A lateral link is when a lawyer moves from one law firm to another, usually bringing clients and cases with them
The term lateral link describes a specific kind of job move in the legal world. Instead of starting at a junior position and working up through the ranks at one firm, a lawyer with experience at another firm joins a new firm at roughly the same level they held before. The word "lateral" means sideways — you are moving across, not climbing up.
What makes a lateral link different from a regular hire is that the lawyer often brings existing client relationships and ongoing work with them. A partner at Firm A might move to Firm B and bring five clients along, or an associate might transfer with a case file that will generate billable hours at the new firm. This is why lateral links matter to law firms: they are not just hiring a person, they are acquiring revenue.
Lateral links happen constantly in large legal markets like New York, Los Angeles, and Washington DC. They happen less often in smaller markets where there are fewer firms to move between. They can involve a single lawyer or a whole team — sometimes an entire practice group at one firm will move together to another.
Key Takeaways
- A lateral link is when a lawyer with experience at one firm joins another firm at a similar level, often bringing clients and cases with them.
- Law firms recruit laterally because they want to grow a practice area, enter a new market, or acquire clients without training someone from scratch.
- Lateral moves are most common among partners and senior associates, less common for junior lawyers early in their careers.
- The lawyer moving laterally usually negotiates compensation based on the clients and revenue they bring, not just their salary at the previous firm.
Why law firms recruit laterally instead of promoting from within
A law firm might recruit a lateral lawyer for several concrete reasons. The most direct one is speed: if a firm wants to expand a practice area — say, they want to grow their real estate team — they can hire an experienced real estate partner from another firm instead of waiting five to ten years for a junior associate to develop that informed. The new partner arrives with knowledge, relationships with other lawyers in the field, and often clients ready to work with them.
A second reason is market entry. If a firm has offices in three cities but wants to establish itself in a fourth, recruiting a lateral partner who already practices in that city and knows the local courts, judges, and business community is faster than building from zero. That partner brings credibility and connections the firm would otherwise have to build over years.
A third reason is client acquisition. If the lateral lawyer brings three major clients or a $2 million case, the firm gains revenue when ready. This is why compensation for lateral moves is often much higher than for lawyers hired at the same level who do not bring clients — the firm is paying for the business, not just the labor.
Who moves laterally and when
Lateral moves are most common among partners and senior associates — lawyers with enough experience and client relationships to be valuable to a new firm. A junior associate with two years of experience rarely moves laterally because they have not yet built a client base or a reputation that travels with them.
Lawyers move laterally for several reasons. Some want higher compensation than their current firm will offer. Some want to work in a different practice area or industry. Some want to move to a different city. Some leave because they disagree with firm management or culture. Some are recruited aggressively by competitors who see their work and want to hire them away.
Lateral moves also happen when a firm is in trouble. If a firm is shrinking, losing clients, or facing financial problems, partners may leave for more stable firms. Conversely, if a firm is growing rapidly, it may recruit laterals to keep up with client demand.
How compensation works in a lateral move
A lawyer moving laterally does not straightforward receive the same salary they earned at their previous firm. The new firm negotiates based on what the lawyer brings. If you are a partner moving with $5 million in annual client revenue, you will negotiate differently than if you are moving with no clients.
The negotiation usually includes base salary, a percentage of the revenue the lawyer generates (called a "draw" or "profit share"), a signing bonus, and sometimes a may provide — a promise that the firm will pay you a minimum amount even if you do not when ready generate that much revenue. The may provide protects the lawyer during the transition period while they are building relationships at the new firm.
For associates, the negotiation is simpler but still tied to what they bring. A senior associate moving with a major client or case may negotiate a higher salary or a signing bonus. An associate moving without clients may receive only a modest increase over what they earned before.
The risks and challenges of lateral moves
A lateral move is not risk-free for either the lawyer or the firm. The lawyer risks arriving at a firm where the culture is different, the work is not what they expected, or the clients they brought do not stay. Some lateral lawyers find that the new firm's way of working does not suit them, and they move again within a few years.
The firm risks overpaying for a lawyer who does not perform as expected, or losing the clients the lawyer brought if those clients were loyal to the individual lawyer, not to the firm. If a lateral partner brings a client who leaves after a year, the firm has paid a high salary and signing bonus for temporary revenue.
There is also a cultural risk. If a firm hires many laterals at once, the existing lawyers may feel that their loyalty and years of service are undervalued. This can create tension between the laterals and the lawyers who came up through the firm's ranks.
How lateral moves affect the legal job market
Lateral movement is one reason the legal job market is competitive. When a firm recruits a lateral partner, it is not creating a new job — it is filling a role that might otherwise have gone to a junior lawyer being promoted from within. This means fewer advancement opportunities for lawyers early in their careers at firms that rely heavily on lateral hiring.
Lateral movement also creates instability. If a firm loses a lateral partner to a competitor, it loses not just the lawyer but the clients and revenue they brought. This can trigger a cascade: other lawyers at the firm may worry about the firm's stability and start looking elsewhere, leading to more departures.
On the other hand, lateral movement allows lawyers to change firms without leaving the profession, and it allows firms to grow and adapt quickly. In a healthy legal market, some lateral movement is normal and necessary.
Lateral links versus other ways lawyers change jobs
A lateral link is different from other kinds of legal job moves. When a junior associate moves from one firm to another, it is usually not called a lateral link — it is just a job change. The term "lateral link" is reserved for moves that happen at a similar level and usually involve clients or revenue.
A lawyer who moves in-house — from a law firm to a company's legal department — is not making a lateral link. Neither is a lawyer who moves to government, academia, or a nonprofit. Those are career changes, not lateral moves within the private law firm world.
A lawyer who is promoted to partner at their current firm is not making a lateral link. That is advancement within the same firm. A lateral link requires moving to a different firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do clients always follow a lawyer when they move to a new firm?
Not always. Some clients are loyal to the individual lawyer and will follow them anywhere. Others are loyal to the firm and will stay even if their lawyer leaves. Many clients will follow if the new firm can serve them well, but some will split their work between the old and new firms or stay with the original firm out of habit or existing relationships there.
What happens to a lateral lawyer's clients if they leave the new firm?
The clients may follow the lawyer again, stay with the firm, or split their work. This is one reason firms ask lateral lawyers to sign non-compete agreements — contracts that restrict where they can work if they leave. However, these agreements are not always enforceable, and clients generally have the right to choose their own counsel.
Can a junior lawyer make a lateral move?
Technically yes, but it is uncommon. Junior lawyers do not usually have clients or revenue to bring, so a new firm has little incentive to hire them laterally. A junior lawyer changing firms is usually just changing jobs, not making a lateral move in the formal sense.
Is a lateral move the same as being recruited?
Lateral moves often involve recruitment — a firm actively seeking out and hiring a lawyer from another firm — but not always. Sometimes a lawyer approaches a firm about moving. The term "lateral link" describes the move itself, while "recruitment" describes how the move came about.
Why do some law firms not hire laterals?
Some firms prefer to promote from within because they believe it builds loyalty and culture. Others are too small to afford lateral compensation. Some specialize in areas where lateral hiring is less common. And some firms have had bad experiences with laterals and choose to avoid them.