What is the Highest Position in Law?

Apr 02, 2023

Written By Ella Jenkinson

Within the world of law firms, the highest position is a partner. It is arguably the pinnacle of their career for most lawyers. It is no small feat to achieve this and not many people can do it. The majority of law firms operate in a pyramid/hierarchical structure with partners sitting at the very top and paralegals/trainees sitting at the bottom. Each role within a firm has its own important contribution to the overall performance of the firm, but with varied responsibilities and workloads.

Partners

The majority of law firms in the UK operate as partnerships. This means that the business is co-owned by the partners themselves and it is not a separate legal entity compared to companies.

Partners with a partnership share the profits between them but also the business liabilities. Once you are a partner, you have the right to participate in decisions affecting the business and its operations.

There are many different factors that will influence the structure of a law firm and how available partnerships are to employees. The size of the firm is one of the biggest contributors affecting this. Clifford Chance, a Magic Circle firm with 34 offices worldwide, has a ratio of around180 partners to 200 trainees. However, RPC, a smaller firm with 4 offices worldwide, has around 104 partners to 34 trainees.

You may find that working at a larger firm with a higher number of partners will provide more opportunity to advance to this highly coveted position. However, at a smaller firm it may be easier to demonstrate your skills and have wider access to greater responsibility, especially earlier on.

Role and Responsibilities

In a traditional sense, partners are less involved with the day-to-day legal work than other employees of the firm. Their main responsibilities are the overall business development of the firm, client relationship management and team leadership.

With their years of expertise, they will regularly supervise junior colleagues and oversee their work. They may also be involved in the recruitment process. In very niche and/or highly expert areas of law, partners will tend to undertake the work themselves.

Different Types of Partner

It is a common belief that all partners will share the profits of the business between them, however this benefit is limited to equity partners.

A full equity partner is viewed as being self-employed within the firm and will receive a percentage of the firm’s profits each year. Additionally, some equity partners may choose to place large amounts of their capital within the law firm. Thus, when the firm is not doing so well, this can have personal ramifications.

Often junior partners (non-equity partners) will receive a salary just like they did as associate/senior associates. They are still viewed as employees of the firm and therefore not entitled to a percentage of the profits.

At the pinnacle of the hierarchy is the managing partner. This has similar parallels to the CEO of a company, as they implement and manage strategies that promote their company’s’ goals.

How to get there

Ideally, a partner at a law firm has at least eight years of experience, with the average being ten years post-qualification.

Partners tend to be able to leverage work for themselves and others but also will be an integral part of the firm. Firms will want someone who can generate lots of business for them, as the primary function of a law firm is to generate profit. It is important to be viewed as valuable to the overall structure of the firm, and be connected to important existing clients.

Other Top Law Positions

There are other high-flying roles that lawyers can aspire to. Arguably the highest position in UK Law is the Attorney General for England and Wales.

His Majesty’s Attorney General for England and Wales is the chief legal adviser to the sovereign (King Charles III) and Government. They are also the highest ranking amongst the law officers of the Crown.

Attorney General

The position of attorney general has been in existence since 1243. Records illustrate how a professional attorney was hired to represent the King’s position in court.

Being chief advisers to the government means that their primary function is advising the government of the day on any legal ramifications of their actions. For instance, the important matters before the attorney general at the moment are questions of international law, human rights, devolution and COVID-19.

The role requires a careful balancing act between maintaining and upholding the rule of law with their own political duties of being an MP. According to conventions, they also represent the government when they are called before the International Court of Justice.

To become attorney general you need to be appointed by the UK government. You also need extensive experience in both law and politics.

Becoming a Lawyer