Making partner: What no one tells you
Interview with Leanne Wright, partner at Osborne Clark.
For many lawyers, making partner is the dream. But what happens after the celebration?
In this edition of Making the Jump to Partner, Leanne Wright, partner at Osborne Clark, shares what really changed when she stepped up – from the unexpected pressure to prove herself to the BD challenges no one talks about.
She also reveals the one piece of advice she’d give any lawyer who wants to make partner (and why she believes it’s worth it).
Gemma: You recently made the jump to partner. What was the biggest shift for you?
Leanne: The biggest change was suddenly feeling completely responsible for my own work. As an associate, I always had work coming in. But on day one as a partner, it felt like I had zero. There wasn’t external pressure to immediately build a huge practice, but I put that pressure on myself. I had written a business case saying, “These are my clients, this is what I’m going to do,” and I felt like I had to prove it straight away.
Gemma: That must have been a big adjustment. How did you navigate it?
Leanne: The biggest thing I underestimated was the support I’d get from other partners. A lot of my work in the first year came from partners who already had big practices and didn’t need every deal. They invited me to pitches, shared credit, and gave me opportunities to get in front of clients. That gave me time to start building my own practice.
Gemma: So internal relationships play a big role?
Leanne: Absolutely. One of the best things a new partner can do is take time to understand what other teams in the firm are doing. As an associate, you’re focused on your own practice area, but as a partner, you need to see the bigger picture. Understanding what the firm is trying to achieve helps with business development conversations and makes you look like someone who knows how to connect the dots.
Gemma: How does gender play a role in BD?
Leanne: One of the biggest mistakes firms make is not considering gender when supporting lawyers in business development. In corporate law, where work relies heavily on referrers, the traditional advice is, “Go for a drink with your counterpart at the bank or fund.” That works for men. But when I was a junior lawyer, inviting a male contact for a drink sometimes got misinterpreted.
Men can send a WhatsApp that just says “Pint?” and it’s fine. Women have to phrase it carefully – “I’d love to catch up and hear about what your business is working on next.” The reality is, if it’s uncomfortable, you just don’t do it. And if you don’t do it, you miss out on BD opportunities. That’s why BD remains one of the biggest barriers to female progression.
Gemma: That’s a huge issue. How did you work around it?
Leanne: I started doing BD in pairs. If a partner was going for drinks with a contact, I’d ask if they could bring a junior and I’d do the same. That way, it was a group setting and felt more natural. Firms need to think about how they help women navigate this, rather than just saying, “Go network.”
Gemma: Now that you’re a partner, do you feel more pressure?
Leanne: My day-to-day is actually easier – I don’t get 20 emails a day from senior lawyers asking me to do things. I can delegate more. But the overall pressure is much higher. Now, I worry about my team, the quality of our work, how we’re positioning ourselves with clients. It’s no longer just about my own workload – it’s about the business as a whole.
Gemma: If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to make partner, what would it be?
Leanne: Do it. A lot of people hesitate about making partner, but it’s an adventure. The biggest skill you need is self-awareness. Once you make partner, nobody tells you what to do anymore – that’s both freeing and terrifying. If you don’t know who you are or what you want to achieve, you can get really lost. For me, it wasn’t about having the biggest practice. I became a partner because I wanted a seat at the table. That’s what kept me grounded.
Leanne Wright is a partner in Osborne Clark’s Private Equity team, focussing on advising founders and management teams on private equity transactions.
