Lateral Hiring Rebounds Strongly in 2024, Especially for Associates in BigLaw
March 26, 2025, 3:49 pm CDT
Lateral hiring of law firm associates increased nearly 25% in 2024, far outpacing a much smaller increase of about 2% in lateral hiring of partners, according to a new report by the National Association for Law Placement.
A recent report published by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) indicates a significant resurgence in lateral hiring practices within law firms during 2024. Specifically, hiring of associates jumped by almost 25%, contrasting starkly with only a 2% increase in the hiring of partners.
Overall, the data reflects a nearly 14% rise in lateral hiring across all firms. Particularly noteworthy was the increase among larger firms, those with over 1,000 attorneys, which saw a 21% uptick in lateral hiring and an impressive 41% rise in lateral associate hiring.
According to Nikia Gray, the executive director of NALP, this growth follows a downturn experienced in previous years. Gray remarked, “In 2024, the lateral market began to stabilize, and with that, we saw the BigLaw firms reentering the fray, largely driving the smaller firms out of the market.” This suggests a sector that is not only rebounding but also realigning its dynamics.
Analyzing the trends, lateral hiring saw an astonishing increase of 110.9% in 2021, which was followed by consecutive decreases of 11.5% in 2022 and 35% in 2023. The numbers for 2024 reflect a cautious recovery of 13.9%.
Delving into the statistics, the average number of lateral hires per law office or firm was documented as follows: 16 in 2021, slightly declining to 15.9 in 2022, dropping to 9.3 in 2023, and recovering slightly to 9.9 in 2024. The lowest average noted in the past 25 years was recorded in 2009, at 5.1 lateral hires per office.
The findings stem from a survey conducted with 434 law offices contributing data about 4,295 lateral lawyers hired, predominantly from midsize and larger firms. Notably, only 11% of the participating firms had 250 or fewer attorneys, emphasizing the focus on larger law entities in this analysis.
