What Factors Make a Lawyer Consider Moving Firms?

In lateral hiring, it’s important to target attorneys who are actively open to making a move.
Approaching someone who is deeply satisfied with their current firm is often a poor use of time
and outreach capacity. But how do recruiters identify lawyers who actually would explore other
career opportunities?

As expected, many attorneys evaluate new opportunities through the lens of compensation.
When a lawyer sees their current salary falling short of market benchmarks for their experience
and practice area, they are far more likely to explore external offers, especially those aligned
with the upper range of compensation for comparable roles.

But money is rarely the only factor. Many lawyers also take stock of their alumni network. If a
critical mass of law school or former firm colleagues have moved elsewhere and appear to be
thriving, it can serve as a powerful social nudge to consider a move. These patterns suggest to an
attorney that other firms might offer a more supportive culture, stronger mentorship, or faster
career advancement. In firms with active alumni relationships, lateral movement often tracks
alongside these informal professional networks.

Law firms themselves tend to focus on prestige and rankings. Being able to offer a position at a
top-ranked firm often attracts talent that is status-conscious or seeking a stronger platform to
grow their book. This makes it important for firms to not only maintain prestige, but also clearly
communicate it in the recruiting process.

From a recruiter’s perspective, an attorney’s likelihood to move is often indicated by their tenure
pattern. If a candidate has spent three to five years at their last few positions, they may be
approaching a natural point to make a move. Meanwhile, practice area retention trends can also
signal when movement is most likely.

Do you agree? What other factors would you say are important in determining an attorney’s
propensity to join the job search? Let me know in our LinkedIn comments or by email:
mic@talentengines.ai