Paying for the Talent War, From Revolving Lines of Credit to Nonequity Budgets
Lateral partner movement surged nearly 20% in 2025, and 2026 is already outpacing that trajectory. Jeffrey Lowe, CenterPeak's Market President for Washington D.C., notes that "2026 is off to an even much faster start," as higher-profile partners with larger books of business move with greater frequency across the AmLaw 200. The financial stakes have never been higher: Lowe points out that elite firms are now spending "many tens of millions of dollars" annually on lateral hiring alone—covering signing bonuses, lateral compensation, and search fees—with some firms drawing on revolving lines of credit to fund the investment. For firms weighing the cost of competing in today's lateral market, he poses the defining question of this era—"Can you afford not to?"—positioning targeted lateral strategy as the clearest path to rapid, sustainable growth.
