Associates
Firms are pivoting toward associates with more experience, new report says
Law firms prioritized experience in 2025, choosing to hire more lateral associates than entry-level associates, according to a new report from legal intelligence platform Firm Prospects. (Photo illustration by Sara Wadford/ABA Journal)
Law firms prioritized experience in 2025, choosing to hire more lateral associates than entry-level associates, according to a new report from legal intelligence platform Firm Prospects.
Of total associate hires in 2025, 49% came from other firms, while 38% came directly out of law school, Firm Prospects reports, which tracks data from 4,000 firms. This marks a significant change from the past two years, when 46% of associate hires were recent law school graduates.
“Law firms are really looking to solidify their senior-level talent, as each firm is rethinking what the pyramid looks like,” Firm Prospects CEO Adam Braveman told Law.com, which has coverage of the new report. “There’s clearly a need for people at the top who drive business and value and set strategy for the firm.”
Overall associate hiring was down by about 5% in 2025, as compared to 2024, according to Firm Prospects.
Among its report’s other findings, law school graduates from top schools accepted jobs at boutique firms at twice the rate in 2025 as they did in 2021. Associates also have found more job opportunities in the Sun Belt region, which spans the southern and southwestern portions of the United States.
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