The lateral hire looked great on paper. Strong book of business. Complementary practice area. Good cultural fit. The deal got done, the announcement went out, and the firm waited for the new revenue to arrive.
Six months later, the picture is less clear. Some clients followed. Others did not. The cross-selling opportunities everyone talked about have not materialised. The new partner is busy but the broader growth story that justified the hire has not come together.
This is not an unusual outcome. Research consistently shows that a significant percentage of lateral partner hires fail to meet revenue expectations within the first two years. Not because the lawyer was the wrong hire, but because there was no structured plan for what happens after they arrive.
The missing piece: a go-to-market plan
Most firms invest heavily in the decision to hire a lateral partner: market analysis, financial modelling, due diligence on the book of business, conflict checks. But remarkably few firms invest in the go-to-market strategy that determines whether the hire actually delivers the growth it was supposed to.
A go-to-market plan for a lateral hire answers three questions.
Which clients will follow, and which will not? Not every client relationship is portable. Some are personally loyal to the partner. Others are loyal to the firm they are leaving, or to a team, or to a pricing arrangement. Being honest about which clients are likely to move, and which will need active persuasion, is the starting point.
Where are the cross-sell opportunities? This is usually the biggest part of the business case. The lateral brings corporate clients; the firm has a strong IP team. The lateral has financial services relationships; the firm is building a fintech practice. But cross-selling does not happen by proximity. It requires deliberate introduction, shared pitch materials, joint client planning, and often a structured programme of relationship mapping.
What does the first 100 days look like? The early months set the trajectory. A lateral partner who spends their first three months figuring out internal systems, building an assistant relationship, and finding their way around without proactive client outreach loses critical momentum. A structured 100-day plan ensures that the most important client conversations, internal introductions, and market activities happen in the right order.
Why firms skip this step
There are a few common reasons.
The assumption that a good lawyer will figure it out. Partners are senior professionals. The expectation is that they know how to develop business. But knowing how to develop business in one firm does not automatically translate to another. The networks are different. The support infrastructure is different. The brand positioning may be different. Even a highly capable partner needs a plan that accounts for their new context.
The handoff gap between recruitment and integration. The people who negotiated the lateral hire (usually the managing partner or a practice group head) are not always the people responsible for supporting the integration. And the BD or marketing team may not have been involved in the hire decision at all. The result is a gap: the strategic rationale for the hire exists in a few people's heads but has not been translated into an operational plan.
No one owns it. Integration is everyone's job and therefore no one's job. The practice group head assumes BD is handling it. BD assumes the practice group is leading it. The lateral partner assumes the firm has a process. Often, nobody is driving the plan.
What a structured GTM approach looks like
For a lateral hire to deliver on its potential, the firm needs a go-to-market plan that covers four areas.
Client transition strategy. Identify the top 10-15 client relationships, assess portability for each, and create a contact plan. This includes coordinating the narrative (why the move benefits the client) and timing the outreach to maximise impact while being respectful of contractual notice periods.
Internal integration plan. Map the lateral partner's expertise and relationships against the firm's existing client base. Identify the three to five most promising cross-sell opportunities and create a structured introduction plan. Not just "you should meet my colleague" but a properly prepared client meeting with a joint value proposition.
Market positioning. How will the firm announce and position the hire? What thought leadership or speaking opportunities should the partner pursue in their first six months? How does the hire fit into the firm's broader growth narrative? This is marketing and BD working together to amplify the investment.
Accountability and review. Set revenue and relationship targets for 90 days, 6 months, and 12 months. Schedule regular check-ins between the lateral partner, practice group leadership, and the BD team. Make the plan a living document rather than a one-time exercise.
The difference between a hire and a growth strategy
A lateral hire is a bet on future growth. A go-to-market plan is what turns that bet into a strategy. The firms that consistently succeed with laterals are not the ones that hire better. They are the ones that integrate better.
At Beyond Billable Hours, our GTM Clarity workshop helps firms develop structured go-to-market plans, whether for a lateral hire, a new practice area, a new office, or a new market. We work with leadership, the partner involved, and the BD team to build a practical plan that creates accountability and momentum from day one.
If you have a lateral hire coming in and want to make sure the investment delivers, book a conversation with us.
Beyond Billable Hours helps law firms rethink how they grow. Explore our workshops or learn more about our approach.