Last time we looked at the differing roles of finders, minders, and grinders within a law firm. We noted that while there are definite positives to the grinder (service partner) role, there are significant drawbacks as well. The finder (rainmaker), on the other hand, is not only in the best position in the law firm hierarchy, but she is also in one of the best positions in the entire workforce.
A lawyer in private practice with her own client base has a tremendous amount of control over her career. To start, there are literally hundreds of private practice areas that she can pursue as her chosen career path. Then, upon choosing a particular practice area, she has the ability to go out and generate as much business as she is capable of generating, giving her a significant amount of control over her work on a daily basis.
Furthermore, lawyers in private practice have the ability to change employers almost whenever they want, provided the market is there for lawyers with their background. There are essentially no non-compete restrictions on lawyers, which further enables them to move around at their discretion.
All of this gives the lawyer in private practice a level of autonomy and economic security far greater than that of professionals in most industries. But this is only possible if they have their own client base. Without clients, or a “portable book of business,” as it is known, lawyers are usually not able to change firms when they want to. This illustrates another disadvantage the grinders have: Not only do they rely on finders for work, but also when they have issues or problems with their firm, it is difficult for them to leave.
