Do you know how to make partner in your firm?

If you’re a lawyer, accountant or consultant and you are ambitious to get noticed as partner material by the partners in your firm, this is the place for you.

Get ready to build your partner-ready skills – all the information you need is here! I’m Heather Townsend. I’m the leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner. Welcome! Check out my blog, join my free live webinars, and take my Partnership Readiness Assessment. Find out how my Progress to Partner Academy can give you the time, skills and confidence to start demonstrating that you have the skills you need to make partner.

In other words, it’s time to stop watching others succeed and stop wondering what you need to do to get noticed for partner-track. You’re in the right place!

You can only take control of your own career development when you stop relying on rumours and you know exactly what to do to get noticed as “one to watch”.

Find out more about progress to Partner academy

How can we help you?

Accountants, Lawyers, Consultants and other professionals in practice trust How To Make Partner to progress their careers. Created by Heather Townsend (author of Poised for Partnership and co-author of How to Make Partner & Still have a Life), we are the leading global organisation solely dedicated to developing professionals to learn the skills needed to be successful in partnerships.


Grow Your Client Portfolio

Read: How to build a partner-sized client portfolio

Grow your client portfolio »
Read more: Home (Rebuilt)


Pitch for Partnership

How to Make Partner will assist you to grow, create and then successfully pitch your Business Case for Partnership.

Pitch for partnership »


Create a Strong Team

Our self-study courses will teach you how to manage your team so you get noticed for the right reasons

Create a strong team »


Develop Your Rising Stars

Show your rising stars that you are investing in their careers with a corporate Progress to Partner membership

develop your rising stars »


New Partner
Programmes

Practical, focused and emotional support to help you to adjust to the demands of being a new partner.

new partner programmes »


Progress To Partner Academy

Join Progress to Partner Academy for access to a separate membership site full of guides, recordings and ALL our self-study courses plus discounted coaching rates.

progress to partner academy »


Future Partner Programmes

We work with mid-tier and regional professional service firms to create a pipeline of future partners by delivering virtual, hybrid or in-person coaching programmes that are effective, scalable and affordable.

COntact us for coaching programs »


Invest in Your Own Development

You don’t have to wait to be noticed. You can take control of your own development and don’t leave it to luck. Progress to Partner Academy courses will help you get noticed for the “partner track”. Make sure you are doing everything you can to progress your career

invest in your own development »

Why Choose Us

We help professionals in practice like you to make partner – and when they get there, stay there.

Lawyers, accountants, architects, surveyors and consultants. People just like you need and deserve career advice from people who understand exactly what it’s like, working in a professional service firm, with targets to meet and no time to work on your career.

You make sure your clients get the best advice, so why not get the best advice from the experts in helping you progress your career in professional services.

PARTNER Career Services

Take a look at some of the courses in Progress to Partner Academy

View All Courses

Clients

of our clients have now made it to partner

Members

of Progress To Partner from over 15 countries

Years of Helping Professionals

make it to partner in the top 6 accountancy firms, 20+ law firms from the UK top 100 law firms as well as 7 out of the top 10 consulting firms.

Lawyers, Accountants, Consultants

have trusted us and attended a virtual, hybrid or in-person event of ours in the last 10 years

How much would your career progress

free up some of your time to focus on doing the things that matter?

  • Learn how to delegate to your trusted group of juniors so you are confident the work will still get done in time
  • Create your own career development plan. A plan that you will actually use!
  • Come out of your partner’s shadow so you can grow your own partner-sized client portfolio and be seen as a rainmaker for your firm
  • Be seen as a true Go-To Expert both within your firm and externally, so work comes naturally to you… rather than you having to spend hours you haven’t got on business development
  • Grow your profile and reputation so your partners talk about you as ‘the next partner’
  • Demonstrate you think and act commercially so your partners are desperate to have you around the partnership table

Progress To Partner Academy is full of self-paced courses, guides and videos all with one thing in mind. To help you reach partner. This isn’t generic “career progress” stuff. It’s specifically aimed at you if you’re working in a professional service firm.

Join and it’s like having a trusted colleague, a mentor and a coach all in one place! Join for just £290 +VAT for 12 months here (works about at about £30 a month – amazing value!)

  • Are you watching people in your firm who are not as technically proficient as you but who are progressing faster than you. Why are they getting promoted & not you?
  • Learn what you really need to be doing to get noticed. (it’s not meeting your targets and waiting to be picked). Take control of your own development and your career progression.
  • Progress to Partner Academy gives you access to my self–paced courses, guides, exclusive videos and discounted coaching to help you reach partner.
  • The Academy gives you a clear guidance you need to be noticed as partner material and progress to the top from your current role, without having to work harder or change who you are.
  • Need to up your networking/BD game? Work through:
  • How to Make Time for Business Development
  • How to Create a BD Plan
  • Get Confident on LinkedIN
  • How to Become the Go-To-Expert
  • Game Plan – How to Start Winning Clients when you don’t know where to start…
  • Nobody in the firm knows who you are? Work through:
  • Game Plan – I need Help to Raise my Profile
  • How to be on your A-Game every day
  • Feeling totally overwhelmed with it all? Work through:
  • I need help with… Mindset
  • I need help with…Plan
  • How to put together and use a Career Development Plan
  • Need to show that you’re “partner-ready”? Work through:
  • Course – Build a Cast-Iron Business Case for Partner
  • Course – Become known as the Go-to-Expert
  • Course – Excel as a Line Manager
  • Course – Create a Business Development Plan
  • I need help with… Partner Admissions
  • Find out more here: www.howtomakepartner.com/get-progress-to-partner
firms are giving their rising stars their own membership of progress to partner academy. find out more here

What People Say About Us

“I wish I had read this book two years ago.”

Writing about our book
How to Make Partner & Still Have a Life
Former PartnerPwC
I would strongly recommend senior managers; directors to use this book at the earlier stage to start the journey towards partnership
New EY Partner(About the BOOK: How to Make Partner & Still Have a Life)
As a result of the help and support I received from my coach, the feedback I got from my firm at each stage of the process was that I was an outstanding candidate.

And yes, I did get through at the first time of asking. I was one of only 2 partners which were made up across the whole of our global firm
PartnerMazars
I’ve only gone through a small portion of the material so far and it’s spot on.
PartnerConsultancy Firm
Thank you very much indeed for your significant help and support – as a result of your guidance I felt incredibly confident in submitting my business plan and then giving my presentation and interview. In the days after the presentation and interview I had some very positive feedback from the partners who interviewed me, saying that my performance was “outstanding” and that my presentation was “very slick and professional” – I doubt it would have been without your advice and guidance. I gained so much confidence from working with you and I am extremely grateful.
PartnerBLM LLP
Before I started working with Heather I was well-respected and seen as a ‘safe pair of hands’ but struggling to build my practice. Heather’s input and guidance was instrumental in helping me grow my profile both internally and externally, and maximise the opportunities to sell myself in my business case for partner. As a result of working with Heather I made partner 18 months later and have almost doubled my client portfolio.
PartnerHFW LLP
Thank you very much indeed for your significant help and support – as a result of your guidance I felt incredibly confident in submitting my business plan and then giving my presentation and interview. In the days after the presentation and interview I had some very positive feedback from the partners who interviewed me, saying that my performance was “outstanding” and that my presentation was “very slick and professional” – I doubt it would have been without your advice and guidance. I gained so much confidence from working with you and I am extremely grateful.
PartnerBLM LLP
I did the short delegation course in Progress to Partner and it was a game-changer. I now have much more time.
Senior ConsultantSingapore
Many thanks again for the great course, it’s been very helpful in developing my career further. And the knowledge I gained will continue to support me and others around with their progress.
DirectorPwC
I would highly recommend Heather and her team for professional development that demystifies the journey as you Progress to Partner, allowing you to focus your efforts in growing the size of your firm.
New Partner
Heather and the Team at How to Make Partner shone a light on progression and, once the penny dropped, it was clear what I had to do – stop thinking about my own workload and winning work for me and start thinking about “our” firm and winning work for our team.
New Partner
The How to Make Partner / Progress to Partner programme was an invaluable resource as I made the transition from employee to Partner.

I am now a Partner in EQ Accountants LLP, a large independent firm of Chartered Accountants, Tax and Business Advisers, and I still refer to the ‘career plan’ and various other resources provided by Heather and her team.
Gordon BuistEQ Chartered Accountants
I would highly recommend Heather and her team for professional development that demystifies the journey as you Progress to Partner, allowing you to focus your efforts in growing the size of your firm.
Gordon BuistEQ Chartered Accountants
I did the short delegation course in Progress to Partner and it was a game-changer. I now have much more time.
Senior ConsultantSingapore
I want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you. I have been following you and utilising some of your materials since 2018. i am glad to inform you that I am now a Partner at Deloitte Africa, here in Nigeria.
PartnerDeloitte, Nigeria
Heather, I made it! They all voted for me. I am a partner! Thank you so much for your support.
BDO PartnerNewly promoted
Good news – I got promoted to VAT Director effective from 1 October 2022. Thank you for helping me to get through this process.
VAT DirectorEY
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