Today’s increasingly active legal recruitment landscape is an advantageous time for attorneys to explore lateral opportunities. Law firms across the globe are aggressively searching for lateral talent to strengthen their firm’s service capabilities, grow their external marketability or broaden their geographic reach. Most laterals spend a great deal of time strategically considering such opportunities before officially making a leap. It’s equally important that they spend just as much focused time preparing for the opportunity they ultimately accept. With that in mind, this article addresses five fundamental actions a lateral is recommended they take, in advance of joining a new firm, to ensure they “hit the ground running”  and ultimately increase their likelihood of a successful start at their new firm.

1, Craft a meaningful individual business plan. Prior to your arrival at your new firm, spend considerable, dedicated time brainstorming and formulating your individual business plan (in fact, you don’t have to wait until you accept an offer to put pen to paper on a business plan— having a draft business plan in motion is a great recruitment tool for laterals to mention or share, when interviewing for lateral positions). Your business plan should serve as your playbook for the year and should include attainable and strategic tactics you plan to engage in to successfully grow and provide value to your key relationships (current clients, targets, referral entities). Strategies included in an individual business plan should be an equal mix of short-term and long-term goals, with specific actions associated with each goal included. All goals included in a business plan should be S.M.A.R.T.—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. When crafting a business plan, keep in mind that these plans should be viewed as “working documents” revisited throughout the year as focuses change or evolve.  Aside from the individual advantages a business plan provides for a lateral (a framework/guide for the year; accountability), it also serves as a strategic resource for a lateral’s marketing department, as well as your new colleagues. In reading a lateral’s intended business plan, your marketing department can craft a strong internal and external branding strategy announcing your arrival at your new firm, while your attorney colleagues can develop a clear sense of current casework they can bring you into or ways you can cross-market or partner on new business opportunities moving forward.