Chicago Lateral Associate Market Check: March 2025
Following a slower February, March saw a slight rebound in associate hiring among the 200 largest law firms in Chicago. A total of 48 new roles were posted—up from 41 last month, though still trailing March 2024’s tally of 55. While the numbers improved, the market still felt a bit sluggish on the ground.
A few trends stood out:
Bankruptcy saw a surprising spike. With five new roles posted, this marks the most active month in that area so far this year. It could be an early signal of growing economic uncertainty—or just a short-term hiring burst.
Corporate slowed to a complete stop. After months of steady, if slow, corporate hiring, March brought zero new roles in this traditionally active practice area. It’s a development worth watching, especially given the current deal environment.
IP and Labor & Employment remain consistent. These two practice areas continue to show steady demand, even as other sectors waver.
Energy is emerging as a niche growth area. With four new openings in March, energy law is quietly becoming an in-demand specialty—especially for transactional attorneys looking to pivot or niche down.
Litigation, healthcare, and T&E cooled. These areas saw minimal or no new postings this month after showing more activity earlier in the year.
March 2025 Role Breakdown by Practice Area:
Labor & Employment – 7
Intellectual Property – 6
Bankruptcy – 5
Finance – 5
Litigation – 5
Energy – 4
Real Estate – 3
Investment Management – 2
Employee Benefits – 2
Tax – 2
Technology – 2
Other Regulatory – 2
Capital Markets – 1
Data Privacy – 1
Healthcare – 1
Corporate – 0
Trusts & Estates – 0
It’s worth noting: these numbers reflect only new postings. Across the top 200 firms in Chicago, there are still approximately 257 associate roles currently open. That’s a dip from the 330 open positions reported last month, but it still represents a wide range of opportunities.
If you’re weighing your options or just want to talk through the market in your practice area, feel free to message me here or reach out at chris@navigatelegalsearch.com.
