The Real Reasons Lateral Partner Moves Succeed or Fail

Poll insights, real-world observations, and lessons for firms and partners in 2025

In 2024, London saw a record 546 lateral partner moves, a 6.6% rise from the previous year. And if the first half of 2025 is anything to go by, we’re not slowing down.

Yet for every high-profile move that transforms a partner’s trajectory or helps a firm break into new markets, there are others that quietly unravel, often within 12 to 24 months.

So, what determines whether a lateral partner move becomes a strategic success… or an expensive misfire?

To dig deeper into this, I ran a poll across our legal audience asking:
 
“What’s the biggest factor in whether a lateral partner move succeeds or fails?”

Here are the results:

🔸 41% – Lack of cultural alignment
🔸 41% – Overpromising business case
🔸 12% – Integration / internal support
🔸 6% – Poor recruitment processes

The numbers were telling and while each factor plays a role, two things clearly dominate the conversation: culture and credibility.

Let’s unpack what this means in practice.

1. Cultural Alignment

It’s often said that culture eats strategy for breakfast, and in partner recruitment, that couldn’t be more accurate.

When a partner joins a new firm, they’re not just bringing clients and billings; they’re stepping into a whole new operating rhythm. How decisions are made, how collaboration happens (or doesn’t), how conflicts are resolved, how status is measured, these things matter.

In theory, a partner’s client base might integrate well on paper. But if the culture is a mismatch, too rigid, too political, too “lone wolf”, the move stalls. I’ve seen high-performing partners underwhelm not because their practice lacked potential, but because they couldn’t find the right internal traction.

Cultural due diligence is often overlooked by both firms and partners. But it should be right up there with client portability and remuneration.

For firms:

Ask yourself, does our culture truly accommodate lateral hires? Do we support integration beyond the first few weeks?

For candidates:

Be honest, are you joining a culture that will stretch and support you, or one that will clash with your values and working style?

2. Overpromising the Business Case

Also polling at 41% was “overpromising the business case” another silent killer of lateral success.

I’ve reviewed hundreds of business plans over the years. Too often, they’re aspirational, vague, or disconnected from commercial reality. Sometimes, it’s due to pressure to impress. Other times, it’s simply because the partner hasn’t had the right sounding board to sense-check their figures or strategic direction.

What firms want is clarity, not just numbers, but how the numbers happen:

• Where does the work originate from?
• How reliant is it on existing platforms or infrastructure?
• What internal support is required?
• Are the clients likely to move and how intertwined are they with the current firm?
• Is the client base portable, or tied to specific individuals, branding, or conflicts?

If these things aren’t unpacked honestly during the hiring process, disillusionment follows. Expectations go unmet. Trust erodes. And integration stalls before it starts.

Business plans shouldn’t be static documents. They should be a tool to test assumptions, align expectations, and guide onboarding. A business plan should ensure that there are no moving goal posts, the candidate knows what they need to deliver, and the firm knows what is needed for the candidate to achieve the plan.

As a recruiter, I see it as my role to help partners develop realistic, compelling, and transparent plans, not just for the firm’s benefit, but to protect the candidate’s own reputation long-term.

3. Integration and Support

Only 12% of poll respondents chose “lack of integration/internal support” as the top issue but I’d argue this number hides a bigger truth.

Integration is often the make-or-break factor. it’s just not always obvious from the outside. It doesn’t create headlines like a culture clash or a revenue gap, but it quietly determines whether a lateral hire thrives or survives.

Some firms still treat onboarding as a two-week HR process. The best ones treat it as a 6–12 month strategy involving:

• A named integration sponsor
• Internal visibility plans
• Cross-practice business development initiatives
• Regular feedback checkpoints
• Marketing/PR support to promote the move internally and externally

A lateral hire’s success often depends less on what they bring, and more on what the firm enables once they arrive.

4. Recruitment Process

Just 6% cited “poor recruitment process” as the primary reason for failure, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. In fact, it’s the first signal a partner receives about how the firm operates.

Clunky, inconsistent, or vague recruitment processes reflect poorly on the firm. They can:

• Undermine confidence in leadership
• Delay momentum and damage candidate experience
• Create mixed messaging that leads to misaligned expectations

By contrast, firms that run slick, insightful, and respectful processes often gain a psychological edge, especially when competing for talent.

So what actually makes a lateral partner move successful?

A culture that aligns with the partner’s values and style
A business plan that’s rooted in reality and backed by support
 An integration strategy that lasts beyond a few weeks
A recruitment process that reflects the firm’s professionalism and purpose

When all four align, the results can be transformational,  for the partner and for the firm.

But get even one of them wrong, and what looked like a strategic win can become an expensive, distracting detour.

For Firms:

If your lateral hires aren’t sticking, ask yourself:

• Do we really understand what makes us attractive (or not) to top talent?
• Is our culture open, or exclusive?
• Do we have systems in place that ensure new partners feel part of the fabric, not just a transaction?
  
  

For Partners:

If you’re contemplating a move:

• Are you overpromising your book — or selling it short?
• Do you know what you need to succeed beyond the salary?
• Are you choosing the right platform, or the shiniest one?

The lateral partner market will remain fiercely competitive in 2025. Those who treat recruitment as a relationship, not a transaction, will come out ahead.

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