You’ve built a $3 million book. Your clients call you first when problems arise. Your practice generates consistent revenue year after year.
That success has made you a target—law firms across the country are competing aggressively to attract partners exactly like you. Welcome to the legal industry’s talent wars.
It’s great to be a hot commodity, but what are firms actually offering beyond money? And why are so many partners still leaving despite record compensation? And what does it mean for your practice?
The legal talent wars have heated up in 2025
Firms are fighting for talent, and many are pulling out all the stops.
Some BigLaw firms are now budgeting millions and dedicating entire teams solely to identifying and recruiting top lateral partners. They’re also paying top dollar. Average equity partner compensation at AmLaw 200 firms hit an all-time high of $1.4 million, representing a 26% increase from 2022.
At the same time, law firm mergers jumped 21% in the first half of 2025 alone, as firms race to add geographic reach and practice capabilities before their competitors do.
Average compensation for all partners is also on the rise, with an 8.2% increase in 2024 and overall partner compensation averaging $1.89 million.
(We should note that the spoils aren’t being shared equally. Outside of BigLaw, the market is cooler, with lateral partner hiring increasing just 2% overall in 2024. While firms with 1,000+ lawyers saw 21% growth, smaller firms of 250 or fewer lawyers experienced an 11% decline.)
The vetting process has intensified as well; firms are now requesting explicit percentage estimates on client portability and requiring partners to project both best-case and worst-case scenarios for their first year.
However, discussions about the talent wars often overlook one crucial aspect: why partners are leaving in the first place.
The talent wars aren’t just a BigLaw game
While headlines focus on AmLaw 100 moves, the competition for talent extends throughout the legal market, with mid-market and regional firms offering compelling alternatives to BigLaw.
Many firms outside the AmLaw 100 saw lateral hiring increases across all lawyer categories in 2024. They offer greater autonomy, faster decision-making, more collegial cultures with less hierarchy, and competitive compensation without BigLaw pressures.]
Those firms are thriving financially, too—the Pro Mid-Market 50 (firms just outside the AmLaw 200) saw revenue grow 5.4% in 2024, with revenue per lawyer up 7.9%. These numbers prove you don’t need hundreds of lawyers to be profitable.
Simply put, the assumption that bigger is always better no longer holds for many partners seeking a different pace and culture.
Secondary markets provide a lower cost of living, paired with strong compensation, creating “big fish in a small pond” advantages through local market dominance. The message: you don’t have to choose between making money and having a life.
Why partners are being enticed away from their firms (and what firms are doing to keep them from leaving)
When partners decide to make a move, it’s rarely about a single issue, and it’s not just about the money. Instead, it’s typically a combination of frustrations that have built up over time.
1. Lack of support and resources
One of the most common complaints I hear from partners involves the daily grind of administrative tasks that divert them from what they do best: practicing law, building client relationships, and growing their business.
Instead, they’re backlogged on RFP responses that should have marketing support, running down billing issues that a coordinator could handle, doing associate-level research, or managing pitch decks and conference logistics.
How firms are responding
Clifford Chance exemplifies the new approach, adding 13 lateral partners in 12 months while growing from 110 to 120 partners—each with full support teams that allow new partners to hit the ground running. Akerman advertises that it provides sophisticated technology, business development, and administrative support infrastructure to lateral partners so they can focus on building and expanding their practices.
DLA Piper takes a different but equally comprehensive approach, advertising that each lateral partner receives a customized integration plan, with coordination between the firm’s Marketing and Business Development teams to support their practice growth.
The message is clear: We want you to practice law and develop business, not manage spreadsheets.
2. Limited growth opportunities
Even partners with thriving practices can feel boxed in when their firm’s limitations prevent them from fully serving their clients or scaling their practices. Sometimes it’s geography—a client needs help in a market where the firm has no presence. Sometimes, its capabilities—the firm doesn’t practice in an area the client needs.
These artificial ceilings on growth become increasingly frustrating for ambitious rainmakers.
How firms are responding
Firms are realizing they need to match where their partners’ practices are going, rather than forcing partners to fit into what the firm has always done. This is showing up in different ways:
- Strategic office openings are becoming common to accommodate partner needs.
- Firms are expanding their practice capabilities to offer more comprehensive services; for example, traditionally corporate-focused firms like Cooley and Fried Frank have made notable pushes into litigation.
- Sector-specific investments in emerging areas—such as AI, ESG, cannabis law, and energy transition—show that firms are willing to expand their footprint to support partner growth.
“The days of ‘we don’t do that here’ or ‘we’ve never practiced in that jurisdiction’ are ending as firms recognize that limiting partner opportunities means losing them entirely.”
3. Compensation frustration
Money isn’t everything, but when partners feel undervalued or struggle to understand how their compensation is determined, it becomes a source of dissatisfaction that can be difficult to overcome.
Compensation structures can vary between firms, but issues such as origination credit disputes, undervalued contributions, and a lack of transparency are common reasons that partners might feel undercompensated and unappreciated.
How firms are responding
Firms are addressing this by changing how credit gets allocated and being more upfront about compensation decisions. Some firms have shifted to matter-based origination credit rather than lifetime client ownership. This encourages cross-selling and collaboration, as partners can earn credit for bringing in new matters from existing firm clients. If you develop a real estate deal from another partner’s corporate client, you get credit for that work.
Other firms are offering forgivable loans as retention tools, though this represents an evolution of existing practices rather than something entirely new. The key is transparency—partners want to understand what informs their compensation and what they need to do to increase that number.
Cultural misalignment
Beyond the tangible issues of support and compensation lies a deeper challenge: when a firm’s culture no longer aligns with a partner’s values or lifestyle needs. These misalignments often prove to be the tipping point that leads to a rainmaker’s departure.
Work-life balance demands
The pandemic and the work-from-home shift have permanently changed how many partners think about where and how they work. This opened the door to new tensions between flexibility and autonomy on one hand, and expectations regarding availability and boundaries on the other. While this can be a highly personal calculation, it has also led many partners to reevaluate whether a firm truly respects their time.
How firms are responding
While many firms mandate four or five days in the office for associates, partners with significant books often have more flexibility. However, rigid return-to-office policies can affect a partner’s ability to attract top associates or bring their teams when making lateral moves.
High-producing partners have the leverage to negotiate more flexible arrangements, as firms recognize that losing a $10 million rainmaker over office attendance mandates isn’t worth the revenue hit. Firms are also offering reduced administrative burden through operational support, greater autonomy with clients and rate setting, and sabbatical arrangements.
Values and purpose disconnect
Beyond the tangible issues of support and compensation lies a deeper question: Does this firm share my values?
For established partners, especially those later in their careers, this matters more than it did in the past. When you’re still building your practice, you might overlook disagreements about the firm’s client choices or its lack of commitment to pro bono work. But once you’ve achieved financial success, those misalignments start to feel like dealbreakers.
If you can’t influence the firm’s direction or don’t respect the work the firm is taking on, why stay?
How firms are responding
Firms are expanding pro bono platforms and creating more opportunities for partners to engage in meaningful work. Take Jenner & Block, for example, which topped the 2024 Pro Bono Scorecard; They actively recruit lawyers based on their commitment to community service.
For partners who care about this work, the difference between a firm that treats pro bono as box-checking versus one that genuinely supports it can be a deciding factor in whether to stay or go.
Beyond pro bono, some firms are giving partners greater autonomy over the work they take on. At larger firms, conflict-of-interest restrictions and firm politics often dictate which clients a partner can accept. However, mid-market and boutique firms are increasingly empowering partners to choose their own clients and decline work that doesn’t align with their values or expertise.
The team solution: Solving multiple problems at once
Increasingly, the most successful lateral moves aren’t individual departures but strategic team acquisitions that preserve working relationships and client service continuity.
Group moves as strategic solutions
The trend toward group hiring reflects a recognition that rainmakers rarely succeed in isolation—they need their teams to maintain momentum.
Polsinelli’s acquisition of 47 lawyers (30 partners) from Holland & Knight was 2024’s largest group move, but it wasn’t unique. Recently, a 37-lawyer team moved from Cadwalader to Orrick, and a 21-lawyer team moved from Ropes & Gray to Sheppard Mullin. These aren’t just hiring sprees—they’re strategic acquisitions of entire practices with established workflows and client relationships.
Package deals that include entire practice groups maintain team dynamics and working relationships. Firms guarantee positions for key team members and sometimes allow flexibility in how compensation is divided among team members. A rainmaker might allocate origination credit to ensure their service partners are properly compensated, recognizing that success requires the entire team.
Building around rainmakers
Beyond accepting existing teams, progressive firms are actively building infrastructure around their star partners.
Smart firms create new practice groups for lateral stars, hire associates and support staff specifically for new partners, and invest in technology and infrastructure for specific practices. They’re allowing partners to shape their own teams rather than forcing them into existing structures.
The bottom line
Despite these retention efforts, partners still leave when the fundamentals aren’t right. If you’re one of them, the competition for your talent means you can think about what’s really important to you.
Look beyond compensation to actual support structures. Understand integration commitments and resources. Assess cultural alignment through specific examples, rather than relying on marketing materials. Get commitments in writing—especially around team support, marketing budgets, and growth investments.
The question isn’t whether to stay or go—it’s whether your current firm is willing to invest in your success. If you’ve been clear about your needs and they’re not being met, it might be time for a confidential conversation about what’s possible elsewhere.
Let’s talk about what you’re building and where you want to take it. Sometimes the conversation itself clarifies what matters most. And if a move makes sense, I’ll help you find a firm that’s genuinely solving the problems you’re facing—not just making promises they can’t keep.
