I’ve never seen it like this. Long-term partners doing well at really successful firms are seeing a brighter opportunity somewhere else and seizing it. Firms are recruiting people who would have been considered untouchable just 10 years ago. It’s changing.
— Seth Zachary, the outgoing chairman of Paul Hastings, commenting on the state of today’s lateral market. “Law firms have to focus a lot on delivering for their partners,” he continued in an interview with Reuters. “[J]ust like the partners deliver to the firm —even in the case of loyal, prosperous partners — or other firms will try to recruit them.” When Zachary officially steps down next fall, he will have helmed the firm for 22 years.
Labor and Employment Federal Litigation Trends 2026
Drawing on more than a decade of data, the report equips law firms and corporate legal teams with actionable insights to better assess risk, refine strategy, and anticipate outcomes in today’s evolving workplace disputes.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.