The American Lawyer says that Boise, Las Vegas, and Raleigh might be next:
"After drawing in Dentons, Kirkland & Ellis and Foley & Lardner within the last year, legal analysts are keeping an eye out for the next Salt Lake City—an emerging market with the resources and trajectory to sustain growth.
There may not be a consensus for that crown. Nor a consensus for what qualifies as “emerging.” But industry observers did point to a handful of markets that could be considered overlooked or off-the-radar, with the potential for new or renewed Big Law growth spurts over the next several years.
Such places include Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina, which have already received quite a bit of interest, but should remain an attractive destination because of relatively low rates in the region and proximity to world-class research. Las Vegas was a magnet for mergers about 10 years ago, but continues to grow, and could entice new candidates with the ascent of professional sports gambling deals.
Other markets mentioned by analysts include Boise, Idaho; Spokane, Washington; Miami; and Detroit."
For many years at Compass Law Group we worked primarily in Texas — doing partner and group laterals and helping firms enter the Dallas or Houston market. But in the last five years, driven by our clients needs, we have expanded and now are proud to work nationwide. In the last year and a half alone we have helped open McDermott in Atlanta, K&L Gates and Spencer Fane in Nashville, as well as continuing to open offices in Texas.
We are speaking daily with firms interested in creative ways to find good lawyers. For some that is normalizing remote work. For many, that means opening in secondary markets like Austin, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Boise, Charlotte, or Miami.
If your firm is looking to enter a new market, please feel free to contact us to speak with our team. We would love to hear your growth strategy and see how we can help.