An of counsel seat can mean senior work and better hours.
Of counsel work can give you senior matters and more say over your schedule without the obligations of partnership. The catch is that of counsel means different things at different firms, and the title alone won't tell you which. We'll lay out what a specific offer includes and what to settle first.
- Seats with real flexibility on hours, and a straight read on which firms mean it.
- Senior work without partner obligations, at regional and mid-size firms and at Am Law firms.
- Confidential from the first message. Your current firm never hears from us.
- No cost to you at any stage. The hiring firm pays, never the candidate.
Of counsel is the least standardized title in a law firm, and two offers carrying it can describe very different jobs. At regional and mid-size firms it often marks a senior lawyer who runs their own matters without partner obligations, or an experienced attorney who arrives with a modest book the firm wants to keep serving. At Am Law and other national firms the title is usually more defined: a career specialist seat in a technical practice, a place for a senior associate the firm wants to keep past the partner decision, or a stated path-to-partner track for a lateral who needs a year or two to build the case. The offer letter rarely spells out which one you're getting. Ask what happened to the last two people who held the title there.
Demand has held up at both tiers, largely because firms want senior judgment without adding an equity partner. Regional and mid-size firms use the role to cover a practice they can't staff at the top, and they tend to be more flexible on schedule and location. A real cut in hours is easier to get there than at a national firm. Their firmwide targets start lower too. In that group we see 1,800 hours most often, 1,900 and 1,850 next, and a handful of firms as low as 1,500 to 1,700. Am Law firms use it in specialist groups where deep technical work matters more than originations, and under busy partners who need senior support they can rely on. We represent attorneys at the country's leading national firms and run active searches with Am Law 100 and 200 firms, so we can tell you how a given firm has used the title rather than how the industry describes it. Most of our searches close in about five to six weeks.
What to pin down before you accept
Because the title means different things at different firms, the terms matter more than the label. These are the four to settle in writing.
The track, and the timeline
Ask whether the seat leads to partner, and if it does, what the review looks like and when it happens. At Am Law firms of counsel is sometimes a real path-to-partner track with a stated horizon and sometimes a permanent career seat, and the firm knows which one it's offering. At regional and mid-size firms the answer often turns on the practice group, so get it from the group leader rather than from the recruiting materials.
Hours and what's expected
Some of counsel roles carry a full billable target and others are built around a reduced schedule. Get the target in writing, along with how a reduction affects bonus eligibility and whether you can move back up later. Regional and mid-size firms are usually more open to a real reduction. Am Law firms do it too, more often in specialist groups than in the core practices.
Origination credit, if any
If you're bringing clients, find out whether of counsel attorneys receive origination credit at that firm, how it gets tracked, and what happens to it if you move up to partner. Some firms give credit at this level and plenty don't, so ask early and get the answer from someone who sets compensation.
How your compensation is set
Of counsel pay is negotiated individually rather than pinned to a class-year scale, at regional firms and at Am Law firms alike. Ask what the range is for the seat, who sets it each year, whether you're in the bonus pool, and how a book factors in. We'll tell you what comparable roles are paying so you're negotiating against the market instead of the first number the firm names.
Real recruiters who know the legal market.
You work with one person who specializes in your practice and keeps your search confidential.
What does of counsel mean at a law firm?
It depends entirely on the firm. At regional and mid-size firms it usually describes a senior attorney who handles their own matters outside the partnership, sometimes with a modest book. At Am Law firms it more often means a career specialist in a technical practice, a seat for a senior associate past the partner decision, or a defined track toward partner for a lateral. We'll tell you which version a particular firm is offering before you take the call.
Is of counsel a dead end?
Not by default. Attorneys move from of counsel into partnership regularly, especially where they bring clients or the firm needs their expertise at the top of a group. Other seats are permanent by design, which suits attorneys who want senior work without the obligations of ownership. We put the question to the firm before you spend time on the process.
Do you place of counsel roles at both regional firms and Big Law?
Yes, at both. We represent attorneys at the country's leading national firms and run active searches with Am Law 100 and 200 firms, alongside regional and mid-size firms across our attorney network in 42 states. Tell us your practice area and the kind of seat you want, and we'll show you what's open at each tier.
Can an of counsel role give me reduced hours?
Often yes, and it's one of the most common reasons attorneys take the title. Regional and mid-size firms are generally the more flexible, though Am Law specialist groups do it as well. Get the billable target, the compensation effect, and any path back to full time in writing, because a verbal understanding tends to fade when the group gets busy.
Is it confidential, and does it cost me anything?
Every conversation is confidential from the first message. Nothing about you reaches a firm without your explicit approval, and your current firm never hears from us. There's no cost to you at any stage, because the hiring firm pays our fee, never the candidate.