Kirkland & Ellis LLP has formed a real assets practice group with more than 600 attorneys by combining areas such as real estate and infrastructure to align with industry trends and the needs of clients. Kirkland & Ellis said in a Friday press release that the integrated group brings the firm’s energy, materials and mining, […]
Kirkland & Ellis Forms Real Assets Group With 600 Lawyers Read More »
It is May 2026, and the BigLaw salary scale has not moved for two and a half years.
That sentence would have sounded unthinkable in 2021, when Milbank ignited a comp war that pushed first-year associates from $190,000 to $215,000 in eight weeks. Three years on, Class of 2025 first-years are starting on $225,000 — the same number Milbank put on the board in November 2023. Eighth-years are still on $435,000. Cravath confirmed in its November 18, 2025 bonus memo, in writing, that base salaries would not rise in 2026.
The lockstep is intact. The escalator has stopped.
So when does it start again, we ask – and presumably you want the answer to that so we’ve done our best to pose some on-the-button questions.
Log in and check how the salary scale looks now . . .
The Phantom Raise: Why The 2026 BigLaw Scale Hasn’t Moved — And Which Firm Breaks First Read More »
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has added a team of private equity partners in London and New York from Sidley Austin, including members returning to the firm, being Gerald Brant, Jeffrey Kochian and Brittany Harrison from Sidley Austin (pictured). The other is Jonathon Hamill who is recruited for the London office. The firm’s media
Akin Grump Sees Partners Return To The Fold in PE Recruitment Read More »
The firm that pays its partners $12 million a year just can’t stop losing them. Here’s why that paradox may be the most important story in Big Law right now.
Wachtell Lipton broke every profitability record in Am Law 100 history in 2026 — and watched nine partners walk out the door to rivals offering something the numbers alone couldn’t match. What’s really driving the exodus from Wall Street’s most envied firm, whether the lockstep model can survive the age of the $80 million guarantee, and what it all means for the future of elite legal practice: it’s all inside.
Log in to read the breaking Big Law story . .
$230bn in Five Days, Two Partners Out the Door – Wachtell’s High-Stakes Reckoning Read More »
A 30-person federal indictment has implicated attorneys from Wachtell, Latham, Willkie, Goodwin, Cleary, Sidley, Weil and DLA Piper in what prosecutors call one of the most sweeping M&A intelligence networks ever prosecuted on American soil.
The access a law firm grants its attorneys is built on a simple, foundational covenant: what comes through the door stays within those walls. For a decade, federal prosecutors allege, a network of Ivy League-trained lawyers decided that covenant was negotiable — and that confidential merger data was simply a different kind of billable asset.
L:og in to read more . . .
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison has parted ways with several litigation associates following its annual performance review cycle, possibly marking a structural change from the relatively recently annointed firm chair Scott Barshay (pictured).
According to reporting by The American Lawyer, the New York-based firm, which has long prided itself on avoiding public layoffs, including during the 2008 financial crisis and the 2022 financial correction . . Log in to read more . . .
A&O Shearman has cut up to 20 business services roles in its London office as the firm continues its post-merger push for smarter, tech-driven operations. The reductions, which hit finance, marketing and IT teams, were confirmed by the firm on 7 May. No partners or fee-earning lawyers were affected. An A&O Shearman spokesperson said the
A&O Shearman Job Cuts Amidst Post-Merger Push For Tech-Driven Ops Read More »
Global law firm Freshfields announced today that Alessio Evangelista has joined the firm as a white collar defense and investigations partner in our Washington DC and New York offices. Alessio brings more than 18 years of experience serving in the U.S. Department of Justice and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) within the U.S. Department of Treasury. His practice
Former DoJ White Collar Defense Expert Joins Freshfields Read More »
Cleary Gottlieb announced that David Christmas will join the firm’s London office on May 5 as a partner in its top-tier Global Funds practice David’s practice focuses on fund formation across a range of alternative asset classes, and he also has significant experience in GP-led secondary transactions. “The continued expansion of our global funds and
Cleary Gottlieb London Office Recruits Seventh Partner Hire This Year Read More »
Sheppard has continued its aggressive expansion of its high-stakes patent litigation and trials practice, hiring a 15-lawyer intellectual property team from Perkins Coie, the firm announced Thursday. This follows the departures from the Seattle office earlier in the year. The new partners include Veronica Ascarrunz, Robin Brewer, Andrew Klein, Tom Millikan, and Joseph Reid. The
Sheppard Bolsters IP Litigation Powerhouse with 15-Lawyer Team from Perkins Coie Read More »
