While most of Big Law continues “tight control” over their equity partnership, there’s evidence the very highest-performing firms increased their equity partner ranks last year, according to industry analysts and consultants.

Indeed, the law firms that “knocked the cover off the ball” in 2024—a group of about 15 top-performing law firms tracked by Wells Fargo’s Legal Specialty Group—increased their equity tier by about 3% through most of the year, the bank said. Meanwhile, the equity partner ranks amongst even top 50 firms writ-large were up only 1% through most of last year.