Pandemic aside, 2021 was a boom year for the legal industry, and that played out in the form of talent wars just as much as it resulted in increased profits. While head count remained relatively steady toward the top of the NLJ 500, career mobility continued to be highly dynamic across partner and associate ranks. In the end, overall head count at NLJ 500 firms rose modestly by 1.8% compared with the previous year.

While Washington, D.C., continues to be a booming market across various sectors from mergers and acquisitions to environmental, social, and corporate governance or the regulatory field, tier 3 markets in Texas or Florida have seen a high influx of attorneys in the wake of a pandemic that left many on the lookout for a better life-work balance. Twenty Am Law 25 firms now have at least one office in Texas.