Big Law Hiring Outside New York: Houston, Nashville, Miami, London

Most of the lateral intake at the largest hiring firms lands away from Manhattan. Sartori & Partners data show that New York took 14.8% of all lateral moves in the 12 months to October 2026, and that at five large firms it was at most about 25% of hires. This report looks at where big law firms are hiring outside New York: the second cities they are building in, and the weight London carries in their intake.

Firm figures here are shares of each firm's 12-month lateral hires, rounded to the nearest five points, set against each city's share of all moves. Firm rankings count individual hires: lawyers who joined as one team in the same quarter are in the market totals but not in a firm's rank. The underlying records are public law-firm announcements, firm websites and professional profiles, checked monthly.

Start with New York's own weight. At Kirkland & Ellis, first on the market list of lateral hirers, New York was about 25% of 12-month hires. It was about 25% at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, about 20% at Paul Hastings, about 20% at Sullivan & Cromwell and about 15% at Greenberg Traurig, level with the market's 14.8%.

New York still runs above its market share at four of the five. What changes the picture is the cities that come next. In the largest hirer's mix, Houston and Nashville each sit at about 10% of hires, level with London and Chicago, although Houston holds 2.3% of the market and Nashville 0.8%.

A search plan built on New York alone misses most of where these platforms add people. A firm that competes with them for lateral talent should map their second offices first, because that is where their next offers will land.

Nashville took 0.8% of lateral moves in the market and ranks 20th among cities. In the mix of Kirkland & Ellis it was about 10% of 12-month hires, 12.5 times the city's market share. Nashville is not among the cities listed in the firm's 3-year mix, so this is a growth office, not an old base.

The firm heads the Nashville list of lateral hirers and also its partner list, where Kirkland & Ellis sits first. It arrived in a market that is growing fast: Nashville lateral moves rose 40.0% year on year, from 80 to 112 across the settled 12-month windows, while the market rose 9.0%. Partner hiring in Nashville held flat (+10.3%), so the growth sits mostly below partner level.

Nashville was never a big-firm market by size class. Firms of 1,000+ lawyers took 38.9% of its lateral moves, against 53.6% across the market, and firms of 400-999 lawyers took 47.8%. Hiring is also concentrated: the top 10 hirers took 73.3% of moves, against 12.9% for the market's top 10.

For a Nashville firm, one large entrant now sets terms in a small pool, mostly for associates, who were 62.9% of the city's moves. Expect counteroffers to cost more and associate searches to run longer; partner searches face less new pressure for now.

Houston lateral moves rose 51.1% year on year, from 223 to 337, a steeper rise than Nashville posted. Partner moves there rose 39.1%. Kirkland & Ellis is first on the Houston list of lateral hirers, with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher third.

Both firms show Houston gaining weight in their own mix. At the first, Houston was about 10% of 12-month hires, against about 5% over 3 years. At Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher the move is the same: about 10% of 12-month hires, against about 5% over 3 years. The city itself holds 2.3% of the market.

The work explains the pull. Projects & Infrastructure was 15.1% of Houston moves, 4.1 times its share of the market, and Corporate & M&A was 27.8%. Firms of 1,000+ lawyers took 58.9% of Houston moves.

In Houston, a mandate for an energy, projects or transactional partner now runs against several large platforms buying at once. Build the shortlist early and price the offer against their scale, not against the local market of three years ago.

In Sartori & Partners data, Miami is the largest city in the 12-month mix of Greenberg Traurig, ranked 4th among lateral hirers: about 20% of hires, against about 15% in New York. Miami holds 2.1% of the market, so the firm weights it 9.5 times as heavily.

Over 3 years Miami was about 10% of the firm's hires, level with New York, so its weight has grown. Denver, at about 5% of 12-month hires, is new to the mix, in a city with 1.2% of the market. The firm ranks 2nd among partner hirers, partners were about 30% of its hires, and its net partner flow, lateral partners hired against partners who left for another firm, was positive.

For a Florida firm, this is a buyer of partners at scale on its doorstep. A partner weighing a move in Miami now has a large-platform option, so local offers need a clear case on rates, client conflicts and role.

London took 9.2% of lateral moves in the market. It was about 25% of 12-month hires at Paul Hastings, about 25% at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and about 45% at Sullivan & Cromwell, where it outweighs New York at about 20%.

All three appear on the London list of lateral hirers: Paul Hastings third, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher fourth and Sullivan & Cromwell eighth, and Paul Hastings heads the London partner list. Lateral hiring in London held flat (-2.5%) across the settled windows, so these firms are adding people in a market that is not growing overall.

London's weight inside each of the three mixes is higher than over 3 years. The compare below shows it for one of them, alongside Houston. The practice mix fits the city: Banking & Finance was 24.8% of London moves, against 13.9% across the market, and about 35% of hires at the first of the three firms.

For a London firm, a flat market with several large buyers means every finance partner hire is taken from someone else. Retention plans for finance and private equity partners matter as much as lateral plans.

First, plan searches by city, not by firm brand. The five firms here all keep New York at about 25% of hires or less, so their competition for your candidates is sharpest in their second offices.

Second, read the growth cities as short windows. Houston lateral moves rose 51.1% and Nashville moves rose 40.0%; a firm that wants to hire there should move before the new offices finish staffing, because once they do the pool will be thinner and pricier.

Third, in Nashville and Miami, expect a large platform in the room at every stage. In Nashville that pressure falls on associates; in Miami it reaches partners. Budget for it in the offer, and shorten the time between first meeting and offer.

Fourth, in London, treat retention as part of hiring. Sartori & Partners data show London lateral hiring held flat (-2.5%), while three large firms keep a quarter or more of their intake there; growth for anyone else in that city means hiring from a competitor and holding on to its own bench.