M&A senior here. Most days I feel like I’ve peaked with a ceiling of midlevel and feel like I can’t break through to that next step to truly lead deals independently. I have done it but always some partner backstop even if not a ton. Is it weird to think that maybe my limit is midlevel ability? If that’s the case, not sure how I’ll ever move upward or get better at it.

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What’s your year level, OP? It’s a tough transition from mid to senior and you naturally keep growing and improving with practice, give yourself a little grace. I thought I knew a lot as a 6th year (and I did!) but where I am now a few years later is light years ahead of that and it’s not through any magic, just doing the reps. Not everyone is going to be at “partner” level at year 8 and that is OK, it’s not a race. Part of why partner track at Cravath scale is much more typically 10+ these days.

I assume at this point you are taking the lead on drafting/marking up the primary documents and responding to the other sides drafts/comments and drafting issues lists for clients. Are you taking the time to understand the rationale behind the comments and understand your partners changes to your markups and issues lists and your clients responses to issues lists? Honestly the only way to get better is to keep doing the reps, brute force your way through and you can get there.

To me a great junior/midlevel is someone who is super proactive, on top of everything process wise, keeps stuff moving, can handle smaller tasks mostly independently etc, and to get to next level, a great senior understands most of the issues and has the confidence and ability to talk to clients and the other side to explain the issues and/or figure out the ones they don’t get yet. And keep in mind even your partners don’t know everything and it’s an eternal learning process, every deal we seem to get some never before seen comment. Part of being a partner is knowing when you don’t know and/or polling the group or walking through with other side and client what all are trying to get to and then drafting accordingly. You’re never going to have all the answers and that is ok.

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