"Biglaw firms make enormous amounts of money off junior and midlevel associates billing at rates that have little to do with their actual compensation. Better, from a pure profit standpoint, to have a constant stream of fresh first- and second-years hungry to prove themselves than to accumulate too many expensive senior associates who might start asking uncomfortable questions about the partnership track."
"The splashy number this year is that a record-breaking 83% of associates who departed in 2025 did so within five years of being hired, up from 2024's 80%. The NALP Foundation's own Fiona Trevelyan calls this a 'talent management imperative' worth close attention."
"The overall attrition rate landed at 19%, down a hair from last year's 20%. The smallest firms (100 or fewer attorneys) still showed a much higher rate at 24%, while the larger cohorts came in between 16% and 18%."
"For a firm printing money on associate billing, 16-18% annual attrition is a perfectly calibrated churn rate. Not so fast it creates chaos, not so slow that expensive senior associates start clogging the pyramid."
In 2025, 83% of associates who left did so within five years of hiring, indicating a trend in associate attrition. The overall attrition rate was 19%, slightly down from 20% in 2024. Smaller firms experienced higher attrition rates at 24%, while larger firms ranged from 16% to 18%. This attrition rate is seen as beneficial for firms, allowing them to maintain profitability without accumulating costly senior associates. The classification of 47% of departures as 'unwa' suggests a need for deeper analysis of associate retention strategies.
Read at Above the Law
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