US law firms lead London hiring, fuelled by private capital growth
Legal recruiters for big law firms in the City had a busy 2025 as hiring for the most senior lawyers surged, with the trend expected to continue into the new year.
As employment figures rose in the UK to above the 5 per cent mark in 2025, according to figures by legal recruiter Edwards Gibson, law firms in London hired 668 partners over the year, a 21 per cent increase on data from the previous year.
The data, reported first in the FT, showed US law firms dominated the hiring trend with a focus on building out private capital teams.
The London IPO market saw the beginnings of a recovery in 2025 as a flurry of listings in the fourth quarter helped offset an otherwise lacklustre year for floats. The year also saw private equity firms sell companies to themselves at an unprecedented rate.
Luke Woodward, director at recruiter Major, Lindsey and Africa, says the surge in partner moves in the legal sector, particularly in US-headquartered firms, is not expected to slow down in 2026.
“London continues to be a strategic investment priority for global law firms,” he explained.
He noted that private capital will remain an evergreen area of interest for firms looking to expand.
Tech-specialist lawyers
However, Woodward added that he expects continued high demand for infrastructure lawyers, particularly those with digital infrastructure expertise. “This is tied to the surge in AI development, which is, of course, now creating its own specialist lawyers with AI sector expertise,” he noted.
Back in November, ‘magic circle’ firm Linklaters revealed it recruited a team of 20 specialist AI lawyers.
This follows the rapid acceleration of AI adoption in the legal sector over the past year as big law firms increasingly integrated advanced technologies into their work, encouraging lawyers to leverage AI in their practice.