Milbank set the July 2026 salary scale at $235K for first-year associates (up from Cravath's $225K), with eighth-year associates reaching $455K and total compensation estimated at $550K–$595K with bonus. Baker McKenzie raised UK NQ pay to £150K, matching the Magic Circle, following Macfarlanes' increase earlier in July. Thomson Reuters' 2026 analysis found "pricing convergence" — firms collect rou
NALP data shows overall lateral hiring up 16.4% in 2025, with partner laterals up 17.8% and associate laterals up 17.1%. Am Law 200 firms hired 4,152 lateral partners in the 12 months ending September 2025. Linklaters poached a pair from Paul Weiss (July 22), while Clifford Chance lost its two US Insurance co-heads — Dennis Manfredi and Joseph Cosentino — to Simpson Thacher. A&O Shearman reported
A Pollack Peacebuilding analysis published June 25 documents the internal process that precedes visible attrition in law firms: emotional exhaustion followed by increasingly guarded communication, declining trust, and professional self-protection — typically well over a year before a lawyer formally departs. The analysis draws on Chambers research finding that attrition risk peaks at years two and
South China Morning Post and the Straits Times both reported this week on new survey data from Singapore's Law Society finding that poor mental health is the main reason young lawyers leave the profession in large numbers — with the SCMP framing it as lawyers who "don't last beyond the courtship phase." The findings arrive alongside a Duke-NUS Medical School study finding that 77% of Singapore adu
GlobalLegalPost published guidance on June 25 from financial services GC Jo Nayler advising junior lawyers to focus on skills that AI cannot replicate — specifically relationship building, stakeholder navigation, and commercial judgment. The guidance reflects a growing consensus at the leadership level that law firms have a dual obligation in the AI era: deploying AI to reduce friction and volume
A Conventus Law analysis published June 25, drawing on survey data, found that one in four legal professionals experiencing a gap between AI's potential and their firm's delivery are considering leaving within two years — with 13% considering leaving within 12 months. Among those already using AI meaningfully, nearly one in three would turn down a role without access to it. This data reframes AI i
Despite 13%+ revenue growth in Q1 2026, BigLaw is exercising disciplined selectivity on hiring. The Q1 2026 Law Firm Financial Index shows rising operational overhead — direct lawyer compensation up 8.2%, general overhead up 8.3% — combined with a 0.4% dip in lawyer productivity and a 17% spike in uncollected fees that is pacing well ahead of revenue growth. Firms are treating every new lateral hi
Baker McKenzie completed its 2026 partner promotions this week, promoting 47 lawyers globally with a further 30 in the international round effective 1 July — plus 44 lateral partner hires during the financial year, bringing total new partner additions to 91. The London round was notably leaner (2 promotions, down from 7 last year), with transactional practice accounting for the largest share globa
Source: GlobalLegalPost: Baker McKenzie completes 2026 partner promotions with 30-strong international roundLaw Firm EconomicsTalentMarket Moves
Macrae data shows the 200 largest U.S. firms added 3,521 lateral attorneys in Q1 2026, including 979 partner lateral moves — a 9.4% year-over-year increase and the highest quarterly partner volume in six years. Simultaneously, compensation structures are shifting: Debevoise & Plimpton announced a new discretionary bonus pool giving leadership more flexibility to reward high performers while enabli