Every February we devote much of the magazine to the comings and goings of the lateral market. In 2012 alone, lateral hiring grew by 9.7 percent. In an environment where it’s difficult to increase revenue, "buying business" through lateral recruitments is one of the few ways that firms can grow fast. (But it’s important to note that the more profitable the Am Law 200 firm, typically the fewer laterals it hires.)
We also have a fascinating analysis of 12 years of our lateral data (200011), by William Henderson of Indiana University and Christopher Zorn of Penn State.
