Edwards Gibson data quoted in Law360 article: “A&O Shearman Ex-Partners Cite Leadership Gap Amid Exits”
We are delighted to report that Edwards Gibson’s data was featured in Marialuisa Taddia’s recent article for Law360: “A&O Shearman Ex-Partners Cite Leadership Gap Amid Exits.” The piece draws extensively on our figures to provide a detailed overview of partner departures that have followed since the transatlantic merger.
Taddia highlights the ongoing exodus from A&O Shearman noting that, according to our data, more than 22 partners have departed for rival London firms since the merger went live in May 2024. The article cites cultural friction between the legacy firms as a key driver, alongside a lack of visible leadership in London and a significantly higher billable hours threshold — now reportedly between 2,000 and 2,500 hours annually (and one that doesn’t quite come with the compensation levels seen at US rivals).
In the article, our data is used to document all partner departures from A&O Shearman since May 2024, distinguishing between “lateral hires” (existing partners moving to another firm) and “vertical hires” (non-partners promoted into partnership elsewhere), in line with our methodology. We also provided figures for partner exits from both legacy firms prior to the merger.
In a separate piece, Edwards Gibson data was also featured in a second Law360 article this month – “Partner Moves In London Up 7% In March and April.”
In that piece, Taddia draws on data from Edwards Gibson’s bi-monthly Partner Moves in London report. Our research shows that 89 partner moves were recorded in March and April 2025—up 7% on the same period last year, and 15% above the 10-year average.
In addition, Scott Gibson, Director at Edwards Gibson, noted that US-founded firms accounted for over 40% of the hires during this period, continuing their dominance across many areas of the London legal market.
Read the full A&O Shearman article on Law360 here (paywall).
Read the full March-April Partner Moves article on Law360 here (paywall).