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
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hear
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