Law firm associate attrition and hiring ease but remain well above pre-pandemic levels: report
“We’re still seeing a lot of mobility for associates… even though the market was cooling somewhat.”
For the 2022 report, the NALP Foundation received data from 122 firms in the US and six firms from Canada. The firms reported hiring 6,786 associates in 2022. Last year, participating firms hired 7,278. Despite the drop, the 2022 numbers still exceeded the 4,956 associates hired in 2020.
This year, there were 3,737 lateral hires and 3,049 entry-level hires. The report also showed a drop in the “boomerang effect.” In 2022, 48 percent of firms said they rehired at least one former associate –


