One in five partners are considering leaving their employers within the next few years, a survey across the UK Top 250 law firms suggests, as assumptions that being made partner meant you had a job for life no longer ring true.
According to research by TBD Marketing, one fifth (21%) of the 160 law firm partners surveyed said they are unsure if they will remain with their employer over the next three years.
Potential churn is highest in the largest organisations, with nearly a quarter (24.6%) of partners in top 50 firms saying they may leave within the next few years. This compares to 21.2% in firms ranked 51-100 and just 13.8% outside the top 100.
An overwhelming 96% of partners did say they would recommend their firm as a place to work.
TBD also asked partners about how contribution is assessed and rewarded, with an average score of just 2.6 out of 10 for how fairly their contribution is measured within their firm. Partners with leadership roles rated fairness even lower, with an average 1.3 out of 10; while nearly a quarter of those surveyed awarded their firms the lowest possible score of zero.
Simon Marshall, founder of TBD Marketing, said:
“Partnership has always been where ambition, economics and identity collide. For most, it’s a very big deal to be made a partner. What this data shows is not a collapse in loyalty to firms, but a growing misalignment between what partners believe should be valued and how contribution is actually measured. If we want to keep brilliant people, we need to reward them, and in the ways they want to be valued.”
“There used to be an assumption that once you made partner you stayed for life. That mindset is starting to soften. Lawyers are still deeply committed to their firms, but they’re thinking more actively about how partnership works in practice and whether it gives them the flexibility and recognition they expect.”
Equity partners reported a much stronger sense of belonging to their firm, with a net promoter score of +56 compared with just +22 among salaried partners.
The research also showed succession planning received an average confidence score of 7 out of 10.
Marshall added:
“Trust in how contribution is measured has eroded and succession planning lacks the depth required to support long-term sustainability. These are not isolated issues. Together, they point to structural weaknesses that sit beneath historically resilient institutions.”
Partners also showed scepticism towards consolidation strategies, with private equity scoring -74 and M&A scoring -62.
The results follow a survey from Arbor Law last year, in which fewer than half (43%) of respondents said they wanted to pursue partnership at their current firm.
Kate Bennett, co-founder of Arbor Law, said that firms looking to retain senior lawyers increasingly need to focus on clarity, autonomy and meaningful work. “For many partners, the work itself remains the best part – challenging in the right ways, commercially consequential, often genuinely interesting.”
