Movement

2024

Number of Career Movers

The graph compares the number of career moves for individuals with post-qualification experience across both platform law firms (shown in green) and traditional law firms (in blue).

Here’s a summary of the key findings:

Early Career (0-10 Years of Experience):
Traditional firms exhibit a significantly higher number of career moves during the early stages (1-5 years) compared to platform firms. This is unsurprising given that Platform firms rely on attracting more senior Lawyers, with a larger network, book of business and who have experience of developing client relationships.

Mid-Career (10-20 Years of Experience):
Traditional firms see a decline in incoming moves as lawyers gain experience, though they still maintain higher overall movement than platform firms. Platform firms experience more variable movement, with occasional spikes suggesting targeted recruitment or new opportunities.

As lawyers approach partner-level many seek new challenges, greater freedom, and fresh opportunities. Platform firms, which typically target more experienced lawyers, naturally attract talent at this career stage.

The key question emerges: as platform firms evolve and attract seasoned professionals, how can traditional firms adapt their strategies to retain and attract top talent in this changing landscape?

Late Career (20+ Years of Experience):
Both firm types display a downward trend in career moves as individuals accumulate more experience, indicating a general stabilisation in career trajectories. However, traditional firms still reflect slightly higher activity, implying that even seasoned professionals in traditional setups might be exploring new roles, potentially in consulting or at platform firms. It may also reflect a shift towards positions that bridge the gap to retirement.

Overall, the graph highlights that traditional law firms facilitate more career moves across all experience levels compared to platform firms. This trend may reflect the structured career pathways and diverse opportunities available within traditional firms, and the fact that Platform Firms aim to attract lawyers at a certain time in their careers.

	Average
PQE on Atlas	15.59582469
PQE at move to Traditional firms	11.35708899
PQE at move to Platform firms	16.84768212

The graph shows net movement to and from different types of law firms:

ALSPs: Minimal change, indicating stability.

In-House Roles: High net movement towards, showing strong attraction due to stability and benefits.

Legal 500 & Sub-Legal 500: Slightly more leaving than joining, suggesting moderate retention issues.

Magic Circle Firms: Significant outflow, hinting at possible burnout or career shifts.

Platform Firms: Steady inflow, reflecting ongoing appeal.

Top 100 Firms * Balanced but with a slight outflow, highlighting competition.
*As defined by The Lawyer magazine.

US Firms: More leaving than joining, potentially due to market or cultural factors.

Attracting and retaining talent in the new landscape

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To attract and retain top legal talent in today's market, firms must focus on creating a holistic value proposition that extends beyond salary – including clear career progression paths, mentorship opportunities, and sustainable workload management. Modern lawyers particularly value autonomy in their work arrangements, with hybrid options emerging as a key differentiator. Additionally, firms that demonstrate a genuine commitment to wellbeing initiatives and maintain transparent, inclusive cultures are proving more successful in both recruitment and retention efforts.

Questions for Firms to reflect on:

At what stage in their careers are you losing top talent in the organisation?
Where is this talent going to?
How does this affect how you think about career progression, talent density and pipelining?
What is most attractive for the population that’s leaving the organisation?

“To ensure they attract and retain top talent, firms will need a compelling view of the future, compelling narrative, a story that people can believe in, a purpose that makes them want to work with you. It’s the driving, unifying purpose that they need to get to mark you as truly different.”

Michael Burne
Bamboo Platform | Carbon Law