Since May, when Kirkland & Ellis and Winston & Strawn announced Miami offices and Sidley Austin began alluding to a Miami location by poaching local partners, Big Law attorneys have been trading theories on social media apps and message boards about the firms’ intentions in the Magic City. And the discourse usually returns to the same key questions: Will these offices rise above satellite status? Should I move to Miami? In this economy?

These are all excellent questions, according to recruiters who field them frequently in Miami and other secondary markets where the same firms have opened shop in recent years. The firms that have formally announced—throw in King & Spalding, which opened in January by relocating 37 lawyers from several offices—have all stated that Miami is an important market for them.