Law Firms Hire Partners in London at Record Pace During US Push

Law firm partner hires in London hit record high levels in the first half of the year compared with in 2023, according to a new report.

The 265 hires between January and June were up from 257 during the same period last year, UK recruiting firm Edwards Gibson said in the report. US law firms’ desire to compete for talent in London helped drive the results.

“The impact of the covetous New Yorker on the highest levels of the London legal services market over such a short period has been profound—certainly, greater than any previous law firm launch or relaunch this city has ever seen,” the report said.

London firms have already been dealing for years with with increased competition from US operators who flooded the market. The US firms have been hiring talent and financing the moves through their scale and ability to increase rates.

Paul Weiss scrapped its partner pay system to make way for expensive new hires, including mergers and acquisitions and private equity partners in its London office. UK law firms including Linklaters, which lost its place at the top of the London legal market it held a decade ago, raised its salaries to stay competitive.

Law firms including Simmons & Simmons, Kirkland & Ellis, and Pinsent Masons were among the top partner recruiters since January, the Edwards Gibson report said. The hires this year are running 7% above the five-year average, the firm found.

Deloitte Legal, Linklaters, and Paul Hastings were among the firms that saw the most attrition in London since January, according to the report.