Thinking About a Move? Understand the Process Before You Make One.

Most strong lawyers are passive candidates — curious, not committed. This playbook demystifies the lateral process: when to move, what firms genuinely weigh, and how to run a confidential search without putting your current seat at risk.

What’s inside

• The four signals that it is actually time to explore a move
• What firms evaluate beyond your résumé (and what they quietly ignore)
• A confidential search timeline from first call to start date
• How to protect your current position while you look
• The questions that separate a real opportunity from a lateral mistake