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Mentor
They did. Matched a signing bonus as a retention package and made promises about my future. Pushed me out two years later when deal work dried up.
Trust your gut.
Coach
Lateraled a few times and while the circumstances were slightly different (I was following someone else), the remaining partners have tried to retain me every time. Honestly, if you're well-liked and do good work, people will try to get you to stay. Personally, I feel a lot of promises and representations are made when trying to get people to stay (e.g. about things changing or pathways to success) that the firm cannot or will not be able to make good on. You looked elsewhere for a reason, so trust your gut. While the conversations can be awkward and uncomfortable, I also would feel kind of sad if other partners didn't try to convince me to change my mind as it would mean I wasn't really a valued member of the team to begin with.
Subject Expert
Yes. I left anyway. You have to keep in mind the reasons why you chose to leave in the first place and try to drown out the noise.
Agree with this and this is exactly what I did. Retention bonus, path to nonequity partnership and timeline, assurances on how to make my workload better - but realistically I just didn't see quality of life improving and I realized I didn't care much for to drive myself into the ground for NEP and then try to gridn further for EP
Yeah, a partner in my group convinced me to stay when I was close to leaving (to go in house) as a fifth year. He was already a mentor but became a major sponsor to me after that, and helped me get promoted to the partnership a few years later. Looking back I think that is probably the most important turning point / conversation in my entire career.
I simply left.
What did they say to try to retain you?
They did. Pushed me out after a year when the deal flow didn’t pick up as expected.
"Tried," but not in any real tangible way. A few offered more significant work in front of big clients, more/better/any mentorship, asked what I needed... but my mind was made up.
I'd like to say I never looked back, because I definitely looked back as law firm salaries exploded IMMEDIATELY after I went in-house. But no actual regrets.
Mentor
F
Trying to get people to stay takes a few forms for us:
1. Is there some specific fixable issue that we can actually address to get you to stay. Sometimes (but rarely) this includes compensation.
2. Are you being misled on what you’re going to such that we can try to help you see that and persuade you to stay (eg, lots of boutiques promising better comp or WLB and that is almost always illusory to some degree).
3. Can we find a different role like knowledge management where you can work less and make proportionally less but ultimately retain the benefit of your presence and ability.
I was offered to discuss a guaranteed counsel or partnership role when I left as a senior. I wasn’t leaving because I didn’t have a future at the firm, though, so I didn’t even really hear them out. I left and it was definitely the right move for me.
Ahhh. Got it. Was just curious. Glad you found a great new gig!