A former principal at the legal search firm Lateral Link has struck out on his own to form Abshire Legal Search.
Jordan Abshire first joined Lateral Link in June 2008. Since 2010, he worked in the agency's Washington office. His new agency is based in Arlington, Va.
"Going out on my own, I should have more flexibility to do more partner work and that is more intellectually challenging and satisfying," Abshire said. "It's a more interesting process, helping partners figure out what pieces of their current platform might be missing and which law firms might have those."
Abshire said that over the past year, the lateral market has remained steady. He said that partners typically look to make a lateral move at the beginning of the year, while associates time their move later in the year. "For associates, historically most movement happens in the first and second quarter, largely because they collect their bonuses and look to move to another firm or the government," he said.
A surprising development, Abshire said, is the recent trend of adding of partners from the government or in-house positions who don't already have books of business. "That is a good sign, because it means that the law firms are healthier and looking to grow," he said.
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