Guest post by Clare Mackay [1], legal director in the commercial litigation and dispute resolution team at St Albans firm SA Law
Mackay: Cultural change
The promotion to partnership has traditionally been seen as the pinnacle of career progression in law firms. Yet, as the profession evolves, firms are increasingly acknowledging the need for alternative senior roles – positions that offer influence and recognition without the obligations of ownership.
One such role is legal director.
Titles such as ‘legal director’ and ‘of counsel’ have existed for some time, but the scope of those roles varies.
In some firms, legal directors are akin to salaried partners; in others, they are senior lawyers acknowledged for technical excellence but without the business development targets or compliance responsibilities that partnership entails.
However, what is clear is that opting for the legal director route is not a halfway house or a consolation prize. It is a deliberate career choice and a genuine alternative to partnership.
SA Law introduced the new role of legal director in 2025 as an alternative to partnership. For me, this was the right opportunity. Becoming a legal director provides seniority, strategic input and professional gravitas without the financial and personal risks associated with partnership.
The promotion process mirrored partnership applications: it involved a rigorous assessment and the preparation of a detailed business plan demonstrating how I would continue to contribute to growth, profitability and the ethos of the firm.
I was delighted to be appointed as SA Law’s first legal director in September 2025. That in itself is exciting – as the first legal director, I get to shape how the role looks and pave the way for future legal directors.
Several factors can make the legal director role an attractive option for many people:
Risk profile: Partnership involves capital investment, personal guarantees, and exposure to business risk – that is not something that everyone will feel comfortable with.
Employment status: Remaining an employee preserves benefits such as pension contributions, paid private health cover and statutory protections from unfair dismissal and redundancy.
Strategic influence: As legal director, I now attend some partner meetings and my department’s strategic planning meetings. This means that I can contribute to high-level discussions. I don’t get to vote but I do have more insight into what is going on in the wider business, input into the direction of my department and influence on issues that matter.
Professional focus: Without the ever-increasing compliance and financial responsibilities of owning a business, legal directors can concentrate on delivering client work and technical excellence. This is what made me want to become a solicitor in the first place and working on challenging cases with clients is still the aspect of my role that I enjoy the most.
Market recognition: The title conveys seniority and expertise, aligning with rankings in legal directories and enhancing credibility with clients and peers. That seniority opens doors for business development and growth initiatives.
Offering a true alternative to partnership is more than a structural change – it is a cultural shift. Law firms now recognise that not everyone aspires to partnership and are adapting career paths to respond to that trend in order to attract and retain talent.
For many senior lawyers, a legal director role may represent the best of both worlds – status and influence without the risks and obligations of ownership.