A law firm’s headquarters is defined by the city that serves as its home base. It’s typically where the firm was born and where the largest number of partners and top brass reside. It used to be that if a lawyer wanted a successful career with a law firm, working at HQ was a must. This is not the case today. The desire among many law firms to service a national and global client base has driven them to plant new flags (sometimes firmly, sometimes more precariously) on “foreign” soil. This has created opportunities for lawyers outside of the Mother ship.

Satellite offices are created in one of three ways: (1) lateral partner acquisition; (2) A transplant of existing partners from other offices; or (3) a combination of the two. But no two satellite offices are created equal. Some are larger than others, some have more revenue…some have more power.

Whether your affiliation with a law firm’s satellite office will hurt your career…or help will depend on a few factors:

Your Career Goals.

If your goal is to be law firm partner, residency in a satellite office can make reaching this goal more challenging. Why? At the end of the day, making partner is a numbers game. And because satellite offices tend to be smaller, fewer associates are elevated to partner compared to those at HQ. In addition, less opportunity exists for a satellite associate to build political capital with the HQ power base. But making partner isn’t impossible…it can be realistic. The key is to align yourself with a powerful local partner in a highly valued practice. This partner will also need to serve as your champion come crunch time. With a local big shot in your corner, your chances of making partner greatly increase. Without this support, chances will be slim.

If your goal is to go in house at some point, a satellite office can be a powerful platform if the following elements exist: (1) It’s in a geographic location where many companies reside; (2) You can be a member of a successful practice area marketable to companies; (3) You can receive great experience; (4) It has a relevant client base (i.e. tech companies, financial institutions etc.); and (5) it has a good reputation in the local corporate community.

Your Desired Practice Aligns With The Local Office Practice Strength.

Satellite offices can house powerful partners with successful practices. These partners tend to be laterals from other firms. If the satellite office has a strong or market leading practice in an area that interests you, it can be a positive career move. So assess the strength and quality of its local practice and its partners. The higher the quality, the greater the opportunity to build a noteworthy career.

The Office Profile.

Knowing more about the office will help you assess its possible impact on your career: How big is the office? How diverse are the practices? How long has the office been around? Is the office growing? Are any partners in firm management? Are associates advancing?

The Level of Support From Firm Management.

If there is little support for the satellite office, it will be only a matter of time before morale issues arise among the resident lawyers. No one wants to feel like chopped liver. And if firm management isn’t invested in the office’s success, the good lawyers will leave eventually and the office will either close or limp along. Leaving unattractive career prospects. Not a good situation for an associate.

Being a lawyer in the satellite office of a law firm is no longer the Siberian experience it once felt like for lawyers many years ago. Today, these branches can offer excellent opportunity with attractive career upside. So if you are set on a satellite, do your homework…and choose the flag that’s the most firmly planted.