US growth features prominently in law firm partner promotion rounds

Ellie Nicholl (she/her) is senior content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net 

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Law firms are increasingly focusing on growth in the US through partner promotions, according to analysis by CityAM. Recent figures from magic circle firms, including Clifford Chance and Freshfields, point to a “quiet rebalancing” in the global legal market, with London promotions “becoming more selective and harder to come by”, as noted by Nick Woolf, partner at boutique firm Woolf & Co.

Unlike firms such as A&O Shearman, Hogan Lovells and Taylor Wessing, which have boosted US market presence through mergers, recent figures suggest that other firms are using annual promotion rounds to support international expansion strategies.

For example, Clifford Chance promoted 31 new partners this year, which is more than a 10% increase compared with the previous year. However, its promotions in London and the wider UK fell from 12 in 2025 to nine this year. By contrast, its US promotions increased significantly, rising from one last year to five in the latest round. Meanwhile, fellow magic circle firm Freshfields promoted 88% more partners this year than in 2025. While its partner promotions in the UK increased slightly, from nine in 2025 to 11 in 2026, US figures surged from three to 13.

Commenting on the change, Woolf said: “I wouldn’t read it as a lack of confidence in London but more that the US is where firms feel they have to win at the moment […] Partnership promotions are becoming a reflection of strategy rather than just performance, and right now, strategy for a lot of firms means the US.”

Meanwhile, competition in the UK remains intense, with City AM noting that law firms in London are increasingly cautious about adding new equity partners, in part because of the high financial stakes involved.