Associate compensation in Big Law this year, including special bonuses topping off at $64,000, has made the talent pool for in-house attorneys more shallow than before. In particular, recruiters are reporting more challenges in finding top talent for in-house jobs.

Still, recruiter and in-house counsel sources say they’re not deterred, because there is still plenty of talent available among lawyers already in law departments, and those lawyers usually want to stick around for other reasons.