Making a professional transition within the NLJ 500 legal realm seems to have never been easier. While head count at the top tier of the NLJ 500 has been pretty steady, lateral partner moves or career transitions among associates reshaped the Washington, D.C., legal market. This flurry of activity has been fueled in part by a skyrocketing demand in the transactional space, but also by the evolving ESG practice field as well as related regulatory legal work. For many lawyers on the move, small meant beautiful on their job hunt not just for new professional roles, but also for a different meaning in relation to their work-life balance.

In addition, cities such as Austin, Salt Lake City or Miami have seen a strong influx of legal talent—for many, these locations appear to be more attractive than pushing the envelope at the intersection of law and politics in Washington, D.C.