Lateral economics put client portability under greater scrutiny

On September 15, Reuters reported that more than 2,000 partners moved among the 200 highest-grossing US firms in the first half of 2026, 55% more than in 2021, as some firms offered star recruits $20 million or more. Legal consultant Blane Prescott said managing partners estimated that only 20% of lateral partners met first-year financial projections and 30% did so by the end of year two, while Decipher reported that 64% failed to deliver promised business; these are consultant and industry estimates rather than audited market statistics. For BD leaders, the figures argue for testing client portability, relationship depth, conflicts and cross-selling capacity before treating a book of business as committed revenue. Post-hire integration should also be managed as a client-transition program with account-level milestones, because the article reports that 36% of lateral hires never fully integrate and 51% leave within five years.