Succession planning is often discussed as an organizational exercise. In practice, it is just as much an individual one.
Whether you’re part of an in-house or law firm legal team, career progression rarely follows a straight or predictable path. Titles change slowly, but expectations evolve quickly. Lawyers who advance into broader in-house roles, firm leadership, or more influential client-facing positions tend to prepare well in advance of a formal opportunity arising.
Sometimes succession planning is structured and precise. Other times, it is informal, shaped by culture, economics, and timing. Regardless of format, the lawyers who benefit most are those who understand where their organization, firm, or clients are headed and who deliberately build the skills needed to meet that future.
Start With the Gap, Not the Title
A practical way to think about your next career step is through a gap analysis:
- What skills and judgment are required to run a legal function, practice group, or major client relationship today?
- What will be required five to ten years from now?
- Where are you already strong and where are you exposed?
In-house, these gaps often surface during mergers, acquisitions, private equity investments, or rapid growth. In law firms, these shifts are often reflected in changes in client expectations, increased pressure on pricing, demand for cross-practice collaboration, or a greater emphasis on leadership and business development.
You don’t need to wait for a formal succession plan to identify these gaps. Noticing them early allows you to position yourself ahead of the curve.
Cross-Training: Expanding Your Range & Relevance
Cross-training is one of the most effective ways for both in-house and law firm lawyers to prepare for what’s next.
- In-house, cross-training may involve learning responsibilities outside your core practice area, exposure to adjacent regulatory or commercial work, or gaining insight into how the business operates beyond the legal realm. Are you familiar with reverse secondments, where a law firm trains you in practice areas you may not have experience in?
- In law firms, cross-training often occurs through exposure to adjacent practices, new industries, or evolving client needs, sometimes informally, and sometimes through deliberate efforts to broaden one’s role beyond a single lane.
In both environments, lawyers who intentionally develop complementary skills become more valuable, more resilient, and more visible. Cross-training also protects organizations and firms by reducing reliance on single points of expertise.
For lawyers with longer-term leadership ambitions inside a company or within a firm, cross-training often becomes a quiet proving ground.
Stretch Assignments & Special Projects: Practicing Before the Promotion
Not all career advancement requires a new title. Stretch assignments and special projects allow you to demonstrate readiness before you are formally promoted. Opportunities may include:
- Presenting to internal leadership teams or boards
- Leading internal or client-facing committees
- Taking on a rotational role in a business unit or firm initiative
- Owning a portion of a board or client presentation
- Managing investigations, audits, or enterprise-wide projects
What matters is not the label attached to the assignment, but the exposure it provides for you to demonstrate judgment, communication style, and leadership under pressure.
Developmental Opportunities: Compounding Skills
Development doesn’t always come from traditional legal training. Both in-house and law firm lawyers benefit from opportunities such as:
- Non-CLE education (financial acumen, operational leadership, technology)
- Certificate programs or targeted executive education
- Participation in internal task forces or ad hoc committees
- Service on nonprofit boards or committees
- Creating internal playbooks, training materials, or process improvements
These experiences build confidence and credibility, and they often differentiate lawyers who are ready for broader responsibility from those who are technically strong but narrowly positioned.
For lawyers exploring roles or projects outside your current lane, clarity matters. Understanding expectations, risk, and potential outcomes helps ensure that growth opportunities strengthen rather than stall your trajectory.
Questions to Ask as You Position Yourself
Regardless of where you practice, consider:
- What skills are consistently rewarded with more responsibility here?
- Where does leadership feel stretched or under-resourced?
- Which assignments would expose me to decision-makers or clients in a new way?
- Who has successfully navigated a path I admire, and what can I learn from them?
- What development opportunities exist that don’t require formal approval?
Career progression is rarely about waiting your turn. More often, it is about being prepared when the moment arrives.
For both in-house and law firm lawyers, career evolution is shaped by preparation, not timing alone.
- Cross-training builds breadth.
- Stretch assignments build visibility and confidence.
- Developmental opportunities deepen judgment and influence.
Taken together, these steps help you remain relevant, trusted, and ready, whether the next chapter unfolds within the organization, within your firm, or beyond the organization.
