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August 4, 2026, 9:55 am CDT As the bidding war for top talent in BigLaw escalates, more law firms are offering bigger bonuses, greater starting equity shares and other financial incentives to reel in lateral candidates. (Photo illustration by Sara Wadford/ABA Journal) As the bidding war for top talent in BigLaw escalates, more law firms are offering bigger bonuses, greater starting equity shares and other financial incentives to reel in lateral candidates. Legal recruiters and consultants told Law.com that Latham & Watkins and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton are two firms that unexpectedly have become more competitive in recruiting. At Latham, whose recent hires include five partners from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, higher bonuses and compensation guarantees are among frequently offered incentives. Neither Latham nor Cleary provided comment to Law.com. BigLaw firms have to be more creative with pay arrangements, as compensation alone isn’t always enough to attract lateral partners, legal recruiters told Law.com. “If youre a partner making $15 million a year, another firm paying you $17 million a year doesnt necessarily move the dial for you,” said Scott Yaccarino, a co-founder of the Empire Search Group, a legal recruiting company. “Firms understand that. The pay packages are very reflective right now of what its taking to attract other peer-level talent.” As part of these pay packages, firms are giving out more equity shares to entice profitable partners to bring their business, Yaccarino said. Margie Grossberg, the founder and CEO of the Benchmark Legal Search Partners, a recruiting company, told Law.com that compensation guarantees once ran for two years but now extend to four years at some firms. Jon Lindsey, a New York founding partner at recruiting company Major, Lindsey & Africa, also noted that more firms are allowing partners to become vested in their retirement plans more quickly.