The recent AmLaw rankings confirmed a trend many of us have felt coming for years. The "Super-Elite" Top 25 firms are pulling away from the rest of the pack, widening the revenue gap at an accelerating pace.

When I speak with law firm leaders today, the question isn’t just "How do we grow?" It’s "How do we grow sustainably?"

For many, the answer has been a mix of aggressive rate increases and high-stakes lateral hiring. But as our latest research reveals, those levers are becoming increasingly fragile.

Today, we are releasing The Collaboration Gap: Cross-Selling and Collaboration Report 2026. This is the longest and most in-depth piece of research Passle has ever produced, drawing on insights from 100 law firm leaders across the US and UK. I am incredibly excited about this report because it finally puts data behind the conversations I’ve been having in boardrooms for the last 12 months.

Lateral Integration: You Can't Cross-Sell What You Can't See

One of the most revealing sections of the report, and something that is top of mind for every Managing Partner I know, is the reality of lateral hiring.

Firms are making massive, multi-million dollar bets on new talent. Yet, the data shows that 58% of firms are still measuring the success of those hires using lagging indicators like immediate revenue. By the time you realize the revenue isn't there, the integration has already failed.

The report shows the firms that are winning, the ones satisfied with their growth, are looking at internal networking and referral flow as their primary success metrics. They understand that if a new partner isn't visible to the rest of the firm, they can't be cross-sold. If they can't be cross-sold, that "portable book of business" stays exactly that: portable.

Fewer Meetings, Better Internal Signals

Collaboration isn't just about introductions; it's about trust and awareness. Yet the solutions that help build needed trust and awareness are often poorly deployed.

The report found that 84% of lawyers receive internal thought leadership at least monthly, yet only 34% actually find it relevant.

Adding more internal emails and meetings doesn't close the visibility gap; it makes it harder to see through. On the other hand, firms satisfied with their growth are four times more likely to say the internal content they receive is relevant. Collaboration isn't about more volume; it's about surfacing the right expertise to the right person at the exact moment a client has a problem.

Cross-Selling is Growth Hiding in Plain Sight

Growth built on rate increases is growth built on thin ice. 54% of firms admit that pricing is now the primary reason they lose clients. It’s clear that in the current market some firms have more price leverage than others. To compete with the Top 25, firms must find a way to unlock the value already sitting within their walls.

This report provides valuable data along with a roadmap for CMOs and firm leaders to stop treating collaboration as a cultural hope and start treating it as a technical, measurable process.

I’m incredibly proud of the work our team and Hayhurst Consultancy have put into this. Whether you are looking to fix a lateral hiring leak or finally professionalize your cross-selling, there is something in here for you.

Download the full 2026 Collaboration Gap Report here.