Understanding the basic framework of the profession can help lawyers at every level
Every law firm—regardless of size, practice area, geography or business model—has three essential jobs:
Generate the work.
Do the work.
Support the people generating and doing the work.
That’s it. Generate. Do. Support.
The work itself may involve complex litigation, estate planning or criminal defense. The organizational chart may contain five people, 500 people or 5,000 people. The titles may vary. But every person contributes primarily to one of these three functions. Understanding this framework can help lawyers and legal professionals at every level better appreciate their role, align expectations, improve performance and make smarter career decisions.
Why this matters
As in any business, many frustrations in law firms arise because people misunderstand what the firm actually needs (or wants) from them. Associates wonder why legal excellence alone does not guarantee advancement. Partners become frustrated when associates fail to appreciate the importance of case ownership and business development. Administrative professionals are often asked to execute important tasks without a clear understanding of how they connect to the firm’s larger goals. The three-job framework helps answer these questions by highlighting a fundamental truth: Law firms are businesses that exist to serve clients. (For more on this, check out my earlier article, “Put Your Ego Aside,” Winter 2026, page 16.) Everything else flows from that reality.
The challenge is not simply doing legal work well. That’s the bare minimum—table stakes—for lawyers. The challenge is ensuring there is work to do, performing it effectively and efficiently, and creating an environment that allows both of those things to happen consistently.
Job No. 1: Generate work
A law firm can survive a temporary shortage of lawyers; it cannot survive a shortage of work. Without clients, there is no law firm. Many lawyers, however, spend the first decade of their career believing legal expertise is a firm’s most valuable asset. No matter how technically proficient a lawyer may be, expertise alone does not create a sustainable practice. Clients do. That reality explains why business development remains a key factor in advancement decisions and why friction can arise when some partners consistently generate work while others primarily benefit from those efforts.
Generating work creates leverage throughout the organization. A single client relationship can support multiple lawyers and staff members. Not every lawyer must be a rainmaker, but every lawyer should understand how work enters the firm, value (and support) those who generate it, and contribute to maintaining and strengthening those relationships.
Job No. 2: Do the work
Once the client arrives, the work must be performed. Research, drafting, negotiation, advocacy, counseling, strategy and problem-solving all fall within this category. Most lawyers spend the majority of their careers here, which is unsurprising given that legal education (and continuing legal education) is designed almost entirely to develop these skills.
The lawyers who excel become technical experts. They develop specialized knowledge, solve complex problems and consistently deliver excellent work. Their contributions are essential. What lawyers sometimes overlook, however, is that excellence in practicing law is not the same as excellence in leading a law firm. A skilled lawyer may not enjoy client development. A successful rainmaker may not be the strongest technical expert. Law firms need both. Generating work and performing work create value in different ways, and both deserve equal recognition and support.
Job No. 3: Support workers
The third job is often the least understood and most underappreciated: creating and maintaining conditions that allow lawyers to serve clients effectively. Finance, accounting, human resources, technology, marketing, recruiting, training, facilities, records management and administrative support all play essential roles. Paralegals frequently bridge the gap between supporting legal work and performing it. Administrative professionals are sometimes viewed as outside the firm’s core mission, but they are critical for its success. Even the most skilled lawyer depends on functioning technology, organized records, coordinated logistics, accurate billing, proper staffing and effective deadline management.
Support professionals do more than assist lawyers; they help deliver the service and value clients expect. Firms perform best when everyone understands that every task contributes to client service, and every role contributes to the firm’s success.
Understanding your main job
The real value of the three-job framework is not understanding the concept; it is using it to evaluate how you spend your time and how you evaluate others. Start by identifying your primary responsibility:
• Partners are primarily responsible for generating work.
• Associates are primarily responsible for doing the work.
• Paralegals, administrators and support professionals are primarily responsible for helping lawyers manage client relationships and do the work efficiently and effectively.
• Managing partners often carry responsibilities in all three areas.
Once you understand your primary role, ask a simple question: Does the way I spend my time reflect the value I am expected to create? Most performance issues stem not from a lack of effort, but from a lack of clarity. The question is not whether you contribute to all three jobs. Most lawyers do. The question is where you create the greatest value at this point in your career.
Evolution of a law career
The three-job framework also explains why career expectations change over time and why many professionals struggle during periods of growth. Early in a lawyer’s career, success is measured primarily by the ability to do the work. Can you write effectively? Analyze complex issues? Manage assignments responsibly? Deliver excellent service to clients and partners? If so, you will likely succeed.
As your career progresses, the expectations evolve. You may begin supervising others, managing cases and client relationships, mentoring younger professionals, recruiting talent or helping lead the firm—all while still doing the work. That transition is not easy. In fact, some of the most challenging years of a legal career occur at the senior associate and new partner levels, when you are expected to do all three jobs at once—and do them all well.
Many lawyers also find this transition particularly difficult because they genuinely enjoy doing the legal work. They built their careers on being excellent practitioners. Yet the skills that create value as a junior lawyer are not the same skills that create value as a senior lawyer or partner.
As responsibilities grow, the firm increasingly needs leadership, judgment, mentoring, business development and strategic thinking. That does not mean you should ignore your strengths or abandon the work you enjoy. As many leadership experts have observed, self-awareness is a competitive advantage.
Success begins with an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Know where you excel, where you struggle, and what work brings out your best. The most effective firms don’t try to make everyone good at everything. They help people excel where they add the most value while ensuring the firm’s needs are met.
Lessons for in-house
The three-job framework can also apply to in-house legal departments. While corporate legal teams do not generate revenue the same way law firms do, the underlying functions remain similar. Someone must identify legal needs, build relationships with internal clients and ensure the legal department is engaged at the right time. Someone must perform the legal work. And someone must create the systems, processes, technology, budgets and operational support that allow legal services to be delivered efficiently and effectively.
The growth of “legal operations” as a position reflects a broader recognition that excellent legal services require more than talented lawyers. They also require professionals who improve efficiency, manage resources, implement technology and build systems that allow lawyers to perform at their best. Whether implementing new technology, streamlining workflows, managing budgets or advising on risk and strategy, these professionals contribute to the same goal: delivering better legal services.
Organizational value
Law firms are complex organizations, but their success rests on a simple formula: Someone must bring in the work, someone must do the work, and someone must make both possible. The professionals who thrive understand where they create the greatest value and pursue it relentlessly. They take ownership of their role, execute it with excellence and respect the contributions of others. When that happens, clients are served, teams perform and firms succeed.
Erin E. Rhinehart. (Photo courtesy Faruki)Erin E. Rhinehart is co-managing partner of Faruki in Dayton, Ohio. Her practice focuses on commercial litigation, spanning a variety of issues and industries. Survival Guide, Esq. offers advice for early-career lawyers through a partnership between the ABA Journal and the ABA Young Lawyers Division. The authors of the column welcome any of your questions. Please send them to [email protected].
This column reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily the views of the ABA Journal—or the American Bar Association.
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