As it has in years past, the lateral hiring market among the nation’s largest law firms remained robust in 2018. With private equity and corporate practices in the highest demand, some firms have been busy recruiting top legal talent with top paychecks to match.

But as law firms brace for the impending economic downturn, will the lateral strategies they implemented in 2018 lead them down a rabbit hole in the next year that will leave them wishing they’d chosen a different path?