Associate Mobility Brief - Market Intelligence | June 2026
June 2026 recorded 1,079 attorney lateral moves tracked through Firm Prospects, easing from May’s 1,170 and continuing a gradual cooling trend since March’s high of 1,306. Even with that moderation, the lateral market remains highly active by historical standards, and associate-level movement continues to account for the majority of monthly volume.
The month’s data points to a market that is settling into a steadier rhythm after a fast start to the year, with a handful of practice areas standing out for sustained, above-average momentum.
Figure 1. Total tracked lateral moves by month, Firm Prospects data, 2026. February reflects a partial month of data collection.
Movement by Practice Area
Litigation and Corporate remain the highest-volume practice areas in the market, simply given the size of those groups across firms, but Labor & Employment stands out for the strongest net gain relative to its size, a signal of active, sustained investment in that practice area this month.
Figure 2. Net movement (entries minus exits) by practice area, June 2026.
Labor & Employment: 124 Entries | 68 Exits | Net: +56
Labor & Employment posted the strongest net gain of any practice area in June, with entries nearly double its exits. This is the clearest growth signal in the June dataset and points to firms building out bench strength across seniority levels.
Litigation: 272 Entries | 242 Exits | Net: +30
Litigation remains the largest practice area by volume, and June’s figures show entries outpacing exits for a healthy net gain, even as churn at this scale remains a normal feature of the practice area.
Corporate: 209 Entries | 180 Exits | Net: +29
Corporate posted its second consecutive month of net-positive movement, consistent with a broader stabilization in deal-driven hiring across the market.
Insurance: 27 Entries | 35 Exits | Net: -8
Insurance was the only practice area with a meaningfully negative net in June, suggesting a somewhat deeper pool of Insurance attorneys currently exploring new opportunities relative to the roles being filled.
Figure 3. Entries vs. exits, top 8 practice areas by total volume, June 2026.
Seniority Trends
Associates accounted for just over half of all June moves, consistent with the pattern seen since the start of the year. Partner-level movement made up 22% of the total, a healthy share given how much longer partner-level searches typically take to close.
Figure 4. Seniority breakdown of June 2026 lateral arrivals.
Where Today’s Talent Is Coming From
Harvard, Columbia, Fordham, George Washington, and Georgetown produced the largest share of attorneys who changed firms in June, a mix that reflects both elite national programs and the strong regional pipelines feeding the New York and DC markets in particular.
Figure 5. Top ten law schools by volume of June 2026 lateral arrivals.
Geographic Concentration
New York, California, and DC together account for the majority of tracked movement this month. DC stands out with the strongest net gain relative to its size, with arrivals outpacing departures by 15, a trend consistent with continued absorption of attorneys moving from government roles into private practice.
Figure 6. Top ten states by lateral activity (arrivals and departures), June 2026.
Outlook for Q3 2026
Labor & Employment, Real Estate, and Energy enter the third quarter with the most consistent positive momentum in the market, and firms with a credible platform story in these areas are well positioned to attract talent through the summer. Litigation and Corporate remain the deepest pools of overall activity, and while both are trending net-positive in June, the scale of churn in these groups means the market for experienced talent there stays competitive. Insurance is the practice area most worth watching heading into Q3, given June’s softer net reading.
Onward Recruiting will continue to track this data monthly and will publish an updated analysis once July figures are available.
This analysis reflects attorney-level lateral movement data licensed through Firm Prospects for June 2026 (n = 1,079). Individual firm names are intentionally omitted from this public analysis. Onward Recruiting maintains full firm-level detail internally to support active searches and can speak to specific market segments on request.
