Big Law has always been a balancing act. But so far this decade, the scales have threatened to tip more than ever, with even the most successful firms making seismic changes to maintain position in an era where they've collectively never been more keen to grow.

"It just reduces your flexibility," said Jim Jones, director of the Georgetown University Law Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession and a former managing partner of Arnold & Porter, on the amped-up competition. Particularly if one wants to improve on things like pro bono and other forms of giving back, diversity, and associate wellbeing, it's seemingly harder and harder to find the time and the resources.