All articles tagged with #big law
Gibson Dunn enticed Bill Savitt away from Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, taking five Wachtell partners and sharpening Delaware litigation strength, a move that signals a broader talent war across Big Law and raises questions about client relationships and firm dynamics as rival firms ramp up recruitment.
Two senior Wachtell Lipton partners, William Savitt and Sarah Eddy, were reportedly romantically involved; Savitt jumped to Gibson Dunn with a roughly $96 million three-year package after leading OpenAI’s Musk v. Altman case, taking Eddy and four other senior partners with him. Two junior team members, Nathaniel Cullerton and Kesley Borenzweig, were seen canoodling in Central Park and had Gibson Dunn offers pulled. Wachtell Lipton has no non-fraternization policy; Savitt denies an affair. The saga highlights the personal and financial drama roiling elite Big Law.
A married Wachtell Lipton partner, Nathaniel Cullerton, 45, is on leave after a viral Central Park kiss with a younger associate; the episode reportedly led Gibson Dunn to scrap his planned relocation, risking tens of millions in earnings as his lucrative move falls through and insiders note the high pay at Wachtell Lipton.
AI is automating entry-level junior associate work in Big Law, reshaping training and the route to partnership. Firms are embedding AI into research, drafting and document review, speeding up tasks and trimming headcount and summer programs. While AI could create new legal roles, experts warn that without a new apprenticeship system, the talent pipeline may falter as junior work—traditionally used to train and bill—shrinks; the next year will be crucial as firms design AI workflows and address client data and consent issues.
Former President Barack Obama criticized Big Law firms for caving to pressure from the Trump administration, citing concerns about protecting careers and lifestyles over legal integrity, and also criticized universities for compromising academic independence under political pressure.
Big Law associates are experiencing a significant decrease in work hours and a substantial increase in salaries, with the average hours billed in 2023 dropping to a record low. The recent baseline salary increase to $225,000 for Biglaw associates, combined with the decrease in billable hours, could result in a productivity loss of over $100,000 per associate, according to a report from Wells Fargo’s Legal Specialty Group.