Is it just a “fit” problem or something else? Avoiding hiring mistakes and improving lateral performance in law firms often comes down to this one thing.
Law firms continue to view lateral hiring as a key growth strategy. According to statistics from the legal database provider Firm Prospects, partner hiring increased in calendar year 2025 by nearly 10% over 2024, following a similar increase from 2023 to 2024. Interestingly, hiring at the counsel level increased at an even higher level.
At the same time, skepticism continues to grow about the efficacy of lateral partner hiring overall. According to consulting firm Decipher, which advises law firms on strategies to improve lateral hiring, nearly half of laterals leave within five years of joining their new firms, while 62% fail to deliver the collections predicted during the interview and due diligence process.
And according to Decipher, the situation continues to get worse. In a separate study, the percentage of clients joining a lateral’s new firm declined from 65% in 2021 to 57% in 2024.
Related reading: “Smart Growth Strategies for Small and Midmarket Law Firms.”
Lessons on Integrating and Retaining Lateral Hires
This situation has not been lost on law firm leaders. In the past few years, firms have focused on efforts to better integrate laterals into their firms. Here are a few of the strategies being deployed.
Adding New Law Firm Roles: The Chief Integration Officer
Firms have brought on executives who either focus exclusively on integration of new partners or who view onboarding and integration as a significant portion of their responsibilities. As a result, several new titles have been created in the last few years, such as:
- Chief Growth Officer
- Chief Legal Talent Officer
- Chief Integration Officer
- Chief Integration and Development Officer
Focusing on Fit Early in the Recruitment Process
Historically, integration efforts have largely targeted the time period after offer and acceptance, and have focused on things like transition of clients, meetings with partners in different practice groups, inclusion in firm events and affinity groups, introduction of clients, and participation in client pitches.
But what has changed over the past five years or so is that, at many firms, the integration process begins during the recruiting process. In reality, firms are putting more emphasis on determining whether a lateral is a good fit and will ultimately succeed at the firm.
According to Jennifer Queen, Chief Talent Officer at Bracewell in Houston, her firm is particularly focused on determining the cultural fit of lateral candidates. For example, she says, “We’re a firm where virtually all of our partners are in the office most days, and we’re looking for candidates who share that viewpoint.” She adds that the firm also zeroes in on a candidate’s approach to mentoring, their leadership qualities and overall firm citizenship.
According to Mark Carlson, Chief Growth Officer of Baker Donelson in Atlanta, his firm has for years used a detailed integration plan, developed jointly by the firm and the candidate, as its starting point. That document serves two purposes: to determine a lateral’s probable success at the firm, but also to ensure that candidates meet and interact with the right people at the firm once they start.
“We don’t employ a sink-or-swim philosophy here. So it’s important to us that there’s a joint commitment to do whatever is possible to ensure success.”
Providing One-on-One Attention
According to many integration leaders, one of the keys to successful lateral integration is to ensure someone is assigned to a one-on-one role with the new lateral. Usually, that is a member of the firm’s integration team or a department operating official.
According to Debby Usher, the Chief Integration Officer at Barnes & Thornburg in Chicago, that interaction is critical to a lateral’s success: “It’s important that there’s someone who can immediately respond to any number of questions or concerns that a new lateral has.”
During their official two-year integration period, laterals have access to that “dedicated ambassador” service. The relationship continues informally through their tenure.
Structured Integration Is Key to Retaining Lateral Hires
Integration is one of the most significant keys to lateral hiring success, according to outside observers. According to Pirical, firms with structured integration programs often report higher retention and success rates, with some firms reaching in excess of 90% retention.
Don’t ignore these numbers.
Related reading: The Lateral Hire Dilemma: Successfully Onboarding New Lateral Partners by Wendy Merrill.
Image © iStockPhoto.com.
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