A law firm’s legacy is not built in a single moment. It is built over years of client calls, late night strategy sessions, courtroom wins, trusted advice in the moments that matter and relationships that become almost inseparable from the lawyers who created them. That is what makes succession planning so easy to avoid, and so dangerous to delay.
By the time a managing partner announces retirement, or a rainmaker starts stepping back, the firm is no longer simply planning for the future. It is trying to preserve client confidence, protect relationships and prepare the next generation all at once. The firms that handle succession well do not treat it as a retirement issue. They treat it as a client confidence strategy, a leadership development priority and a long-term investment in the future of the firm. Because when succession planning is done right, clients do not feel handed off – they feel carried forward.
We’re sharing our succession planning insights based on decades of experience working with law firms. Across these insights, several consistent themes emerge: the importance of starting early, the critical role marketing plays in supporting successful transitions, and the need for ongoing training and development to prepare the next generation of leaders.
Have Marketing Lead the Charge
While succession planning is often considered an operational and HR issue, marketing is uniquely positioned to help drive the process because it touches nearly every aspect of the firm. A change in leadership can be an emotional process, and firm leaders don’t always grasp the weight of it before they decide to retire. Their entire lives and identities have been centered on being a lawyer or a firm leader, so when people lose that, it can be difficult. If the marketing team can start the conversation and get ahead of this, it will benefit everyone.
Marketing should keep the focus where it belongs: the clients. Firms exist to serve clients, so succession planning should be viewed through that lens. For a managing partner with longstanding client relationships, the question becomes simple: Don’t you want your clients to continue receiving the same level of service and care after you’re gone? There’s nothing worse than when a longtime client hears that the relationship partner is retiring in a few months.
A successful succession strategy isn’t just about replacing leadership; it’s about ensuring continuity, preserving relationships and giving clients confidence that they will remain in good hands for years to come.
Get a Plan in Place Early
In an ideal scenario, firms are thinking intentionally about who could step into a key role, and identifying future leaders at least five years in advance. That level of early planning allows leadership to take a more strategic, objective view of the firm’s needs versus making a rushed decision.
Firms should be actively assessing exposure based on who is expected to step down and what that means for the organization. Which relationships, practice areas and revenue streams are tied to that individual? What capabilities will need to be replaced or strengthened? Succession planning becomes much more concrete when it is framed around knowledge gaps and required skill sets.
In some cases, individuals who appear to be natural successors may not ultimately want the role, while others may grow into it over time – with the right support. That makes early identification and investment in training and development critical to building a viable leadership pipeline.
This is where marketing and public relations become part of the succession plan, not an afterthought. Future leaders need to be visible and credible long before they assume formal leadership roles. Speaking opportunities, media commentary, bylined articles, client alerts, awards and rankings, networking and shared client-facing opportunities all help attorneys build their reputations and strengthen relationships over time. When the time comes for a leadership transition, it feels like a natural progression rather than a surprise announcement, and is less disruptive for both clients and the firm.
Q&A with Experts
To expand on this perspective, we also spoke with two experts with significant experience helping organizations navigate leadership transitions: Sara Frasca, Business Consultant & CEO at Point NorthEast, and Sally Schmidt, President of Schmidt Marketing, Inc.
How can firms build structured leadership pipelines or “playbooks” that support long-term succession planning?
Here’s the reality: most firms start succession planning too late. By the time a partner is heading out, you’re not planning – you’re reacting. And reaction is rarely where strong businesses make their best decisions.
The firms that consistently outperform into the second iteration have already invested years into developing their next generation of leaders. For them, succession planning isn’t a moment in time – it’s part of how the business operates every day.
It starts with being intentional about identifying future leaders early. Across professional services, the same indicators tend to show up: people who naturally build client relationships, think beyond the task at hand, and are coachable enough to take feedback and apply it. Rarely does someone show up fully formed, but the best businesses aren’t looking for perfection, they’re looking for trajectory. They make decisions based on who someone is becoming, not just who they are today. And, this is not always the best craftspeople of the service (i.e. lawyer in a firm).
Where many firms struggle is in how they develop top talent. Training programs exist, but they’re often disconnected from the real work of running a business. Development doesn’t happen in a conference room; it happens in the day-to-day. It’s in how leaders delegate, how they bring others into client conversations, how often they give feedback, and how clearly they define what “next level” looks like. When development is embedded into operations, it compounds. When it’s treated as a separate initiative, it fades.
What does it look like to embed succession planning into day-to-day team structure and operations?
One of the most overlooked aspects of succession planning is marketing. Firms tend to think of speaking engagements, content and visibility as business development tools, but they’re just as important for building the credibility of future leaders. When younger professionals are given the opportunity to contribute to thought leadership, show up alongside senior partners and build a presence in the market, clients begin to trust them long before any formal transition takes place. That credibility transfer doesn’t happen overnight – it’s built over time, and it needs to be intentional.
At the same time, firms must address a quieter but equally important risk: too much knowledge living in too few places. When client relationships, history and insights are held by a single individual, continuity becomes fragile. The strongest firms create systems that make knowledge and relationships more visible and shared, whether that’s through simple documentation, clearer ownership structures, or more deliberate cross-team collaboration. It’s not about adding complexity; it’s about removing dependency.
All of this shows up most clearly when it’s time to transition client relationships. The firms that handle this well don’t treat it as a handoff; they treat it as a progression. They introduce the next generation early, create shared ownership, and gradually shift responsibility. By the time a formal transition happens, it doesn’t feel like a disruption to the client, it feels like a natural evolution of the relationship.
Yet, despite understanding all of this, many businesses still fall short in execution. Succession planning often isn’t tied to compensation, so it doesn’t get prioritized. Progress isn’t measured, so it’s hard to manage. And too often, it’s treated as a one-time effort instead of an ongoing system that evolves with the business.
How can firms measure whether their succession planning efforts are actually working?
The firms that get this right take a different approach. They build succession planning into how they operate, how they develop people and how they grow. It becomes part of the culture, not a conversation that only happens when change is imminent.
At Point NorthEast, the most effective organizations we work with don’t wait until succession becomes urgent. They build their pipeline early, develop it consistently, and treat it as a long-term investment in the firm’s health. Because if you wait until you need a successor, you’re already behind.
What does research suggest are the most effective approaches to succession planning in professional services firms?
I have had extensive interviews with clients about transitioning their relationships from senior lawyers. They highlight several important points:
- They want to be included. This means letting them know what the probable timetable is for the senior partner’s departure, as well as giving them an opportunity to provide input on what happens next.
- It’s important to start early. They may want to “try someone on for size” before giving the thumbs up. As one client stated, “From a succession standpoint, no one yet fits the bill. [Lawyer] thinks he will do this, but he hasn’t earned my trust. They need to know this.” At another client firm, a senior partner announced in the fall that he would retire at the end of the year. But you need to start earlier, relationships take time to build!
What are best practices for transitioning key client relationships from senior partners to next-generation leaders?
The following are some best practices for transitioning:
- Giving the NextGen exposure to clients. This could range from copying them on emails to involving them in social outings to having them give substantive presentations to build their credibility with clients.
- Giving them billing responsibility for the client. This way, they can see the full scope of the client’s work with the firm and also start to learn how to manage the financial aspects of the relationship.
- Working with them on the client’s relationship and matters. This could mean taking them to client lunches or letting them present recommendations to the client. There is power by association.
- Training them. There are many options to teach and train the NextGen, including leadership institutes, mentoring and external coaches.
How does business coaching support succession planning? Talk about your approach and how this differs from firm to firm, or professional to professional.
I have worked with many successor lawyers – those who hope to inherit the clients. For example, one lawyer who had managed to develop some business of his own was going to triple his client receipts after a senior lawyer’s retirement. This change would require a different approach to his client portfolio. We start by triaging the most important or desirable clients, both existing and inherited. We brainstormed, “How do we keep the most important clients you already have? How do we keep the most important clients of the retiring lawyer?” We ended up with strategies to manage both the work and relationships, including increasing delegation and gifting smaller clients to other lawyers.
Business coaching also supports succession planning in other ways. One estate planning lawyer who was assuming responsibility for a very wealthy client needed to build her credibility in the client’s eyes, which she did through specific credentialing activities, such as membership in ACTEC, writing, and speaking.
In other instances, the NextGen lawyers can enhance their stature in the eyes of clients through leadership activities outside the firm (e.g., on boards) or within the firm (e.g., serving as co-chairs of committees, holding office management roles). In one of my client firms, 19 of the firm’s 25 office managing partners are “graduates” of the business development coaching program and another serves on the firm’s executive committee. Internal recognition and leadership are impressive to clients.
How can firms better connect succession planning efforts to client expansion and relationship management strategies?
- First, require plans. For example, within five years of an intended retirement, the senior partner develops an exit plan. It should include: timetable for departure, key client relationships, potential future client contact partners and controlled opportunities to manage the transition process.
- Second, client teams are an excellent way to prospectively deal with succession planning, by making assignments for relationship building at all levels and creating activities to expose client representatives to different members of the team.
- Third, compensation is a key factor. Many firms have systems in place that create tremendous disincentives to transition clients. Firms should consider buyouts or credits, sunsetting origins or other changes to senior partner roles and compensation to encourage them to let go.
What are the most common misconceptions firms have about succession planning?
- First, that clients will stay loyal – or stay at all – after a change. As one client said, “If he weren’t there for our next deal, we would probably look around. We know other attorneys; they’re knocking on our door.” Change creates opportunities but also vulnerabilities.
- That clients will just accept the firm’s decision on the successor. The lieutenant to the senior partner who is often tapped for the transition almost always has a personality or skillset that’s different from the senior lawyer. One client commented, “I don’t know if there’s anybody in that firm capable of replacing [the senior lawyer]. I don’t even know if anyone can grow into it.”
- That it can be done at an arm’s length. This is a delicate time in a relationship and should be handled through conversations and meetings, not through emails.
- That it is only an issue on the firm’s side. Often succession planning is needed because of a changing of the guard at the client’s entity. The new decision makers may not want their “father’s Oldsmobile.” (We all know what happened to that brand.)
- Finally, that succession planning is just for client relationships. It is critical to transition other things, such as important board positions, referral relationships and other visible activities (e.g., editing a treatise).
