Walk in prepared.
Every single time.
Getting the interview is step one. What happens in the room is what actually changes your career. Our certified coaches and personalized prep materials ensure you show up with clarity, confidence, and a plan.
Book a Coaching Session →Most candidates
prepare. Ours
are ready.
There's a meaningful difference between having prepared for an interview and being genuinely ready for one. Preparation is reading the firm's website the night before. Readiness is knowing exactly how to tell your story, why this move makes sense at this moment in your career, and what to say to the specific partner you're sitting across from — because you've already done it on a live call with one of our coaches.
Our executive coaching and interview prep service is included as part of your engagement with Forward Lateral — because we believe that how you interview is as important as where you interview. We don't send you into the room to figure it out. We send you in ready.
Every tool you need.
Before, during, and after.
Our coaching program is built around four core components, delivered by certified coaches with legal industry backgrounds.
Discovery &
Career Clarity Session
Every coaching engagement begins with a one-on-one discovery call. We don't start with where you want to go — we start with who you are, what drives you, and what success actually looks like for you. From there, we build a clear picture of how to position your background and articulate your motivations in a way that is compelling, honest, and specific to the opportunities we're pursuing together.
Live Mock
Interview Calls
Our certified coaches conduct live, recorded mock interview sessions that simulate the real conversation — including the questions you'll be asked, the follow-ups that catch most candidates off guard, and the pressure that comes with talking about a career move with a senior partner. You'll get detailed feedback on your answers, your pacing, your narrative arc, and the moments where you undersell yourself. You'll also get honest coaching on the moments where you overcomplicate things and the simpler answer wins.
Custom Prep Sheet
Before Every Interview
Before every single interview, you receive a personalized prep sheet — not a generic firm overview, but a document tailored to that specific conversation. It includes background on each person you're meeting (their practice, their path, what they've worked on), suggested questions you can ask each interviewer based on their individual history, talking points that connect your experience to their likely priorities, and logistics. You should never walk into a room without knowing exactly whom you're meeting and having a plan for what to say to them.
Post-Interview
Debrief & Feedback
After each interview, we debrief with you and gather feedback from the firm. You'll learn what landed, what missed, and what you can sharpen before the next round. We don't let good feedback go unused — if a partner flagged something, you'll know about it and we'll address it directly before you're back in the room. This iterative loop is what separates candidates who improve through the process from those who repeat the same answers until something works.
Know exactly
who you're
walking in to meet.
Every interviewer is different. A litigator who built her practice over 25 years at a boutique is going to ask very different questions than a 40-year-old laterally hired partner who made partner at 35 after three firm moves. The prep sheet we send before every interview is built around the specific people in the room — not the firm in general.
It includes their background, their notable matters, their likely interests, and a curated list of questions you can ask that will feel natural and informed — because they are. Candidates who walk in knowing something specific about the person across the table make a fundamentally different impression than those who walk in knowing something general about the firm.
Your search stays
yours.
Everything that happens in a coaching session — every concern you raise, every doubt you express, every version of your story you try out — is completely confidential. We are not reporting back to firms. We are not sharing your hesitations. We are not using what you tell us in a coaching call to manage how a firm perceives you.
We operate with radical transparency between ourselves and our candidates — and absolute discretion between our candidates and everyone else. That means you can be fully honest with us about what you want, what worries you, and what's really driving this search. The more honest you are with us, the more useful we can be to you.
Coaching is Confidential
What you share in a coaching session never leaves that session. We are your coach, not your firm's informant.
No Surprise Submissions
We never submit your materials to a firm without your explicit approval for that specific firm, every time.
Radical Transparency
We tell you exactly what firms are saying — including the hard feedback. You deserve the truth, not a managed version of it.
Your Goals First
If an opportunity isn't right for you, we'll say so — even if placing you there would benefit us. Your long-term success is what drives repeat referrals.
From first call to final offer
Initial Recruiter Consultation
Your journey starts with a confidential conversation with your recruiter — no coaching, just listening. We want to understand your practice, your motivations, and what you're looking for before we do anything else. This forms the foundation for everything that follows.
Coaching Discovery Session
Once we've identified serious opportunities to pursue, you're connected with one of our certified coaches for a discovery session. Together, you'll clarify your career story, identify your most compelling talking points, and build the narrative framework you'll use throughout the process.
Live Mock Interview Prep
Before any interview, you'll do at least one live mock session with your coach. We simulate the real conversation, give detailed feedback, and keep going until you feel — and sound — genuinely ready. Not just prepared. Ready.
Custom Prep Sheet Delivered
24-48 hours before each interview, you receive your personalized prep sheet covering every person you're meeting — their background, their likely interests, and the specific questions to ask them. No generic firm overviews. Real, interview-specific intelligence.
Post-Interview Debrief
After each round, we debrief with you and gather feedback from the firm. We share everything we hear — including the uncomfortable parts — and use it to sharpen your approach for what comes next. Every interview makes you better.
Offer Negotiation & Transition Support
When the offer comes, we stay engaged through negotiation, acceptance, and resignation. Your coach remains available through your first 90 days to help you integrate successfully and continue the momentum you've built.
Ready to walk in
fully prepared?
Start with a confidential conversation. No commitments — just clarity about what's next for your career.