Large law firms are stepping up their activity in midmarket cities in the U.S., with both Latham & Watkins opening in Austin, Texas, and Spencer Fane merging with Nashville-based Bone McAllester within a day of each other last week being the most recent examples.

Population growth, tech and VC dollars, universities and business-friendly regulation. Those are a few key ingredients for the growth of secondary legal markets like Austin, Denver and Nashville, Tennessee. And recruiters and law firms are starting to see them percolate in places like Salt Lake City, Miami and Seattle.