Atlanta is the leading market for law firm partner moves this year, with an increase of 69% in 2022, according to an article published by the Daily Report. The growth appears to be driven by a large number of corporate, banking, and finance attorneys in Atlanta. The market appears to be cooling, however, with law firm leaders reporting less activity now compared to the first of the year. 

"I think part of that is that firms, in general, have already had a good year and a lot of laterals don’t really start thinking about their positioning until the year is over," said Michael E. Hollingsworth II, managing partner of Nelson Mullins’ Atlanta office and a member of the management committee. "Are we interested in lateral groups right now or partners? Yes, absolutely, especially for our core practice areas and especially if they have portable business. We’re all ears. It’s just that I’m not seeing a huge amount of partners, especially around town who are looking into potentially more choppy waters next year and are proactively looking for a new home yet."

Hollingsworth said most of the movement can be seen in less-experienced junior partners who have a smaller book of business. 

"Right now, most of the inquiries I’m getting are from more junior partners who have business, maybe not huge books yet, but are on the rise and are looking for a platform to grow that business," he said. "I’m not really seeing a lot of movement among older, more established practice groups. That could happen next year if firms start feeling the pain of the macroeconomic trends."