Dominguez & Thompson LLP is a large full$-$service law firm. The firm has market$-$leading strengths in the employment, real estate, financial services, energy, technology, and life sciences sectors$.$ The firm's practice areas can be broadly grouped into three categories: litigation, transactions, and counseling$/$regulatory work. Dominguez & Thompson has a core base of clients ranging from start$-$up companies to leading corporations.

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Rebecca Syed $($Syed$)$ joined Dominguez & Thompson immediately upon her graduation from law school. She started her practice in the firm's real estate department and remained there for two and a half years. She then transferred to the firm's regulatory section and worked in that field for four years. Syed recently joined the employment section. The partners and attorneys in both the real estate and regulatory sections were sad to see Syed leave, but they supported her decision to move.

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Syed is a former president of the local bar association and is active in the Junior League. In her early years at the firm, Syed consistently billed approximately $2,000$ hours on client matters. Given her recent transition to the employment group, Syed bills fewer hours on client matters and instead attends workshops to develop an expertise in employment law.

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Syed has worked for a number of the firm's longstanding clients. Because of her excellent representation, a few of these clients have hired the firm to handle new legal matters. For example, one of Syed's clients, a local school district, initially retained the firm to negotiate a real estate transaction for a new football stadium and later hired the firm to litigate an employment dispute involving a teacher.

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This month, Dominguez & Thompson will decide whether it should offer Syed a promotion to partnership. Syed has been an associate at the firm for seven years. The firm has made the following recent decisions on partnership.

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Christopher Preston

Christopher Preston $($Preston$)$ has been recognized by Law & Politics as a $$Super Lawyer$$ in the regulatory field. Preston is a member of various community service organizations and is an active member of the firm's Pro Bono Committee

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Last year, Preston brought three new clients to the firm. In addition, attorneys in other departments in the firm often ask him to consult on projects. Toward the end of his seventh year of practice at the firm, Preston received an offer to join the firm's partnership and accepted the promotion.

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Denise Conway

Denise Conway $($Conway$)$ is a tax attorney and has an LLM in employee benefits. Prior to joining the law firm, she worked for the federal tax court as a judicial law clerk. Conway works long hours on client matters and typically bills $2,100$ hours per year. The firm, however, did not extend Conway an offer for partnership. Conway was in her seventh year of practice at the firm at the time of her partnership decision.

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Carmen Pilaro

After graduating from law school, Carmen Pilaro $($Pilaro$)$ worked as an education and employment attorney for seven years at a small law firm. Always involved in local politics, Pilaro ran for and won a seat on the state trial court. She remained a judge for thirteen years before losing her seat in a highly contested judicial election. Immediately after the election, the firm offered Pilaro a position as a senior partner and she accepted. Although she had not practiced in several years and did not bring any clients with her to the firm, the firm looked forward to having such a well$-$known name on its roster of attorneys.

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Question

Will Syed successfully become a partner at Dominguez & Thompson? Base your prediction on the scenarios presented above. What will the firm consider in making its decision? Provide the arguments in support of your position.