Which BigLaw firms are increasing lateral associate hiring the most? One made legal headlines last year
No. 1 for raw numbers in lateral associate hiring is Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, which had to grapple with the loss of 140 lawyers who left to start a new firm last year. (Image from Shutterstock)
As a whole, BigLaw firms have reduced lateral hiring of associates over the last two years, a phenomenon documented in a report by the National Association for Law Placement.
But some high grossing law firms are bucking the trend, Reuters reports in a story that relies on data from legal data intelligence provider Leopard Solutions.
No. 1 for raw numbers in lateral associate hiring is Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, which had to grapple with the loss of 140 lawyers who left to start a new firm last year.
Lewis Brisbois hired 279 lateral associates in 2023, an “uncharacteristically high” number, the firm’s managing partner, Greg Katz, told Reuters columnist Jenna Greene in an email. The firm has also improved its management structure and is bringing on “top talent of every experience level,” Katz said.
Despite the new hires, Lewis Brisbois had 48 fewer associates at the end of 2023 than at the beginning, when there were 659 associates, according to Leopard Solutions, which collected its data from the websites of the nation’s 200 top grossing firms.
But the new firm made up of former Lewis Brisbois lawyers fared much worse. It imploded amid revelations that two of its leaders had sent offensive and derogatory office emails.
Other BigLaw firms increasing lateral associate hiring are Jackson Lewis (which hired 130 lateral associates last year) and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (which hired 113 lateral associates in 2023).
