By most measures, 2009 was a dismal year for the legal industry. One notable exception to the drumbeat of layoffs and bankruptcies was a record number of lateral partner moves among Am Law 200 firms.
According to an analysis by The American Lawyer, an affiliate of The National Law Journal, in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2009, 2,775 partners left or joined the highest-grossing firms in the country — a 10.6% increase in mobility from the previous year. Many firms were “opportunistic” about adding outsiders, and some of the same firms pushed partners out. Fortunately, partners who didn’t want to spend their afternoons playing Minesweeper on their BlackBerrys had time to check out the competition.
