If an associate sticks around at their firm, what are their chances of making partner?
We'd forgive you for not considering your long-term career prospects when doing your research into law firms: surely it's best to focus on getting your foot in the door first? That said, future opportunities are an important factor to consider when you're weighing up potential employers, whether they're inside or beyond the firm itself.
The table below is for the folks who want to know how likely it is they'll make partner at their firm of choice. To do so, we've divided the number of partners each firm made up from within its own ranks in 2023, by the number of first year associates joining that firm in the same year, to give you a rough idea of the chances of progressing from a newbie to a partner.
Firms not listed did not disclose their intake or partner promotion numbers.
There are of course a few drawbacks to this methodology: firstly, it can take up to a decade (or even more) to rise through thanks to potential partner status, so the numbers won't correspond exactly. Second, be aware that some firms have different definition of 'partner' to others: certain BigLaw outfits promote high-achieving staff to the title of 'partner' without including them in the full equity partnership. Where the firms provided both numbers, we've only listed equity partners here.
It's also worth remembering that some newly made partners will likely have lateraled across from another firm at some point during their career. That explains why some firms scored a figure above 100% (it doesn't mean you get to make partner twice!)