84th edition of Edwards Gibson’s Partner Moves featured in six publications: The Financial Times, The Lawyer Horizon, Law360 (twice), City A.M (twice), Scottish Legal News and Non-Billable.
Edwards Gibson is delighted that insights from its 84th edition of Law Firm Partner Moves in London (published in January 2025) have so far featured in eight instances across six esteemed publications.
The Financial Times’ article, "London Lawyer Hiring Frenzy Hits Record as Pay Wars Rage," by Suzi Ring features exclusive data from Edwards Gibson, highlighting a record-breaking partner hires in London's legal market over the year to December 23. This surge has been fuelled by unprecedented investment from US law firms, disrupting traditional pay structures and intensifying competition for top legal talent. Edwards Gibson Director Scott Gibson is quoted discussing the market distortion caused by significant US investments.
The Lawyer Horizon’s article, titled "Latham, Paul Weiss, and the Great Apes," by Cat Griffith cleverly uses Edwards Gibson’s data, combined with evolutionary psychology research, to explore the social dynamics of law firm team moves and partner mobility in the context of the white-hot London partner hire market. The article also notes the record number of partner hires in 2024 in comparison to previous years.
Law360 featured Edwards Gibson’s research in two separate articles by Marialuisa Taddia. "Restructuring Hires Rise in UK Despite Dip in Insolvencies" examines the notable increase in lateral recruitment of restructuring partners within the UK legal market, despite mixed insolvency statistics. Edwards Gibson's data reveals a 24% increase in hires of finance partners with restructuring or insolvency expertise in 2024 compared to the previous two years. Edwards Gibson Director Scott Gibson comments on firms proactively investing in their restructuring capabilities amid economic uncertainty. Whereas, "London Partner Moves Hit Record Driven By US Firms" explores the surge in partner movements within London's legal sector as a whole, driven by substantial investments from US law firms. Edwards Gibson's research indicates that 548 partner moves were recorded in 2024, marking a significant increase from prior years. Scott Gibson provides insights into how this trend is reshaping the competitive landscape.
City A.M. also featured Edwards Gibson’s research in two separate articles in quick succession: "Hiring Frenzy at London Law Firms as 'Apex Predator' Disrupts Market" by Amber Murray and “Lawyers are the new bankers as £1m salaries become the norm” by Maria Ward-Brennan. Both articles delve into the competitive dynamics introduced by US law firms in London's legal scene with the former particularly focusing on the aspects of the report which flag the outsized impact of US law firm Paul Weiss.
Scottish Legal News’ article "London: Partner pay skyrocketing as US firms pump in millions of dollars" discusses the substantial increase in partner compensation due to intense competition and unprecedented investment by US law firms. Edwards Gibson reported 548 partner hires in London in 2024, up from 514 in 2023, with "magic circle" firms experiencing a net loss of 28 partners. Edwards Gibson Director Scott Gibson noted that this influx has "distorted the market by causing compensation to spike."
Non-Billable also picked up on Edwards Gibson’s research flagging the record number of partner hires in 2024 and the comparison with the previous years. The article, based on our draft report, noted that London law firms set a new record for partner hires in 2024. This surge is attributed to significant investments by US firms in private equity-related hires, leading to increased compensation and market shifts.
We are honoured that our research and Publication of Record for the London legal market continues to inform and influence discussions within the legal industry.
Click here to read the Financial Times article "London Lawyer Hiring Frenzy Hits Record as Pay Wars Rage" (paywall).
Click here to read The Lawyer Horizon article "Latham, Paul Weiss, and the Great Apes" (paywall).
Click here and here to read the Law 360 articles “Restructuring Hires Rise in UK Despite Dip in Insolvencies" and "London Partner Moves Hit Record Driven By US Firms" (paywall).
Click here and here to read the City AM articles "Hiring Frenzy at London Law Firms as 'Apex Predator' Disrupts Market" and “Lawyers are the new bankers as £1m salaries become the norm”.
Click here to read Scottish Legal News article “London: Partner pay skyrocketing as US firms pump in millions of dollars".
Click here to read the Non-Billable post.
In case you missed it, read our full 84th edition of Law Firm Partner Moves in London – for more than a decade, The Publication of Record for the London legal market – click here.