Remember when creating a nonequity partner tier was something firms did quietly, with a lot of throat-clearing about “market realities”? Those days are over. The Am Law 100 has fully embraced the salaried partner era, and yet another firm recently added one more rung on the ladder to equity.
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; Sullivan & Cromwell, which rolled out its nonequity program in January 2026; and Freshfields, which introduced its nonequity tier in February 2026.
We’re now seeing reports that Arnold & Porter, the No. 51 firm on the 2025 Am Law 100, created an “income partner” role late last year. The American Lawyer has additional details:
As part of the new promotion process, attorneys internally promoted within Arnold & Porter will generally start out as income partners before being eligible for the equity tier.
“The vast majority of Am Law 100 firms have both income and equity partner positions, and so it aligns us with the market. We also did it because we think it gives our prospective promotions, whether they’re internal or external, in some circumstances, time to grow into their roles,” said Daneker.
“We also did it to provide the firm additional opportunities to compete in the lateral market,” Daneker added.
Unlike what’s apparently been happening at other firms, A&P will not be using this as its chance to de-equitize partners. “Other firms that have gone through this have done mass deequitization. We did not take that approach. We don’t think that’s consistent with our culture,” Daneker said.
Instead, the firm will be rolling out enhanced benefits for its new class of partners, including a “significant amount of training and other opportunities for professional development.”
Best of luck to Arnold & Porter as it moves forward with its nonequity 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.
Arnold & Porter Becomes Latest Law Firm to Adopt Nonequity Tier [American Lawyer]
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.
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