The Partnership Track: Insider Strategies for Making Partner, Moving Laterally, and Protecting Your Career

David Freeman J.D. | David Freeman Consulting Group Inc

David H. Freeman, J.D. is a former practicing lawyer from New York, an award-winning consultant, and a two-time best-selling author recognized for his work in law firm business development and leadership. Over a career spanning more than 30 years, he has trained and coached over 10,000 lawyers across more than 260 law firms worldwide, including work with over half of the Am Law 200. He is a member of the National Law Journal Hall of Fame, having been voted the #1 business development consultant and coach in the United States for several consecutive years. David is also the creator of Lawyer BookBuilder, a structured training and accountability program designed to help lawyers become effective rainmakers, and BD Buddy, a technology platform that supports the development of firmwide business development cultures.

• Education & Credentials

David H. Freeman holds a J.D. and is a former practicing lawyer from New York. His credentials are further distinguished by his extensive career as a consultant, coach, and author in the legal industry, focusing on business development and leadership.

• Recognition & Leadership

David H. Freeman is a member of the National Law Journal Hall of Fame and has been voted the #1 business development consultant and coach in the United States for several consecutive years. His leadership in the field is also reflected in his development of Lawyer BookBuilder and BD Buddy, both of which are designed to enhance business development skills and culture within law firms.

• Professional Involvement

David H. Freeman has been deeply involved in the professional development of lawyers and law firms worldwide, training and coaching over 10,000 attorneys across more than 260 firms, including over half of the Am Law 200. Through his consulting, writing, and program development, he continues to influence how legal professionals approach business development and leadership.

• Experience

David H. Freeman brings more than three decades of experience in coaching, consulting, and training lawyers on business development and leadership. His work includes collaborating with over 260 law firms worldwide, including a significant portion of the Am Law 200, and helping attorneys build sustainable client development practices. He is the author and co-author of 16 books on law firm business development and leadership and has created programs such as Lawyer BookBuilder, which provides structured training and accountability, and BD Buddy, a technology platform designed to foster firmwide engagement in business development.

Yuliya I. LaRoe | LeadWise Group, Inc

Yuliya I. LaRoe, JD, MBA, PCC is the Founder and CEO of LeadWise Group, Inc., and an award-winning consultant, executive coach, and speaker focused on leadership, management, and business development within the legal industry. A former AmLaw 100 attorney, she brings over 20 years of experience helping lawyers build the skills necessary to succeed beyond technical excellence, including strengthening client relationships, expanding influence, and advancing into leadership roles. Widely known as the “Income-to-Equity Coach,” Yuliya specializes in guiding non-equity partners toward equity partnership. She has coached and trained more than 5,000 lawyers and professionals, combining legal experience with business strategy and practical insight to drive meaningful career growth.

• Education & Credentials

Yuliya I. LaRoe holds a Juris Doctor (JD), a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential. Her background as a former AmLaw 100 attorney further supports her expertise in legal career development and business strategy.

• Recognition & Leadership

Yuliya I. LaRoe is recognized as an award-winning consultant and a leading voice in legal career advancement and business development. She demonstrates leadership as Founder and CEO of LeadWise Group and through her widely known role as the “Income-to-Equity Coach,” helping attorneys progress to equity partnership within their firms.

• Professional Involvement

Yuliya I. LaRoe is actively involved in the legal industry as a speaker, coach, and thought leader, with her insights featured by organizations and platforms such as the American Bar Association (ABA), National Association for Law Placement (NALP), Professional Development Consortium (PDC), ALM, Law Practice Today, and Attorney at Work.

• Experience

Yuliya I. LaRoe has more than 20 years of experience in the legal industry, including her prior work as a BigLaw attorney and her extensive coaching and consulting practice. She has trained over 5,000 lawyers and professionals, focusing on leadership development, business development, and career advancement strategies. Her work integrates legal expertise with business acumen, helping attorneys enhance performance, build client relationships, and achieve long-term professional growth.

Kate Reder Sheikh | Major, Lindsey & Africa

Kate Reder Sheikh is a Partner in the Associate Practice Group at Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), a leading global legal search firm. Based in San Francisco, she specializes in advising and representing law firm associates and working with firms across Northern California and other key markets to identify and place legal talent. Prior to entering legal recruiting, she practiced law as a litigator for nearly a decade, including handling cases of first impression. She later transitioned into legal recruiting, building a career focused on guiding attorneys through career transitions and advising law firms on associate hiring strategy. She is also a frequent writer and commentator on legal recruiting and the legal market, contributing thought leadership through industry publications and firm platforms.

• Education & Credentials

Kate Reder Sheikh earned her J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and her B.A. from Wesleyan University. She is a former practicing litigator who spent nearly ten years in private practice before transitioning into legal recruiting.

• Recognition & Leadership

She is a Partner at Major, Lindsey & Africa, where she was elevated after several years of high performance in the Associate Practice Group. She is recognized internally as one of the firm’s top-performing recruiters and was promoted to partnership among the fastest in the firm’s history.

• Professional Involvement

Kate Reder Sheikh works as a legal recruiter and advisor within MLA’s Associate Practice Group, focusing on associate-level hiring in the San Francisco Bay Area and other markets. She is regularly involved in thought leadership within the legal recruiting industry, contributing articles and commentary on hiring trends, associate mobility, and law firm hiring practices.

• Experience

Before joining MLA, she practiced as a litigator in San Francisco for nearly a decade, including work involving complex litigation matters. She later led a legal recruiting business in London and worked in legal search before joining MLA in 2017, where she has since built a career advising associates and law firms on career placement and hiring strategy.

Jeffrey A. Lowe | CenterPeak, LLC

Jeffrey A. Lowe is the Market President at CenterPeak, LLC and a leading advisor to top-tier lawyers and law firms globally, with more than two decades of experience focused on high-level legal talent strategy and partner-level advisory work. He is widely recognized for his expertise in exclusive search engagements for elite law firms and for representing major rainmakers and practice groups, as well as for his work advising on law firm leadership and government-facing legal talent. His government practice experience spans some of the most prominent legal roles in the public sector, including professionals from the DOJ, FTC, SEC, CFTC, FDA, the White House, and various Cabinet Departments.

• Education & Credentials

Jeffrey Lowe earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University in 1986, followed by his Juris Doctor from William & Mary Law School in 1989. During law school, he served on the Board of Editors of the William & Mary Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif, reflecting high academic distinction.

• Recognition & Leadership

Jeffrey is a recurring honoree on Lawdragon’s “100 Leading Legal Consultants and Strategists” list, underscoring his standing in the legal consulting field. He previously served as Global Practice Leader of Major, Lindsey & Africa’s Law Firm Practice Group for more than a decade and was the Founder and Managing Partner of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, which he established in 2003. He is also widely regarded as a thought leader on partner compensation, with his insights regularly cited in major legal and financial publications including The American Lawyer, The Wall Street Journal, Law360, and Bloomberg Law.

• Professional Involvement

Jeffrey has been a prominent figure in the legal industry through his advisory work and leadership roles within leading legal search and consulting organizations. His commentary and analysis on law firm economics, partner movement, and compensation structures are frequently featured in leading industry and business media outlets, reflecting his ongoing engagement with broader professional discourse in the legal market.

• Experience

Jeffrey began his legal career in 1989 as a corporate and finance associate in New York before joining Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells) in Washington, D.C. in 1991, where he later became a corporate and securities partner from 1998 to 2003. Between 1994 and 1995, he practiced internationally in Tokyo, Japan with Mori Sogo Law Offices (now Mori Hamada & Matsumoto), one of Japan’s leading law firms. In 2003, he founded and served as Managing Partner of Major, Lindsey & Africa’s Washington, D.C. office and later became Global Practice Leader of its Law Firm Practice Group for over ten years. In 2024, he joined CenterPeak, LLC as Market President for Washington, D.C., continuing his focus on elite legal talent advisory and law firm strategy.

SESSION 1 – The Business Development Case for Making Partner | 1:00pm – 1:30pm

A guide for associates in years five to eight to systematically develop and document a compelling case for partnership. What firms seek in partners, build your niche and visibility, leverage your network, create business development habits, and prepare for committee meetings.

SESSION 2 – What Partnership Committees Actually Look For | 1:30pm – 2:00pm

Learn what partnership committees actually look for when evaluating lawyers for promotion to non-equity and equity partner, separating formal criteria from informal signals, including ownership, judgment, visibility, firm citizenship, client confidence, leadership readiness, and business development potential in practice today.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 3 – Non-Equity Partner: Steppingstone or Ceiling? | 2:10pm – 2:40pm

Examine non-equity partner tier as opportunity and limitation, including pros for building a book, cons like unclear equity paths and limited compensation, economic implications, demographics, title without teeth, lateraling considerations, and key terms to secure written pathways to equity promotion.

SESSION 4 – Lateral Partner Moves: Opportunities & Deal Terms | 2:40pm – 3:10pm

This equips attorneys pursuing lateral partner moves with frameworks and negotiation tactics to evaluate opportunities and structure deals, including market conditions, portable business assessment, compensation structures, ethics and departure planning, due diligence, integration strategy, and understanding what firms are buying.