Thinking of getting your bonus, then lateralling? BigLaw associates, read these thoughts first.
Every January, I hear a familiar refrain from BigLaw associates:
“I’m planning to get my bonus and then lateral.”
This year, that sentiment is especially common. After a long stretch of uncertainty, many associates feel restless, underleveraged, or simply ready for a change. And yes—there are lateral opportunities out there as we move through 2026.
But here’s the part that often gets glossed over: whether you can lateral after bonus season—and how quickly—depends heavily on who you are, what you do, and what you actually want next.
This is not a one-size-fits-all market.
Practice Area Matters (A Lot)
Some practices are consistently in high demand, regardless of broader market cycles.
Two examples I continue to see in New York:
Specialized finance (certain structured, fund, or niche lending practices)
Executive compensation / ERISA at specific experience levels
These groups are often understaffed with associates. Not because firms don’t value the work—but because these practices are under-selected from the very beginning, when first-year associates are choosing and matched with practices.
If this is your practice—and it’s the practice you want to stay in—you may genuinely have multiple firms to choose from, even outside peak hiring windows.
In those cases, post-bonus moves can happen very quickly. But even then, strategy matters.
Deal Practices: Optimism, With Real Constraints
There is cautious optimism around hiring midlevels in big deal practices like:
M&A
Capital Markets
General Corporate
But this optimism is narrowly targeted.
Most of the interest is:
For 4th- and 5th-year associates
Driven by very firm-specific needs
Subject to selective and picky evaluation
Yes, deal activity picked up in 2025—but we are still nowhere near the 2021–2022 surge.
As we enter 2026, firms are watching:
Interest rate uncertainty and the cost of money
Questions around a potential AI investment bubble
Ongoing geopolitical instability
All of that translates to tailored hiring that can take some time, not broad lateral sweeps.
Litigation: Slow, Steady, and Specific
For litigators, the story hasn’t changed much—and that’s important to internalize.
Lateral litigation hiring tends to be:
Highly specific
Slower-moving
Many litigation needs—when they are open—are filled by:
Associates coming off clerkships
Candidates leaving government roles, especially in markets like D.C., where people often stay longer before moving
If you’re a litigator, your lateral timeline is usually the longest. That’s normal. It’s not a reflection of your value—it’s how the market works.
The Big Misconception: “Bonus First, Then Move”
For the average associate, lateralling is not as simple as:
Get bonus
Decide to lateral
Start new firm shortly thereafter
That might be possible if you’re willing to accept almost any firm.
But you shouldn’t do that.
What if the new firm:
Has the same problems you’re trying to leave?
Doesn’t support your longer-term goals?
Limits your advancement, exit options, or geographic flexibility?
A lateral move only makes sense if it actually improves your position—whether that means:
Different or higher-quality work
A better client base or platform
Healthier culture or working group dynamics
Stronger partnership prospects
A clearer path to in-house or government roles
Relocation
More consistent or transparent compensation
Not every firm can offer that.
This Is Why Timeline and Strategy Matter
The most successful lateral moves I see are methodical, not reactive.
They involve:
Honest conversations about what you want
Narrow, thoughtful firm lists
Timing that aligns with both the market and your profile
Patience to wait for the right opportunity—not just the first one
This is especially true in a market that is selective rather than expansive.
A Final Thought
If you’re thinking about getting your bonus and lateralling, the right first step usually isn’t sending out résumés.
It’s asking better questions:
What do I want more (or less) of in my practice?
What does “better” actually mean to me?
Which firms can realistically deliver that?
That’s the work I do with candidates—building lists with real specificity, stress-testing assumptions, and advancing conversations intentionally, not opportunistically.
Because a lateral move should move you forward, not just somewhere else.