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Attrition rate is ‘markedly higher’ for associates of color, NALP Foundation says

By Debra Cassens Weiss

April 29, 2025, 9:19 am CDT

The attrition rate for associates in law firms was 20% in 2024, up from 18% in 2023 but still lower than the historic high of 26% in 2021, according to the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education.

The attrition rate was slightly higher for females than males, at 22% and 20% respectively, and was “markedly higher” for associates of color, at 24% compared to 19% for white associates, according to selected findings from the NALP Foundation’s newest annual Update on Associate Attrition, a detailed report on firms’ associate hiring and departures for 2024.

An April 24 press release summarized the findings.

More associates are leaving in a shorter time frame than in the past, according to the data from 119 reporting firms in the United States and Canada. In 2024, 74% of associates left their firms within four years of their hiring, up from a high of 72% in 2023. That is a departure from the five-year historical pattern for departures.

The survey also found an increase in hiring and departures at the surveyed firms. In 2024, 6,092 associates were hired by reporting firms, up from 5,236 in 2023. The number who left—4,125 associates—was also higher than in 2023, when 3,875 associates left firms.

Fifty-five percent of new associates were hired at the entry level, rather than laterally. The difference is even more pronounced in the largest firms of more than 1,000 lawyers, where 61% of associate hires were at the entry level.

Fiona Trevelyan Hornblower, the president and CEO of the NALP Foundation, sees some trends in the findings.

“This new data shows shifts in the talent market are emerging, with the rise in entry level recruiting, as well as earlier departures by associates,” Hornblower said in the press release.

More larger than smaller firms responded to the survey. Only 17% of responding firms had 100 or fewer lawyers. Thirty-seven percent of the firms had more than 500 attorneys.

Law.com covered the results.

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SUSANVILLE, Calif. — Opportunities to enjoy peaking fall colors along the Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail, await hikers and bike riders, as the Bureau of Land Management and Lassen Rural Bus offer their annual fall colors bike ride and shuttle, Saturday, Oct. 26. The BLM will shuttle bikes and the bus will carry riders from Susanville to ride starting points on the trail.

Participants should meet at 8:15 a.m. at the historic Susanville Depot, 601 Richmond Road. The bus and shuttle depart promptly at 8:30 a.m. There are small separate fees for the bus and bike shuttles.  Exact change is encouraged.

The bus and bike shuttle will stop at Devil’s Corral Trailhead, Fredonyer Summit and near Westwood, where participants can ride seven, 18 or 25 miles back to Susanville.

Participants should dress in layers for changing weather conditions. Forecasts show morning temperatures at or near freezing, with midday temperatures climbing to the 60s.

The bike ride is ideal for families. The Bizz Johnson Trail route is mostly downhill or flat on a smooth gravel surface. The BLM recommends wide-tired or hybrid bikes. 

To reserve space on the bus and shuttle space for bikes, contact the BLM in Susanville at 530-257-0456.