Law360: Amid Lateral Tussle, BigLaw Firms Eye ‘Boomerang Partners’

As many law firms continue to tap lateral partner hires to achieve their strategic goals, a handful of firms are focusing on attracting departed partners to return, a once rare phenomenon some say appears to be picking up steam. O’Melveny is broadcasting its success in attracting what it calls “boomerang” partners, according to Brophy Christensen, co-chair of the firm’s Corporate Department. He says that when he is recruiting lateral talent, being able to point to lawyers who left and chose to return to O’Melveny after experiencing another firm’s culture is a strong way to show that O’Melveny is a friendly and positive place to be. “It’s a proof point that we compare favorably to other law firms,” Christensen said. “I’ve only worked at one law firm, so it’s hard for me to say if O’Melveny is better than any other. But when you have someone who is a partner, a friend, who’s been in another law firm — an Am Law 20 law firm — and they say, 'It's better here than there,' that's compelling.” Christensen added that the firm’s recruitment of “boomerangs” happens naturally saying: “When people are at the firm, they are friends and partners, and those friendships carry on even when folks leave. Over time, it tends to happen organically. Someone expresses displeasure with their current life or a fondness for their O’Melveny life. And then we can think about how they might fit into the partnership today.”

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