BigLaw Partner Hiring Reaches Six-Year High in Q1 2026
A recent Law360 Pulse article by Xiumei Dong examines the surge in lateral partner hiring across large US law firms in the first quarter of 2026 - and what is driving the momentum.
According to new data from legal intelligence provider Firm Prospects, the 200 largest US law firms added 3,521 lateral attorneys in Q1 2026, up 5.5% year-on-year. Partner hiring was the standout story, rising 9.4% to 979 moves - its highest level in six years. The data points to a market where firms are increasingly focused on acquiring established talent rather than developing it from within, with compensation benchmarking, succession planning, and the appeal of group lateral hires all shaping how firms are approaching growth.
Tad Gruman, Managing Director at Macrae New York, comments in the piece on both the pace of activity and the range of practice areas generating demand:
"These different practice groups are being creative where they can be and being very open to taking more meetings with potential candidates. It's very busy right now."
Gruman notes that while private equity and M&A remain the primary focus, activity is also running strong across secondaries fund work, real estate, fund formation and technology transactions. He also points to compensation pressure as a key driver of partner movement - with partners increasingly benchmarking their pay against peers and more willing to act if expectations aren't met.
Geographically, New York led all markets with 871 hires in Q1, followed by Washington, DC with 438, and Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco rounding out the top five.
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