Private Equity Partner Hiring in New York: Strategic Pause or Signs of Retention Success?
Law360 recently covered the findings from our newly released Macrae+ Private Equity: New York report, highlighting a noticeable slowdown in partner movement during the first half of 2025 - but also pointing to signs of underlying strength in the market.
As the article notes, just 9 private equity partners made moves in New York in 2025 H1, compared to 28 in all of 2024. Yet this isn’t necessarily a signal of waning demand. As New York Partner Ryan Belville told Law360, the market remains competitive - and lateral hiring continues to dominate as firms look for partners with portable business and immediate impact potential.
“Most firms with strong PE groups are actively in the market to grow laterally, despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties,” said Belville. “The lack of successful PE partner moves thus far in 2025 certainly doesn't speak to lack of appetite.”
In fact, firms may simply be doing a better job of retaining the partners they have, through compensation, platform support, and long-term strategic alignment.
Our data shows that:
33% of this year’s moves involved women - a noticeable increase from 18% in 2024
78% of partner movement from 2024 Q1 through 2025 H1 was lateral hiring
Partners moving from AmLaw51-100 firms averaged 11 years of tenure before their transitions - suggesting considered, high-stakes decisions on both sides
As we noted in the report, this measured pace echoes the quieter periods of 2022 and 2023 and may reflect a “wait-and-see” approach from candidates navigating economic uncertainty and delayed sponsor activity. However, with US deal value up 61% year-over-year as of May, indicators point toward future momentum.
Read the full article from Andrea Keckley for Law360 here.
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For more insights, connect directly with Ryan Belville or reach out to our team at Macrae here.
