Inside Foley’s 2026 Senior Counsel Meeting: Building a Partnership‑Ready Practice
In April, Foley welcomed 95 senior counsel from 18 offices to Chicago for its annual Senior Counsel Meeting — a three-day program designed to support career development, foster cross-office relationships, and equip participants with practical tools for business generation, leadership, and strategic planning.
The program centered on a clear objective: helping senior counsel translate expectations into action. Through sessions featuring insights from firm leadership, career development panels, communication skills training, and interactive workshops, attendees gained a more practical understanding of what it takes to build and demonstrate a partnership-ready practice.
Across the program, several themes emerged:
- Develop a practice with purpose, clear focus, sustained momentum, and a credible path to future client demand
- Align your narrative with your impact, ensuring your business plan, performance metrics, and practice strategy tell a consistent story
- Build progression in business development, with disciplined, ongoing efforts that support long-term growth
- Contribute beyond billable work, through leadership, collaboration, and investment in the firm
- Advance firm strategy, including client engagement, sector growth, and innovation
A standout session, “Convert Your ‘Story’ Into Strategy to Support Your Partnership Candidacy,” challenged attendees to define what they want to be known for and translate that into a focused business development strategy. The key takeaway was that a strong “story” is not just about past experience but also serves as a roadmap for future growth.
Programming also addressed broader changes impacting the profession, particularly the increasing role of AI and evolving client expectations. Attendees explored how these shifts are reshaping legal workflows and value delivery, along with the role senior counsel play in translating innovation into client value.
Just as important as the formal sessions were the opportunities to connect. Through networking and small-group discussions, attendees built relationships across practices and offices — an experience that strengthened cross-office collaboration and served as an essential driver of long-term success.
We asked attendees to share their key takeaways from the meeting — here’s what they had to say!
“This was the most useful Foley program I have ever attended.”
“Useful information for my path toward partnership.”
“The group brainstorming component of the AI session was very helpful.”
“Getting to network with peers was a key value of the Senior Counsel Meeting.”
“The session with the outside speaker was very engaging.”
These reflections underscore the program’s impact and Foley’s continued focus on investing in the success of its senior counsel while providing a strong foundation for their path to partnership.
Explore our other tenure-based attorney programs to learn how Foley supports professional growth at every stage of a lawyer’s career.