Editor’s note: This article is the first part of The American Lawyer’s annual Laterals Report, which also includes pieces examining compensation system changes as recruiting tools, Dan Binstock’s look at how legal recruiting really works, how firms evaluate the ultimate success of lateral hires, and the Top Lateral Hires of 2023. 

Amid the downslide in merger and acquisition deals last year and the uptick in corporate layoffs, the lateral hiring boom in Big Law that’s characterized much of the post-pandemic era for the legal industry finally began slowing down.

Craig Savitzky, Director of Content Creation and Data Analysis with Leopard Solutions. Courtesy photo