By the Numbers: 20 Legal Hires That Shaped Big Law in 2021 (2)

As corporate transactions picked up at the end of 2020, there were signs the Big Law talent market was ready to take off. Still, nobody could have predicted the frenetic pace of lateral moves in 2021.

The 50 largest firms hired nearly 1,100 lateral partners through mid-December, according to Firm Prospects, which tracks law firm rosters. That’s up 76% from 2020—a relatively down year for Big Law moves during the pandemic. It’s also a 20% jump from 2019, when things were more “normal.”

While this story highlights partner moves, it was an even a bigger year for associate hiring, as ...