The NALP Foundation Releases Performance Evaluations Study

The NALP Foundation announces today the release of its new study on associate performance evaluations. This comprehensive study explores 106 leading law firms’ associate performance evaluation practices, detailing key areas including content, process, mechanics, timeframes, training and external vendor utilization, along with insights on best practices and challenges.

The full report not only analyzes participating firms’ data in aggregate, but also segments it by firm size and geographic location.

Notable findings include:

Evaluation components: Firms were quite consistent in the information used to compile associate performance evaluations: all firms included supervising attorneys’ qualitative comments in performance evaluations; the vast majority also incorporated quantitative metrics (96%), associate self-evaluations (93%), and summaries/compilations (66%). Many firms also factored in firm citizenship (93%) and pro bono work (75%).

Feedback attribution: Nearly one half (48%) of firms included qualitative feedback with attribution in evaluations, while 39% provided only anonymous feedback. Another 14% of firms varied their approach based on the situation or context.

Data comparisons: A sizable number of firms (30%) reported they did not compare performance data across any cohorts.For firms that did, these comparisons were most frequently across associates firm-wide (50%), by practice areas/practice groups (43%), and by seniority level (junior, mid-level, senior).

External vs. internal solutions: Approximately three quarters (76%) of firms said they use an external or third-party solution/vendor to collect evaluation feedback; roughly one third (31%) used internally developed electronic surveys or solutions, and 7% used both mechanisms. However, those using external vendors reported only moderate overall satisfaction with these.

Limited use of AI: Surprisingly, the majority (69%) of firms reported they had not yet integrated AI into their performance evaluation process, although many reported they were exploring how they might do so in the future. AI usage was most common for generating performance summaries (18%) and analyzing written feedback (11%).

“This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of both the process and efficacy of associate performance evaluations at leading law firms,” said NALP Foundation President & CEO Fiona Trevelyan, “providing key insights on how these are actually functioning now, while also highlighting pain points and areas that are ripe for improvement and innovation, including the total timeline for performance evaluations, data utilization, impactful training for both evaluators and associates, and third party vendor solutions.”

The full report can be purchased from The NALP Foundation at www.nalpfoundation.org/bookstore.

As a follow-up to the report’s release, The NALP Foundation will convene a Performance Evaluations Symposium on Friday, February 6, 2026 at Latham & Watkins in New York City. The program will feature panels of industry experts, keynote presentations, and opportunities for participants to share best practices, engage in discussion, and explore the study’s findings in greater depth. Registration for this event is now open on The NALP Foundation website at www.nalpfoundation.org/product-page/performance-evaluations-symposium.