Remote workers with leadership aspirations don't need to do anything radically different than their onsite counterparts, but they do have to be more intentional with establishing and maintaining key relationships. Promotion to partner, whether online or onsite, is often a matter of not just providing value to the firm but of being seen providing value — something that's a little easier when in the same physical location as firm leaders.
Still, the advantage is not insurmountable, according to Tim Cofrin, a New Hampshire-based tax partner with Atlanta-based Top 100 Firm Aprio.
Cofrin, who became a partner in 2023, joined Aprio as a tax manager when it bought his previous firm in 2018. At that time, most of his experience was in federal taxation. However, he knew that Aprio, while it consulted on state and local taxes, lacked a tax compliance practice. Rather than continuing with his federal tax work, he decided instead he would build out this practice, which he said served to differentiate himself from less proactive remote workers.
"I created this opportunity and grew a business venture through this environment. … Over time, between 2018 and through 2022 and into 2023, the firm was able to appreciate and recognize and promote my talent and my expertise for the firm and that was a big differential. I separated myself and created something new that put me above my peers," he said. He also made it a point to coach and mentor people: "So it's not just about the numbers, it's also how you take care of your people, so that was also a differentiator."
While it was a little more difficult creating and maintaining the relationships that eventually got him noticed by firm leaders, Cofrin said it takes only a little intentionality to overcome this challenge. For instance, he is a big fan of scheduling 30-minute "virtual coffees" with colleagues both old and new to learn what he can from them. This doesn't just increase his knowledge; it gets his face in front of people, which is important for anyone wanting to become partner, remote or not.
"You can't grow remotely if you are just trying to be a doer. If you just get your work done and go about your day, if that's what you want to do, that is great, but your name won't be out there, and no one will be thinking of you unless your name is out there every day. For someone trying to build a career in this capacity, what I would recommend is you need to make a name for yourself and create your own brand," he said. "If you can't do that, you won't get recognized no matter how hard you work, because you're not going to get the value and appreciation you'd otherwise get if people saw you every day and knew the hard work you put in."
Kevin Loiselle, another remote partner at Aprio — though based in San Francisco — raised a similar point on staying visible. Hired fully remote as a tax manager in 2018, he was never expected to show up at the firm's Atlanta headquarters. Despite this, he made it a point to do so at least every quarter so he could make more connections, especially with firm leaders.
"On a regular basis I would have conversations with general leaders in the firm, getting feedback and advice from them and making sure that I knew, as a maybe nontraditional promotee, what needed to be done, what goals were being targeted for business development and staff training. There was a mix, but there was benefit to making sure there was some of that face time," he said. He chose to fly to Atlanta for his partnership interviews and was promoted earlier this year.
Setting clear expectations
Regardless of whether one wants to be hired as a remote partner or be promoted to one, it's important to make sure the firm is open to the idea. Danielle McGee, a Michigan-based partner for California-based Katz Cassidy, said it's important to be upfront about one's intentions, as it does little good to pursue a partner position at a firm that is dead set against allowing remote partners.
While she was interviewing to be a senior manager at Katz Cassidy, she made it clear that she would eventually like to become an owner. While the firm had been an early adopter of remote work, its leaders were skeptical about allowing remote partners from outside the state. Still, because they were not wholly against it, they hired her anyway and let her show them it could work. It took only a few years for her to prove it could, clearing her way to partner.
"I was very forward about what it was I wanted during my initial interview," she said. "I was candid that my goal was to make it to owner and would they be open to the idea of an owner who did not live in California. The managing principal said at the time he thought I was crazy but said, 'Sure, if you can find a way to prove it will work, we will be open to it.' So that is what I did."
Loiselle stressed the importance of aspiring remote partners being open about their intentions, especially in conversations with decision-makers in a firm. He made it clear from the start that he was aiming for partner, and during his many conversations with firm leaders, asked for guidance on what it would take to get there.
"My advice would be around knowing your firm, knowing all the people who are responsible for that decision-making process," he said. "Just know your environment and your firm and how it operates and what's expected of you and how that process should be tailored, so that you have reasonable goals and expectations that are clear to you, so you know what you bring to the table, the value you bring, the metrics that are set for you."
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