Missing a client call can mean missing a case. Potential clients often contact multiple firms and hire the first one that responds with confidence and speed. But attorneys are in court, in meetings, or focused on active matters, so the phone keeps ringing. Legal answering services give law firms reliable coverage without the cost of
Top 8 Legal Answering Services for Law Firms in 2026 Read More »
The lateral partner market didn’t just heat up in 2025 but it ran hot. New data from Law.com Compass shows that Am Law 200 firms hired 4,152 lateral partners in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, up from 3,473 the prior year.
That’s a nearly 20% jump — a sharp contrast to the modest 3.7% increase recorded the year before in the lateral hiring report.
The numbers tell a story of a legal industry that has found its footing again, and firms that are spending aggressively to prove it.
Big Law’s Hiring Boom – Am Law 200 Firms Snapped Up 20% More Lateral Partners in 2025 Read More »
The Perkins Coie exodus in Seattle signals a permanent shift in the lateral hiring labor market that is changing the way top law firms operate. Lateral hiring is no longer just a tactic but an entire business model.
When Perkins Coie lost lawyers to the announcement new offices for Morrison Foerster and McGuireWoods. It was in fact a signal of something structural.
The departures came as Perkins Coie prepares for its merger with Ashurst, a combination that will create a global platform of roughly 3,000 lawyers. The timing reveals a pattern that now defines elite legal practice: mergers create opportunity, but they also create instability. And instability is oxygen for competitors.
What we are witnessing is not a phase. It is the emergence of lateral acquisition as BigLaw’s dominant growth strategy.
The New Economics: Why Firms Are Buying Revenue
Legal Market Analysis – BigLaw’s Lateral Frenzy Is Reshaping the Market Read More »
In a world where celebrity philanthropy often feels like a scripted sequel, the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) – that noble venture launched in 2016 by Amal Clooney, the hard-wired international barrister from Doughty Street Chambers, and her silver-screen spouse George – has rolled out its Justice Champion Program with all the flair of a premiere.
Snagging litigation titan Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan as the inaugural partner, this initiative promises a pro bono powerhouse to shield at-risk women from discrimination and violence, while springing journalists from unjust detention for daring to ink the truth.
Clooneys Team Up with Legal Heavyweight Quinn Emanuel To Don the Cape for Global Justice Read More »
Let’s cut the corporate speak: your legal department is bleeding talent, and pretending it’s just about billable hours versus work-life balance isn’t going to stop the hemorrhage.
Here’s what’s really happening in Q1 2026; and if you’re a General Counsel, CLO, or corporate counsel, you need to pay attention because the landscape just shifted beneath your Italian loafers.
LawFuel took a look at recruitment strategies for in-house counsel and what recruiters and corporates can do to attract in-house legal talent in the face of BigLaw’s big money advantage.
What Is the Current Salary Gap Between BigLaw and In-House Counsel?
First-year BigLaw associates are now pulling in $240,000. Read that again. First. Year. Meanwhile, your mid-level in-house counsel with five years of actual business experience, the one who just negotiated that complex vendor agreement and actually understands your company’s risk tolerance, is making $175,000. Maybe $185,000 if they negotiated hard.
Log in to read . . .
BigLaw vs In-House Counsel Salaries 2026: The $75K Gap Driving Legal Talent Crisis Read More »
Sidley Austin’s former executive committee chair Mike Schmidtberger is trading Big Law leadership for an AI‑first experiment, stepping in as chairman and funds/regulatory head at two‑month‑old Norm Law LLP, an “AI‑native” firm built around legal agents rather than billable hours. This is a live test of whether a partner who doubled Sidley’s revenue can now
Ex‑Sidley Chair Bets Big on AI‑Native Law Firm Norm Law Read More »
Many small law firms are not profitable, even when the numbers say otherwise. Work moves forward, cases stay active, and invoices are issued. Still, companies monitor the bank balance and worry about covering basic expenses. The reason is simple: money does not arrive immediately when the work is completed. Clients rarely pay at the time
Managing Cash Flow in Small Law Firms During Slow Billing Cycles Read More »
LawFuel Report – Largest Law Firms in New York New York’s legal market continues its dramatic expansion in 2025, with the top firms now employing over 13,000 attorneys—an 8% increase from 2024. For the first time, two firms have exceeded 1,000 attorneys in their New York offices: Kirkland & Ellis with 1,133 lawyers and Davis
The Largest Law Firms in New York 2026: Latest Rankings & Market Analysis Read More »
High Court Upholds Disbarment of Jo Sidhu KC, Signalling Cultural Shift at the Bar Sonia Hickey The High Court’s refusal this week to overturn the disbarment of prominent criminal silk Jo Sidhu KC has sent a blunt message through the profession: the era of indulgence for “power imbalance” misconduct is over. In a judgment delivered
How a Tennis Career Prepared Jade Hopper for Law Jade Hopper was once headed for the kind of sporting life most lawyers would only see in an ad campaign: junior Australian Open battles, a Commonwealth Youth Games gold medal, and rising up the tennis ranks with all the discipline that implies. She spent her teenage
Why a Former Tennis Pro Chose a Law Career – and What Lawyers Can Learn From It Read More »
