Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

The Broken Covenant: 'Partners for Life'?

By Jeffrey Lowe
March 28, 2008

For today's young lawyers, that notion belongs to a different era, one that seems as far away as the New Deal and Tammany Hall. But it really wasn't all that long ago that this concept was the anchor of law firm life, a covenant that provided stability and security for the firm's members.

The covenant worked as follows: Join the firm, be a good lawyer, work hard and seven or eight years later you receive the golden handshake welcoming you into the partnership. Thereafter, your compensation would rise in lockstep with your peers, moving inexorably higher as you claimed your rightful place among the firm's senior partners. Of course, there were always the 'worker bees' and the business generators, but the covenant provided that all were to be treated (mostly) equally, borne of a collective notion of common purpose and shared reward. Over the last 30 years, however, this covenant has steadily eroded across firms of all sizes, resulting in a culture that more closely resembles baseball free agency than a 'gentlemanly' profession. This article examines the covenant and several of the factors that led to its demise.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
New York's Latest Cybersecurity Commitment Image

On Aug. 9, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced New York's inaugural comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. In sum, the plan aims to update government networks, bolster county-level digital defenses, and regulate critical infrastructure.

The Bankruptcy Hotline Image

Recent cases of importance to your practice.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

How AI Has Affected PR Image

When we consider how the use of AI affects legal PR and communications, we have to look at it as an industrywide global phenomenon. A recent online conference provided an overview of the latest AI trends in public relations, and specifically, the impact of AI on communications. Here are some of the key points and takeaways from several of the speakers, who provided current best practices, tips, concerns and case studies.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.