The American Lawyer Quotes Lorie Almon on Protecting Law Firm Equity Tiers

The American Lawyer (Law.com) featured Lorie Almon, chair and managing partner of Seyfarth, in its article “Law Firms Are Going Further to Protect Their Equity Tiers.” The article, published on April 27, 2026, examines how Am Law 100 firms are increasingly expanding nonequity partner ranks while taking steps to preserve and strengthen their equity partnerships.

The piece highlights market pressures driving structural changes, including lateral competition, evolving compensation models, and long‑term questions about leverage, pricing, and the impact of artificial intelligence on law firm staffing. It also explores how firms are balancing growth opportunities with the need to maintain a healthy and economically viable ownership structure.

Reflecting on the strategic value of nonequity tiers, Almon explained:

“Firms, I believe, are also looking to protect their equity partnership and ensure it’s healthy and economically viable. So, finding a path where you can make someone a partner without diluting the equity partnership is solved by having a nonequity tier.”

The full article is available here.