Q1 2026 | Which AM Law Firms Made the Most Lateral Partner Hires?

Emily Turner • 1 May 2026

The first quarter of 2026 has wrapped up, so which firms started the year off with the most lateral Partner hires? We’ve taken a look, using publicly-available data tracked by Pirical Legal Professionals.

Ranked: Which Firms Made the Most Lateral Partner Hires in Q1 2026

Global, AM Law 200, Top 50 firms, January 1st 2026 - March 31st 2026

Most Partner Moves Took Place in NYC and DC, but London and Chicago Were Also Active

The highest number of lateral Partner hires occurred in New York City (203) and Washington, DC (126).

London took third spot alongside Chicago with 62 lateral moves. Firms like Sullivan & Cromwell and DLA Piper appear to have made growth in London a high priority, both making 6 London-based Partner hires in Q1 2026.

Bar chart of laterl hires by city, with New York City highest and green bars for global firms, 2026-2029

Litigation and Corporate Practices Dominated Lateral Moves in Q1

388 of the Partners hired by AM Law 200 firms in Q1 of 2026 have Litigation as their primary practice focus. Corporate took second spot with 217 moves, followed by Banking & Finance with 136.

Bar chart of lateral hires by practice area, with Litigation highest and green bars on white background

Most Hires Were Sourced From Other AM Law 200 Firms

60% of the hires made in the first quarter of 2026 were sourced from within the AM Law 200. McDermott Will & Schulte lost the most Partners (37), with McGlinchey Stafford in second, with 35 Partner exits as it closed its doors in January this year.

Bar chart of AM Law 200 lateral hire sources; McDermott tops with 37, followed by McKinney (34) and others.

Note on methodology

Source: Publicly-available data tracked by Pirical Legal Professionals (PLP)

Timeframe: Jan 2026 - March 2026

Analysis powered by Pirical Legal Professionals (PLP)

Pirical Legal Professionals is the largest attorney database built with the most comprehensive data on the market. Specifically designed for legal recruitment and legal market research. It is used by over 100 law firms worldwide including 75% of the AM Law 20 and 80% of the UK top 50 law firms.

Pirical seamlessly aggregates data from a wide range of public sources, tracking over 700,000 attorney profiles worldwide. Our data helps law firms source lateral talent quicker, identify candidates with key client relationships, map competitor firm strategies & team structures, and much more.

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