For many attorneys, the idea of exploring a new opportunity can be tempting. Maybe you’re feeling underutilized. Maybe partnership feels further away than promised. Maybe the culture has shifted, the workload is unsustainable, or you simply wonder what else is out there.
But in a legal market defined by uncertainty, lateral moves don’t always come with a higher salary, better hours, or clearer advancement. So how do you decide whether staying put or making a change is the smarter strategic play?
Before you make a move, it’s worth evaluating the real costs, benefits, and long-term implications, because the right answer isn’t always obvious.
Key Takeaways for Attorneys Evaluating a Career Move
- Not every lateral move leads to higher compensation, but it can still strengthen long-term career strategy.
- A move can make sense when it improves culture, leadership, mentorship, or future promotion opportunities.
- Staying put may be the strategic choice if your current firm offers stability, influence, and an advancing path.
- Before moving, evaluate your true motivations, total compensation, culture fit, and long-term trajectory.
- Internal mobility is often overlooked, sometimes the next best move is within your current firm.
- Use confidential market research to compare salaries, growth potential, and firm expectations before deciding.
Reasons a Move Might Still Be the Right Decision
1. Access to Better Development and Growth Opportunities
Even without a major salary bump, a new firm may offer stronger mentorship, better training, or exposure to more sophisticated matters. For attorneys, that can dramatically shape long-term earning potential and marketability.
2. Leaving a Toxic or Unsustainable Environment
If you’re in a culture that drains you, unrealistic billable expectations, poor leadership, a lack of support, a lateral move can be essential, even if the financial upside is minimal. Your well-being directly impacts your performance and long-term career prospects.
3. A Needed Reset
Sometimes the issue isn’t the work, it’s the environment. A new team or leadership style can reignite motivation, improve mental health, and provide the fresh start needed to excel.
4. Expanding Your Legal Network
A new firm means exposure to new partners, new clients, and new professional circles. Expanding your network is often one of the most valuable long-term advantages for attorneys at any stage.
5. Strategic Positioning for Future Promotions
Some moves are stepping stones. Even if the first jump isn’t more lucrative, the next one might be, and faster than if you stayed put.
Reasons Staying Might Be the Strategic Advantage
1. Stability and Established Credibility
You’ve built trust, political capital, and a reputation. Leaving means starting over, which can delay promotions or leadership opportunities.
2. Hidden Downsides of Lateral Moves
A role that looks similar may have:
- heavier billable requirements
- less support
- lower bonus potential
- fewer client-facing opportunities
- a culture mismatch
Always evaluate total value, not just the offer letter.
3. Avoiding the “new firm, same problems” cycle
Without clarity about what you actually want, you might trade one set of frustrations for another.
4. Impact on Career Narrative
Too many lateral shifts without strategic alignment can raise questions about commitment or direction, especially for mid-level and senior attorneys.
5. The Unknown Culture
Even well-regarded firms vary widely by practice group and partner. A poor cultural fit can quickly become more challenging than the job you left.
How to Decide Whether to Stay or Move
Before making a major career decision, ask yourself:
1. Why do I want to leave?
Is it growth, leadership, burnout, firm politics, or compensation? Clarity reduces the risk of a reactive move.
2. What does long-term success look like?
Partnership? In-house? A niche specialty? Your next move should align with that vision.
3. Have I explored internal opportunities?
Many attorneys overlook new practice areas, new partners, or internal promotions that could solve their concerns without the disruption of switching firms.
4. Do I have the full picture?
Talk with trusted mentors, former colleagues, or a confidential career advisor. Attorneys often underestimate their value or overestimate their current limitations.
5. What’s at stake if I move, and if I don’t?
A useful exercise: write down the best-case and worst-case scenarios for both paths.
Final Thought
A career move can be an incredible catalyst, or an unnecessary detour. The smartest attorneys treat their careers like long-term strategic investments, not instinctive reactions to short-term frustrations.
Whether staying or moving, the key is clarity: understand your motivations, assess your options, and make a decision aligned with the career, and life you actually want.
