Q1 2026 | Which AM Law Firms Made the Most Lateral Partner Hires?
The first quarter of 2026 has passed, so which firms started the year off with the most lateral Partner hires?
We’ve answered this using publicly-available data tracked by
Pirical Legal Professionals in our latest Pirical Rankings.
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 Were Domestic, But Some Firms Made Lateral Hires in London
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.
Litigation and Corporate Practices Dominated Lateral Moves
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.
The Majority of Lateral Hires in This Group Were Sourced From Other AM Law 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.
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.
Subscribe to the latest data insights & blog updates

Fresh, original content for Law Firms and Legal Recruiters interested in data, diversity & inclusion, legal market insights, recruitment, and legal practice management.



