do is just do the work and do it well, one day your firm may conclude it can replace you with someone junior and cheaper. Second, you will always be vulnerable to nasty little thrusting juniors who will see you as a block to their own ambitions and will tread on you.

litigation queen -24 Nov 2009 | 14:27

Consequences of pay freeze perhaps?

Previously law firms could expect associates to be interested in moving to the next level because they paid them more at the next level. If you freeze pay, is it that surprising that people aren’t keen to take on more responsibility? But that’s partners for you. I wouldn’t recommend voicing that at work OP, just find a way to appear keen and still leave on time. Or indeed leave the firm! PS Excellent comment L. Michaels!

Stupot -24 Nov 2009 | 15:57

Nothing venomous or macho about what I said - am just reflecting the way it is, like it or not (and I don't). This is no longer a job you can tread water in, the market's too tough and the opportunities too limited. Wake up and smell the java.

Anon -24 Nov 2009 | 16:47

Not interested in Promotion

All firms need reliable associates with a safe pair of hands. I work in a large firm and know a number of associates who effectively have decided that partnership isn't for them. The career path for such people is often Senior Associate/Legal Director. Such roles were created for firms to keep good lawyers who are not necessarily considered appropriate for partnership or are interested in a different career path. There is a risk of perception of lack of ambition, but if you are good at your job and working in a busy area of the law then you should both command respect and job security.

Anonymous -24 Nov 2009 | 16:55

Lovells

Have to disagree with the third poster about Lovells. The work/life balance is fair but there are still plenty of lights on at Atlantic House at 8am and after 8pm. As for client development, I know of no other firm that gives all of its lawyers (including trainees and paralegals) full access to its CRM system and takes business development as seriously - it's exactly why Lovells hasn't suffered as badly as some.

Senior Associate -24 Nov 2009 | 16:59

It may also depend on the department. From my experience, real estate teams often have "older" lawyers who don't appear to have any partnership ambitions. They will put the hours in when it is needed but that's the extent of their involvement in the department. Safe pair of hands to do the work. I am not sure whether this would apply in the more hour intensive departments e.g. corporate or banking.

Anonymous -25 Nov 2009 | 10:31

Relocation

I think the moral of the story is here, regardless of whether you want to work for Lovells or not, you definitely should move to Tunbridge Wells. I particularly recommend the Pantiles and surrounding area.

Tunbridge Wells Resident -25 Nov 2009 | 10:36

Think long-term

As a senior associate you are at a juncture where you need to take tough decisions about your future. Think about this: will you be happy to do exactly the same kind of work, and have the same level of responsibility, in five or 10 years' time?

If so, then you need to convince the partners that you should be given an "off-track" counsel position. To do so, you will need to show them that you have unique skills that make it worth their while treating you as a special case (counsel are always special cases).

If you don't think that in the long term you want to do exactly the same kind of work, and have the same level of responsibility, then you should either step up to the partner level (which involves putting your foot on the accelerator starting now), or look around for a job in a less high-pressured environment.

Partner -25 Nov 2009 | 11:58

It's your life

As Van Morrison once said, "it's up to you". Be honest with yourself and manage the risk or play the game and maybe be found out anyway. Simple really. By the way, I don't get this "up or out" nonsense. Never have.

mature reflector -25 Nov 2009 | 13:05