What your practice is worth on the Am Law market.
You have a book, and Am Law firms compete hard for practices like yours. We give you a clear read on what yours commands, which platforms fit it, and how much of it is likely to travel. Every conversation stays quiet, and nothing reaches a firm until you say it can.
- Total discretion. Your firm and your clients never hear from us.
- A clear read on what your practice commands at Am Law firms right now.
- Portability worked through client by client, so your numbers hold up in diligence.
- No cost to you at any stage. The hiring firm pays, never the candidate.
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.
Am Law firms compete hardest for partners who arrive with a practice, because originations and client relationships are the one thing a firm cannot build quickly. That competition shows up in the economics of an offer and in how much a firm will construct around you, from associate depth to partners who can cross-sell your work. Firms differ most on how they value a particular practice, and that rarely tracks the rankings. We represent attorneys at the country's leading national firms and run active searches with Am Law 100 and 200 firms, including firms with more than 1,000 attorneys, so the read you get comes from live conversations instead of a table.
Every partner move comes down to one question: how much of your business follows you. Am Law firms answer it with a lateral partner questionnaire and a diligence process that runs deeper than most partners expect, covering originations by year, billings, realization, and the relationships you control. We work through your book with you client by client before any of that begins, so the numbers you put on paper hold up when a committee tests them. Rate pressure belongs in that conversation too, since a higher-rate platform is an easy sell to some clients and a real problem for others. Once a firm is serious, most of our searches close in about five to six weeks.
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How a lateral partner move runs
Each step happens on your timeline and stays between us until you decide otherwise. Here is what we work through with you.
What your practice is worth
A read on the compensation, origination credit, and support an Am Law firm should offer for a practice like yours, measured against what comparable platforms are doing now. We also walk through the shape of a typical package, including the guarantee period at the front, how draw works through the year, and where credit gets shared, so nothing in the offer arrives as a surprise.
Portability, read client by client
We go through your book one relationship at a time, separating the clients who are yours from the ones tied to your current platform, and we factor in rates, conflicts, and who else at your firm touches the work. The number you present should be one you can defend, because the firm will test it. Market-wide, a portable book is a stated requirement in only a small share of the partner-level searches we run. It still drives what a firm will pay you.
The LPQ, conflicts, and diligence
The lateral partner questionnaire asks for originations by year, billings and collections, realization, and your client list. We work through it with you before it goes in and tell you what the committee will press on next. Conflicts get mapped against target firms early, so a promising conversation doesn't stall in clearance weeks later.
Platform fit
Practice depth alongside yours, partners with reason to cross-sell your work, and the geographic reach your clients need. A firm that already serves your industry in the cities that matter to your clients will grow your practice. One that doesn't will ask you to carry it by yourself, at higher rates.
Common Questions
How is this different from your page for partners at regional and mid-size firms?
What does the lateral partner questionnaire ask for?
How do you handle conflicts?
How are Am Law partner offers usually structured?
Is it confidential, and does it cost me anything?
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.
