Law firm partners are taking a larger share of available work during the pandemic, driven by client demand and anxiety about billable hours, and associates are paying the price.

A recent peer monitor index by Reuters highlighted the downturn in overall work for law firms in Q2 of 2020 (-5.9%), while the average billed rate increased (+5.2%), showing how higher-rate partners are taking work formerly done by associates and paralegals. Experts agree that, while this has happened before, the industrywide trend has consequences both short- and long-term.