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    Lateral Law Report

    Free tool · Lateral partners and counsel

    Build your lateral business case.

    Answer seven short steps and download a clean, confidential business plan as a PDF. It saves as you type and never leaves your device.

    Firms considering a lateral partner or senior counsel usually ask for a written business plan before an offer. It is where you show, in numbers, what you bring and how you will grow it. A good one is short, specific, and conservative. This builder walks you through each part and lays it out for you.

    Step 1 of 7

    You

    Three or four sentences: what you do, for whom, and what it earns. Keep client names out.

    What goes in a lateral business plan

    1. 01

      Practice summary

      What you do, for whom, and what it earns, in a few sentences a managing partner can repeat.

    2. 02

      Book of business

      Three years of fees collected, your origination credit, and a realistic estimate of what will follow you.

    3. 03

      Growth plan

      The clients and sectors you will target and what you can cross-sell on the new platform.

    4. 04

      Team

      Who might join you and the support you will need to serve your clients from day one.

    5. 05

      Hours and rates

      Billable hours, your standard rate, and realization, so the firm can check the arithmetic.

    6. 06

      The move

      Why this platform, when you could move, and anything you want on the table.

    Make it credible

    • Use fees collected, not billed. Collections are what the new firm will receive. If your realization is low, say why.
    • Be conservative on portability. A firm will compare your plan with its own conflicts search and your history. Our book of business calculator gives you a client-by-client estimate you can import here.
    • Keep clients anonymous. Describe clients by sector and size, not by name, until you have the client's consent and the firm needs names to clear conflicts.
    • Show a plan, not a wish. Name the groups at the new firm you would work with and the specific work you could bring them.
    • Mind your obligations. Your partnership or employment agreement and your law society's rules apply until you leave. Get advice before you contact clients about a move.

    Send it with a sharp resume

    The plan travels with your resume. See our sample lawyer resumes for how senior lawyers present a practice, check pay with the Bay Street salary scale, and format your resume free before you send both.

    General information, not legal or financial advice. Last updated .