Big Law, without the sacrifices.
Not all Big Law is the same. The work a group gets, the partners who train you, how a firm behaves in a heavy month, and how partnership math looks for your class year all differ from firm to firm. A move to the right one keeps the tier, the brand, and market pay.
- Same tier and the same market pay, in a group with better work and partners who train.
- Hours that hold up against the firm's peers, and a group that plans for a heavy month.
- Partnership math that's realistic for your class year and your practice.
- Confidential from the first message, and no cost to you. The hiring firm pays our fee.
The firms we recruit for and associates we represent
ITG recruits for Am Law 100 and Am Law 200 firms. We represent associates, including associates from Am Law 100 and 200 firms.
- Am Law 100
- firms we recruit for, several in the top half
- Am Law 200
- firms we recruit for as well
- 14,000+
- lawyers at the firms we recruit for
- 45 states
- where the attorneys we represent practice
Mid-size and regional associates report medians of about $130,000 at 3 to 4 years and $150,000 at 5 to 7 years, with commercial litigation and corporate/M&A reporting more than insurance defense. At Big Law firms, the published scale runs $235,000 for first-years to $455,000 for eighth-years.
Big Law is a good place to build a career, and the firms inside it are less alike than their rankings suggest. Two firms can sit a few spots apart and feel nothing alike once you're in the group: the work that comes in the door, whether partners hand off real responsibility, what a heavy month costs you, and how many associates in your practice make partner. Those are the reasons associates start looking. A lateral move can change all four. Pay isn't one of them, because it holds steady across matching firms: as of July 2026 the market scale runs from $235,000 for a first-year to $455,000 for a senior associate, with year-end bonuses on top.
Hours are what people ask about first. No top firm is light, but the spread between peer firms is real, and so is the difference between a group that plans coverage for a heavy month and one that leans on whoever is closest. Training works the same way. Some groups put associates on substantive matters early with a partner next to them who teaches, and by year five you can tell who had that and who didn't. We ask people inside the group before you spend a call on it, and we pass along what they say, including the parts that aren't flattering.
This is a market we're in every week. We work with firms across the spectrum, from regional practices to Am Law 100 shops, so the read you get is grounded in what those firms are hiring for right now. If in-house or a boutique is the direction you want, we'll lay out what each one gives you and what it asks. Most of our searches close in about five to six weeks.
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What you stop giving up at the right firm
The work that comes in the door
What a group is hired to do decides what you'll be able to do by your fifth year. The matters you want, and enough of them, are worth more than a change of letterhead.
Training you get
Some partners hand off real responsibility and teach you how to run it. Others keep it and hand you the pieces. We ask people inside the group which kind you'd be joining, before you take a call.
How a heavy month goes
Hours vary more between peer firms than the rankings let on, and so does what a group does when the work spikes. Current associates will tell you whether coverage gets planned or improvised, and we ask them.
Partnership math you can believe
Some firms promote far better than others for your class year and practice. Moving to one of them adds runway without costing you a step or a dollar of market pay.
Common Questions
I like Big Law. I'm just not sure I like my firm. Is that a real move?
How would I know a firm's culture and mentorship are better?
Does my firm's name help me?
Do I have to leave Big Law?
When is the right time to lateral to another Big Law firm?
Should I lateral for a signing bonus or for a move up a tier?
Is there any cost to me, and is it confidential?
Talk to a recruiter who knows your market
Tell us what you practice and what you'd want in a next seat. A recruiter will reach out, usually within one business day. It's confidential and free, and we don't share résumés or names without your permission.
Real recruiters who know the legal market.
You work with one person who specializes in your practice and keeps your search confidential.
