Hunter J. Shkolnik, founding partner at Napoli Shkolnik, and Patrick J. Lanciotti, junior partner at the firm, spoke with Law.com's Ross Todd about the firm's junior partner role and what it means for the future of plaintiff law firm growth.

The tier, which includes four lawyers, Patrick Lanciotti, Stephen J. Maloney, Jr., Silvino Díaz, and Verónica N. Vázquez, is designed to prepare attorneys for management, budgeting, and leadership. Shkolnik described the motivation as rooted in succession and long-term sustainability.

"What we realized is that in order for our firm not just to be here today and to grow on what we can do, we need the next generation of lawyers to step up and start assuming responsibility of leadership," Shkolnik said. "It's the natural progression, and it helps us ensure that we have a legacy to follow us, and something we built as big as this continues into the future."

The Next Generation

For Lanciotti, who focuses on environmental litigation and toxic torts, the role formalizes responsibilities he was already beginning to shoulder, including overseeing associates, paralegals, and case budgets across matters he may not personally litigate day to day.

"I'm not just responsible for my own paralegal," Lanciotti said. "But now, managing other people's paralegals or managing additional associates."

Shkolnik emphasized that while the role may draw comparisons to Big Law's non-equity partner tier, the plaintiffs-side model is distinct. Advancement depends less on tenure and more on initiative. "There's got to be a real entrepreneurial drive," he said. "You earn the right to buy it is the best way to put it."

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