The gap between the highest and lowest-paid equity partners in Big Law has diminished, according to the latest data from The American Lawyer, amid lower profits and higher head count in law firms. Overall, median and average partner pay spreads condensed throughout much of the Am Law 200 in 2022, a year plagued by uncertainty.

The average spread among top 100 firms increased just slightly last year, from 9.2 to 9.8-to-1. The firms where the spread of equity partner pay widened from 2021 to 2022 included DLA Piper, Goodwin Procter, McDermott Will & Emery, Reed Smith, and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, according to ALM data.