Another day, another Biglaw firm tinkering with the partnership model. Yet another firm is joining the growing ranks experimenting with a nonequity partner tier, offering lawyers the prestige of partnership title without the full financial buy-in (or payoff) that traditionally comes with it. As more firms rethink compensation structures, retention strategies, and the path to equity, the expansion of nonequity partnership continues to signal a broader shift in how Biglaw defines partnership in the first place.
Cravath was one of the first longtime holdouts to cut bait and create a “salaried partner tier” (i.e., nonequity partners) back in November 2023. That move gave other highly ranked firms permission to tread the same path, including Paul Weiss, which announced its new two-tier partnership plan in March 2024; WilmerHale, which added a nonequity partnership tier in August 2024; Cleary, which announced its own new partnership platform in October 2024; Skadden, which began considering a nonequity level in February 2025; Schulte Roth & Zabel, which announced an income partnership tier in March 2025 (prior to its merger with McDermott); Debevoise, which created its nonequity partnership track in June 2025; Arnold & Porter, which quietly announced its income partner role in December 2025; Sullivan & Cromwell, which rolled out its nonequity program in January 2026; Freshfields, which introduced its nonequity tier in February 2026.
Sources tell Above the Law that yesterday afternoon, Sidley — the No. 6 firm on the 2025 Am Law 100 — notified all lawyers about its new income partner tier. Here’s an excerpt from that firmwide email:
Change in Biglaw rarely arrives without a little grumbling, and the rollout of a new nonequity partnership tier is no exception. Associates who once envisioned a more straightforward path to equity are now grappling with the reality of an extra rung on the ladder. “Associates and counsel who are up this year got no prior warning that a nonequity tier was even on the table and are furious,” a source told ATL.
Still, as firms continue to normalize these structures across the industry, lawyers may ultimately have little choice but to get used to the new status quo, where the title of “partner” doesn’t necessarily mean what it used to.
Best of luck to Sidley as it moves forward with its income partnership program.
Is your firm planning to increase its nonequity partnership ranks? Please please text us (646-820-8477) or email us and let us know. Thanks.
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
