Every year, The American Lawyer takes a deep dive into what has become a staple of Big Law life—and a thorn in its side—lateral hiring.

This year, we have looked at the issue of laterals from all angles. While hiring is down 2.25 percent, there were markets that were hot. You'll see which ones in our Hire Power report on the 25 biggest lateral moves of 2017.

In our cover story, Roy Strom takes a deep dive into the most common strategies to lateral partner hiring, and how they have played out for the firms that use them. We look at the star hires, expert and government hires, group acquisitions, the decision not to hire laterally at all, and more.

Other elements of our report include a look at the data on retention of women laterals, how to mitigate the risks of lateral hiring and how to build back up after several partner defections.

How can firms limit the downside to lateral hiring? One key is to know what you are in the market for and to understand the pros and cons of that specific type of move. Not all hiring strategies are the same. Here, we plot the benefits and risks of spending big bucks on stars; of hiring large groups; and of recruiting experts, often from government, to broaden well-known practice groups. We also highlight the economic arbitrage of lower-cost firms hiring into bigger markets, and as a baseline for judging the lateral market, the strategy of those firms that still don't participate in the competition for lateral talent. Read more here.

Law firms recharged their practices with a range of high-wattage partner moves in 2017. It wasn't shocking that many of the new hires came from the outgoing Obama administration. But plugged-in practitioners of all kinds were in demand, from Silicon Valley dealmakers to law firm leaders to white-collar litigators. Here are our top partner moves of last year.