Am Law 50 and top U.K.-founded firms in the San Francisco Bay area have not been recruiting lateral partners in 2024 as rapidly as they were in previous years, with the overall rate of additions through September down 7% compared with the same period last year.

Some 40 lateral partners were hired at Am Law 50 and Magic Circle firms in the first three quarters of the year in the Bay area, down from 43 in 2023. Macrae partner and recruiter Sarah Morris noted that the hiring trend among top law firms around San Francisco continues to slope downward.