The podcast for lawyers and professionals working in, with, and around Big Law
Hear from lawyers and other professionals who have experience navigating work and life in the challenging world of large law firms.
The Podcast
Expert insights and advice to help you achieve your goals in your legal career
Working in and with big law firms is full of challenges — everything from becoming a partner to succeeding as a partner or pivoting to another role, making your case for compensation and recognition as a professional at any level, managing and steering the business of the firm, and engaging these firms as outside counsel.
On this podcast, I share what I’ve learned in a long career as a Big Law partner, and also talk to others — lawyers, business developers, project managers, legal pricing experts, clients, and other professionals — about what they find exciting, engaging, frustrating, challenging and motivating in working with these firms.
You may be:
Already working in Big Law and are looking to advance your career or transition out;
Wondering what it takes to move into a Big Law from government or corporate legal departments;
Trying to improve your relationships with outside counsel at large law firms; or
Otherwise want to understand more about how to engage in the large, complex business environment of major global law firms
For all of these and many other situations, the podcast offers candid and honest advice that will help you take the next best step toward your professional goals in the world of Big Law.
#47: Strategies for Thriving Through Law Firm Mergers
Make sure you understand what the merger of your law firm means for you as an individual lawyer - and how to navigate through a period of what can be intense change and disruption.
#46: Key Client Insights Your BigLaw Competitors Are Missing
What should you be doing to better understand your clients, so that you can distinguish yourself from attorneys that aren’t making that effort?
#45: BigLaw Insights from AmLaw Reporter Andrew Maloney
What are some of the economic and business issues that Andrew Maloney of The American Lawyer found to be key for BigLaw in 2024? And what are some of the issues that he’s looking at for 2025?
#44: Helping BigLaw Attorneys Navigate the Business Side of Their Law Firms
BigLaw is about more than the delivery of great legal advice and services - so how can you find the resources to better manage the business and financial side of your practice?
#43: Avoiding BigLaw Mistakes in Business Development
Feeling stalled in your business development efforts as a BigLaw attorney? There are a few key steps you can take to reset and refocus your outreach.
#42: Value-Based Billing Strategies for Law Firms with Justin Ergler
What causes relationships between law firms and in-house legal departments to fail? Justin Ergler breaks It all down - sharing how being able to demonstrate value in the results you’ve achieved for your clients can make the difference
#41: How Associates Can Avoid Derailing Their BigLaw Careers
Learn practical strategies for addressing warning signs in your BigLaw career before it's too late.
#40: Navigating BigLaw to General Counsel and Beyond with Shauna Barnes
Moving from BigLaw as an associate to an in-house leadership role can be daunting, but for Shauna Barnes - Founding Partner of Barnes Beverage Group, a full service law firm for the beverage industry - it was an opportunity that helped her to share the legal career she wanted with the clients who value her counsel.
#39: Are You Sure You Want to Be a BigLaw Partner?
If you're thinking about pursuing partnership at your BigLaw firm, it's important to consider the demands that partners face, and whether that path is really the right move for you.
#38: Why Law Firms Fail at Partner Transition Planning with Douglas Wood
Doug Wood - BigLaw partner and author of From Dawn to Dusk: How to Build a Multimillion Dollar Law Practice and Then Give It Away - shares his personal experience in confronting the often-ignored topic of succession planning for retiring partners in large law firms.
#37: Key Trends in Law Firm Profitability and Partner Pay with Lisa Smith
Lisa Smith, who heads the Washington DC office of Fairfax Associates and consults to the world's leading law firms, shares her thoughts on firm leadership transitions, partner compensation, strategies for governance and management, and financial operations and performance
#36: BigLaw Insights from Bloomberg Law Reporter Roy Strom
What are journalists covering BigLaw focused on when they examine law firms and the unique challenges they face in the legal market? Roy Strom of Bloomberg Law shares his experience as a reporter focused on how the law firm industry continues to grow and adapt to new economic and technological developments.
#35: How to Make Your Practice Stand Out in BigLaw
You need to raise your game as a lawyer, so that your clients and colleagues see you as someone who offers not just great legal skills but more that can help establish you as a trusted and valued partner.
#34: Individual Marketing Strategies for BigLaw Associates
Learn how to market yourself individually, rather than relying on your BigLaw firm to do so.
#33: From Associate to Practice Group Leader: Lessons from Cannabis Law Trailblazer Sarah Blitz
Sarah Blitz shares her journey from law school to becoming a widely-recognized leader in the cannabis industry space as a senior associate with Sheppard Mullen, and how she saw her work as a way to merge her personal interests and professional ambitions.
#32: Why You Need to Know Your Economic Value for Your Law Firm
Make sure you understand what your BigLaw firm is looking at when it looks at financial contributions so that you understand how your legal practice aligns with the firm’s broader strategic goals.
#31: Building Effective Practice Management in BigLaw with Tara Kim Eberhart
Tara Kim Eberhart shares the ways in practice management has evolved in BigLaw, and how she is bringing her experience as Head of Business Innovation for Dentons US to support the delivery of legal services.
#30: The Ultimate In-House Training Program: Insights from Husch Blackwell’s Joe Glynias
Joe Glynias of Husch Blackwell shares how the firm created its unique professional development program that centers on working with clients to provide training and mentoring for firm attorneys who may be interested in making a move in-house.
#29: More of What Associates Are Asking About Big Law
More questions that associates in BigLaw are asking - about leaving their jobs, concerns about billable hours, how PTO really works, and what happens if you don’t want your career to be about business development
#28: How to Move Forward After Being Let Go
Take actionable steps so that you are well equipped to move to your next job, despite parting ways with your current firm.
Guests on Big Law Life
Interested in being a guest on Big Law Life?
Contact Laura at laura@lauraterrell.com to share what you would like to add to the conversation about life in big law firms.