Dissecting A Partner Move: An Interview With Mark Bravin

What's usually the biggest unforeseen challenge in the lateral partner hiring process? Find out here.

Mark Bravin & Mike Allen

Mark Bravin (left) & Michael Allen (right)

Ed. note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts from Lateral Link’s team of expert contributors. Michael Allen is Managing Principal at Lateral Link, focusing exclusively on partner placements with Am Law 200 clients and placements for in-house attorneys.

Mark Bravin, a preeminent partner in the international arbitration space, recently moved to Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp (“MSK”). His former firm had a “decompression” policy with attorneys who hit the age of 65 that was too draconian for his taste. Because his past work gave rise to substantial client conflict issues, Mark’s lateral search was trickier than most, and required finding a firm that was a practice and personality fit, free of conflicts, and without any age ceiling on equity partnership. I sat down with Mark again after his move, to get his opinion on transitioning his practice at this stage in his career.

MA: How did you hear about Lateral Link?

MB: It was actually your Above The Law article on mandatory retirement that caught my attention. I graduated from Harvard Law School nearly 40 years ago, but I still love what I do and intend to continue for many more years. My former firm’s policy on aging out wasn’t a mandatory retirement structure, but still too limiting, and left me with little recourse other than finding a new platform.

MA: What was the biggest unforeseen challenge in the lateral partner hiring process?

MB: Without a doubt, it was conflicts of interest based on past and current client work. I represent both foreign governments and private parties in arbitration and litigation and some firms limit their work to one or the other. Others encountered business conflicts they could not quickly or easily resolve. Beyond that, I was surprised just how widespread mandatory retirement and age-restrictive policies are, especially among the largest firms. It would have been incredibly difficult to find the right firm without a legal recruiter.

MA: From a business standpoint, do mandatory retirement policies make sense to you?

MB: Many firms still cling to policies that stipulate the “right” age for partners to retire or lose their equity. For U.K. firms, that can be as young as 55; in the U.S., it is typically 65 — with some firms allowing year-to-year extensions at management’s discretion. In international arbitration and cross-border litigation, as is no doubt true in other areas of practice, the substantive expertise, client relationships, and mentoring capabilities developed over decades are especially difficult to forge, and ergo, are vital. From a business standpoint, I think firms are best served by determining the appropriate end-points of their relationships with their senior partners with the same or greater flexibility, and individualized, case-specific assessments, as they do when they promote their junior lawyers to equity partnership.

MA: We found you a home at MSK. How does their platform help your business?

MB: MSK is a terrific firm with exceptionally talented partners and associates and a great reputation for innovation. It has a clear growth strategy and has made great strides in recent years to position itself as one of the top firms in the world. I am delighted to call the firm home and excited by the opportunity to start tabula rasa, to grow MSK’s international arbitration and cross-border litigation practice and D.C. office into a strong regional player. I am already working with a number of exceptional associates and am looking to hire a few more partners and associates with international arbitration and litigation expertise to serve my current clients and grow the international practice. There are few firms like MSK that can offer such flexibility while maintaining incredibly high standards and a warm and welcoming work environment.

MA: How much did the Lateral Link Scholarship Fund at Harvard Law School play into your decision to use us?

MB: To be honest, it was the deciding factor. When I read that Lateral Link donates 10% of its placement fees to Harvard Law School to aid disadvantaged students, I was impressed. The Lateral Link Scholarship Fund is a great way for HLS alumni to give back to a school that without doubt has helped them to succeed, and without incurring any direct cost. Lateral Link has taken the lead in giving back to an institution that certainly has helped you succeed as well, and by offering a way for our alumni to help simply by using your team’s services or referring friends.


Lateral Link is one of the top-rated international legal recruiting firms. With over 14 offices world-wide, Lateral Link specializes in placing attorneys at the most prestigious law firms and companies in the world. Managed by former practicing attorneys from top law schools, Lateral Link has a tradition of hiring lawyers to execute the lateral leaps of practicing attorneys. Click ::here:: to find out more about us.