This article covers definitions, key types (tech, channel, strategic), and actionable tips to launch your own program. Partners are also known https://alliancetac.com/sales-and-marketing-training/e-marketing-and-e-business-topics as referral partners, resellers, and marketing partners. Here are some real-world examples of how these partnerships work in practice.
Consumers have the expectation that all of their tools work with one another. You can choose best-in-breed tools that do a handful of things well and connect them with one another. And yet https://shu-i.info/learning-the-secrets-of-3/ advice on how to build your own partner program is hard to come by. For business leaders, understanding how to build, scale, and optimize a partner program can mean the difference between stagnation and outsized success. The market is demanding more integrated, flexible solutions, and collaborative go-to-market strategies have become a competitive necessity. Partnerships are no longer just a growth lever — they’re a core business strategy.
But if you’re trying to integrate your product or service into a broader solution, you’ll probably want to seek a strategic partner. This is a key strategic decision that will likely shape how your offering goes to market. This gives the partnership a guiding purpose and helps sales and marketing teams make it clear to prospects why the combined offering is valuable and relevant. In parallel, partners must align on a customer value proposition — how working together will create a more compelling solution than either could deliver alone. You must be clear about your objectives from the start and tie them to measurable KPIs so you can evaluate the partnership’s success over time.
What is a partner program template?
You should use various tools and techniques, such as contracts, memorandums of understanding, or service level agreements, to document and secure the agreements. You should aim to create a win-win situation, where both parties benefit from the collaboration and share the risks and rewards. The fourth step is to negotiate and formalize the agreements with your selected partners, by defining the scope, terms, roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the partnership. The third step is to initiate and build relationships with your shortlisted partners, by reaching out to them and expressing your interest and value proposition.
You should create a clear and compelling value proposition that highlights the benefits of joining your partner program and how it can help your partners grow their business. The next step is to design the structure and benefits of your partner program that will attract, motivate, and reward your partners. Once you have defined your ideal partner profile, you need to set specific and measurable goals for your partner program that align with your sales objectives.
They are not pilot customers, not beta testers, and not just friendly users — they have a contractual seat at the design table. Determine how you’ll communicate with and update partners as needed, and how you’ll supply them with everything they need for the enablement of successful channel sales. Then, choose the partners that offer the most ideal partnerships, and make things official by having them sign a partner program agreement. Referral partners, who are trained to share your business with people and companies they already have an existing relationship with.
For example, one partner may seek to expand your market coverage while the other aims to differentiate themselves from competitors.
That way, you and your partners can both monitor progress and identify opportunities for improvement.
For business leaders, understanding how to build, scale, and optimize a partner program can mean the difference between stagnation and outsized success.
You and your partner must sign the agreement before the partnership proceeds.
Lastly, I wish they had better tools to support the two-tier business.” “The main downside is definitely the setup complexity and licensing cost structure. Getting the sharing rules and data visibility just right for external partner users is a massive administrative headache, and the price jumps when you scale up can be tough to manage” It helps businesses onboard and empower partners with AI-driven insights, automated workflows, and shared dashboards for real-time visibility.
A referral partner promotes a business within its network and existing customers, while an affiliate partner tends to reach out to a broader, previously unknown audience. Partner programs come in several different types, each designed to support different business models and objectives. A partner program is a business strategy that helps a company connect with partner organizations to sell and market products on their behalf. You should also decide on the benefits you will offer your partners, such as commissions, discounts, incentives, training, support, marketing, or recognition. But how do you design and implement a partner program that aligns with your sales objectives and strategy? The final step is to review and optimize the partnership, by assessing the impact and value of the partnership, and identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Your ideal partner profile should include criteria such as industry, size, location, customer base, product or service offering, expertise, reputation, and goals. Before you start recruiting and engaging partners, you need to have a clear vision of who your ideal partners are, what value they bring to your business, and what value you offer them. This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. You should also seek to optimize the partnership, by adjusting the agreements, expanding the scope, or exploring new possibilities. You should aim to maintain a high level of performance, quality, and satisfaction, by monitoring and measuring the progress and outcomes of the partnership. The fifth step is to implement and manage the partnership, by executing the agreed actions and delivering the expected results.
How long does it take for a new partner program to generate revenue?
Impact.com is a global partnership management https://labverra.com/articles/key-advances-in-cellular-biology/ platform that enables brands, publishers, and agencies to manage different types of partnerships. It also offers end-to-end automation capabilities for affiliate marketing management, partner marketing management, partner incentives management, and partner relationship management processes. And in true “meta” fashion, these tools often integrate with one another ensuring your sales team can get the partnership data when they need it to help close deals and avoid conflicts. No matter your partnership strategy, you will be exchanging data with your partner.
“The best things about the impact is one the best and large market where we can sell out product and any one create as a affiliate marketer promote the product and earn money.”
In some cases, you will choose not to build in the functionality and instead partner with a company that can help.
An affiliate program is a system in which a company compensates individuals or other businesses for promoting their products, referring customers, or generating traffic.
You should also explore the opportunities and challenges of working together, and identify the areas of alignment and divergence.
This is often referred to as the “buy vs. build” question. In some cases, you will choose not to build in the functionality and instead partner with a company that can help. Tech partners use this API data to help fill gaps in their use cases. Additionally, user retention rates tend to be higher among those companies that utilize an integration. Data moves freely between the services as opposed to the ”all-in-one platforms” of old where data never leaves.
How to measure ROI of individual partnerships
Draft up your official agreement after you’ve decided to work together but before you https://indiana-daily.com/business confirm your partnership. The partnership agreement is about documenting the terms of engagement in your partnership so both sides are clear on expectations. It’s not recommended to manage a partner program manually using basic tools like spreadsheets. Other hand-picked advocates, such as brand ambassadors (who love your brand, authentically share how they use your products, and share a link to your website).
Why do partner programs matter?
Regularly review performance and gather feedback from both internal teams and partners. The primary reason for tracking activity and collecting data is to develop insights about what is and isn’t working. Strong communication is critical at this stage to ensure a smooth rollout and strong adoption from the start. A PRM tool can help centralize this information, making it easier to track deals, standardize reporting, and manage performance across the program. That way, you and your partners can both monitor progress and identify opportunities for improvement.
Reaching out to potential partners
Salesforce Partner Cloud makes partner relationship management feel seamless by combining collaboration, lead distribution, and performance tracking in one place. Partner management systems, also known as partner relationship management (PRM) tools, provide business partners with tools for tracking sales and affiliates. Even if you can’t use all the tools, it’s important to at least employ the best PRM software to make the most of your partner program. A modern partnership professional uses all three of these tools in concert to scale a partner program. Integration partners also exchange product data via bidirectional APIs. Channel partners exchange leads, contact lists, and opportunities.
The Design Partner Agreement: What Goes In It
You can use this “account map” to learn more about the contacts in your CRM software, accelerate deals in motion, or start to co-sell. Strategic partnerships can (and often do) involve elements of tech and channel partnerships, but tend to be recurring, long-term commitments. A strategic partnership is a bit more loosely defined than our previous buckets. You grow faster with less investment, and they can get a new revenue source. Rather than staffing up an office and negotiating distribution deals with Japanese companies, you can find a channel partner there. In some cases, a SaaS company https://dominicanrental.com/choosing-between-visa-and-mastercard-the-main-advantages-and-features-of-each-payment-system.html will build the functionality themselves.
The agreement exists to set expectations, not to win an arbitration. A one-page agreement (not a 30-page MSA) is the right format. Determine what SMART goals you’ll set to measure the success of an individual partnership, and how you’ll enable partners to track the progress towards these goals. Next, you want to record how you will measure the success of your partnerships through clear and specific ROI goals. You and your partner must sign the agreement before the partnership proceeds.
Look back again at your objectives and determine which metrics will help you assess success. PRM tools house all your learning resources, organize your campaigns, monitor pipelines, and produce insights that both partners can benefit from. Partner relationship management (PRM) helps you unify your documents and data for everyone to access and keep updated.
This article covers definitions, key types (tech, channel, strategic), and actionable tips to launch your own program. Partners are also known as referral partners, resellers, and marketing partners. Here are some real-world examples of how these partnerships work in practice.
For example, a TikTok tech influencer reviews a new laptop and shares a tracking link to buy it. A reseller often adds features or customizations, such https://officialjoycasino.net/the-economics-of-running-an-online-casino/ as installation or customer support, to increase the product’s value. It integrates hardware, software, networking, and storage products from multiple vendors to create a unified solution, ensuring all components work together seamlessly.
Get your data in order
G2 Partner Hub features 50+ products, so you can easily integrate with your favorite sales, marketing, customer success, and operations tools. They make money by co-marketing and co-selling their integration to mutual leads and customers. In this guide, we’ll break down what a partner program is, the major types, actionable launch steps, and critical lessons from the world’s most successful software companies — so you can unlock new growth channels and future-proof your business. From industry giants like Salesforce and HubSpot to fast-scaling disruptors, companies are increasingly relying on partner ecosystems to accelerate revenue, expand market reach, and maximize customer value.
Initiate and build relationships
The goal is to create a structure that aligns incentives, supports your go-to-market strategy, and delivers clear value to customers. To build a focused and successful partner program, you have to know what each party wants to achieve as well as how it will create value for customers. For example, you may want to increase your revenue, market share, customer retention, or cross-selling opportunities. A partner program can be a powerful way to boost your sales performance, reach new markets, and create value for your customers. A strategy partnership is a broad agreement that aligns the strategic efforts of two or more companies with overlapping products or markets towards a common goal. Channel partners can cover geographic areas, market segments, or types of customers your direct sales can’t serve efficiently.
The Design Partner Agreement: What Goes In It
Determine what SMART goals you’ll set to measure the success of an individual partnership, and how you’ll enable partners to track the progress towards these goals.
The final step is to manage and optimize your partner program to ensure that it delivers the desired results and maintains a positive relationship with your partners.
“They will lock you in for a year, with few opportunities for SMB as most profitable opportunities need additional flat fees. Their reps are robotic and don’t really care about you as a business. Integration also requires developers and is not so friendly.”
You can use this “account map” to learn more about the contacts in your CRM software, accelerate deals in motion, or start to co-sell.
Impartner PRM is an award-winning channel partner management technology provider offering PRM and through-channel marketing automation solutions.
By downloading this guide, you are also subscribing to the weekly G2 Tea newsletter to receive marketing news and trends. In today’s competitive landscape, word-of-mouth remains one of the most powerful marketing… Explore the best through-channel marketing software today! Partnering with channel marketers to execute scalable marketing programs? Impartner PRM is an award-winning channel partner management technology provider offering PRM and through-channel marketing automation solutions. “The best things about the impact is one the best and large market where we can sell out product and any one create as a affiliate marketer promote the product and earn money.”
What to include in a partner program template?
You should use various tools and techniques, such as contracts, memorandums of understanding, or service level agreements, to document and secure the agreements. You should aim to create a win-win situation, where both parties benefit from the collaboration and share the risks and rewards. The https://tokyo365web.com/professional-tour-operators-strategies-for-securing-premium-travel-deals-and-hot-tours.html fourth step is to negotiate and formalize the agreements with your selected partners, by defining the scope, terms, roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the partnership. The third step is to initiate and build relationships with your shortlisted partners, by reaching out to them and expressing your interest and value proposition.
Based on your research, you should create a shortlist of the most promising partners and rank them according to their fit, feasibility, and attractiveness.
And yet advice on how to build your own partner program is hard to come by.
Some systems offer AI PRM where partners share a real-time, conversational workspace that taps directly into your joint data.
Lastly, I wish they had better tools to support the two-tier business.”
They are not pilot customers, not beta testers, and not just friendly users — they have a contractual seat at the design table. Determine how you’ll communicate with and update partners as needed, and how you’ll supply them with everything they need for the enablement of successful channel sales. Then, choose the partners that offer the most ideal partnerships, and make things official by having them sign a partner program agreement. Referral partners, who are trained to share your business with people and companies they already have an existing relationship with.
How to measure ROI of all partnerships
But if you’re trying to integrate your product or service into a broader solution, you’ll probably want to seek a strategic partner. This is a key strategic decision that will likely shape how your offering goes to market. This gives the partnership a guiding purpose and helps sales and marketing teams make it clear to prospects why the combined offering is valuable and relevant. In parallel, partners must align on a customer value proposition — how working together will create a more compelling solution than either could deliver alone. You must be clear about your objectives from the start and tie them to measurable KPIs so you can evaluate the partnership’s success over time.
Channel partners
Advocating for and building your company’s partnerships strategy is one of the best ways to positively affect its future. Your place in your market will be defined by how well you integrate with the other solutions used by your customers. Because of the nebulous nature of partnerships, if you are starting from scratch it’s going to take a while. For example, I can take a list of my opportunities and “map” them to your customers to see what accounts you can introduce me to. The data above shows that the most successful companies will be the ones that embrace an ecosystem approach. Some of the most successful SaaS companies, such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Stripe, have built massive businesses leveraging partnerships.
Your program should include partner enablement resources that equip partners with the tools and training they need to sell and support your company’s products or services. You may want someone who’s going to bring you opportunities, or you might be looking for someone to actively take on selling or servicing your solution. For example, if expanding market coverage is your goal, resellers or distributors may be an effective choice.
Ideal targets typically reflect a profitability ratio above industry benchmarks. Through the AWS Marketplace, they’re not merely listing solutions; they’re creating new revenue streams and accelerating customer outcomes. They’re building deep relationships in the C-suite, transforming themselves from vendors into trusted strategic advisors. Partners who combine technical excellence with strategic business acumen are positioning themselves at the forefront of this revolution. The study identifies 6 key strategies for Partners to achieve maximum multiplier over time—the Partner’s path to profitability (Figure 3).
Vendors and distributors are seeing a more financially disciplined channel emerge — one that evaluates programs, pricing, and incentives through the lens of margin durability, cash flow impact, and execution risk. But the real work is making it operable at scale in a way that actually improves partner profitability and vendor growth. However, many vendors are not intimately aware of how their programs affect partner profitability. His insights on law marketing, technology and market shifts have been featured across legal media, and he continues to track and comment on the evolving landscape of law firm operations and growth. The firm’s M&A deal flow in 2025 was exceptional, nearly tripling its 2024 totals. With Kirkland’s 2025 result confirmed and Quinn Emanuel’s $9 million figure officially in, the race for https://the-business-mag.net/what-is-growth-hacking-and-how-does-it-work/ the 2026 Am Law rankings (which will capture 2025 performance) is already being dissected.
A true partnership has to improve both sides of the ledger. Find out what we are doing to help vendors and partners accelerate predictable and http://articlesss.com/article-directory-wordpress-theme/ sustainable sales without all of the “pointing” Following the big dogs who have built a massive marketshare may need a second look as you may not have that level of clout! Vendors should be careful in this points game as channel partners have a lot of choices.
Partner Profitability Interpretation
Monitoring this key figure helps identify leading indicators of profitability, enabling proactive management reporting and variance analysis.
With AI services projected to reach $267 billion by 2030, per Omdia, and cloud adoption accelerating across industries, the focus of AWS Partners isn’t just on expanding their capabilities but also to strategically position themselves to capture this unprecedented opportunity.
Investors, acquirers, and customers all reward predictability.
Think of buying programs as the foundation—and services as the structure built on top.
Vendors should be careful in this points game as channel partners have a lot of choices.
Enhancing Partner Profitability requires a strategic focus on collaboration and performance management.
David Lat, (pictured) writing for Bloomberg Law’s legal commentary, had in January predicted both Kirkland and Wachtell would break $10 million in PEP for 2025 given their dramatic deal flow increases. Wachtell operates with fewer than 90 equity partners, zero offices outside Manhattan, and a profit margin that reportedly runs at 78%, the highest in the Am Law 100. The contrast in business models is what makes this rivalry so interesting to study. Kirkland https://synapsewaves.com/articles/monetizing-your-twitch-stream-guide/ dethroned it in the 2023 rankings (covering 2022 performance), lost it briefly, then reclaimed and extended its lead through 2024 and now into 2025 with a haul that would have seemed fantastical a decade ago. Sixty-eight firms recorded double-digit PEP growth, more than double the prior year.
Recurring revenue isn’t just good for cash flow—it’s good for everything.
Questions to ask to better understand your current position is for the KPI and how it can improve
The data is unambiguous for early-career lawyers trying to navigate the BigLaw labyrinth.
Managed services are no longer optional—they’re foundational.
His insights on law marketing, technology and market shifts have been featured across legal media, and he continues to track and comment on the evolving landscape of law firm operations and growth.
By focusing on profitability metrics and aligning goals, the company achieved significant operational efficiency and improved its overall market standing.
At the summit stand the Expert Partners–who have mastered the art of comprehensive service delivery, achieving the coveted US$7.13x multiplier. The journey continues with Progressive Partners, who have mastered multiple service categories and command an impressive US$5.78x multiplier. Moving up, Multi-category Partners have begun to diversify, achieving a US$3.26x multiplier as they expand their breadth of services offerings.
Ideal targets typically reflect a profitability ratio above industry benchmarks. Through the AWS Marketplace, they’re not merely listing solutions; they’re creating new revenue streams and accelerating customer outcomes. They’re building deep relationships in the C-suite, transforming themselves from vendors into trusted strategic advisors. Partners who combine technical excellence with strategic business acumen are positioning themselves at the forefront of this revolution. The study identifies 6 key strategies for Partners to achieve maximum multiplier over time—the Partner’s path to profitability (Figure 3).
The all-equity shop posted 25.81% PEP growth in 2024 to reach $7.8 million. The Thomson Reuters 2026 report confirmed that the average US firm posted 13% profit growth in 2025. As http://www.gleh.org/about-gleh/partner-organizations/partner-programs Global 100 data confirms, this reshaping of partnership structures concentrates profits among fewer hands.
A true partnership has to improve both sides of the ledger. Find out what we are doing to help vendors and partners accelerate predictable and sustainable sales without all of the “pointing” Following the big dogs who have built a massive marketshare may need a second look as you may not have that level of clout! Vendors should be careful in this points game as channel partners have a lot of choices.
Let’s find the value in your partner program.
David Lat, (pictured) writing for Bloomberg https://8wsm.com/finance/best-affiliate-marketing-jobs-sites-for-beginners/ Law’s legal commentary, had in January predicted both Kirkland and Wachtell would break $10 million in PEP for 2025 given their dramatic deal flow increases. Wachtell operates with fewer than 90 equity partners, zero offices outside Manhattan, and a profit margin that reportedly runs at 78%, the highest in the Am Law 100. The contrast in business models is what makes this rivalry so interesting to study. Kirkland dethroned it in the 2023 rankings (covering 2022 performance), lost it briefly, then reclaimed and extended its lead through 2024 and now into 2025 with a haul that would have seemed fantastical a decade ago. Sixty-eight firms recorded double-digit PEP growth, more than double the prior year.
Whether this is sustainable depends on whether deal markets remain active, rate growth continues to outpace cost inflation, and AI genuinely delivers efficiency rather than simply headcount reduction.
Vendors drive growth, partners see credible profit.
Firms control how many equity partners they count and a decision to move people from equity to non-equity status is, from a purely mathematical standpoint, indistinguishable from a genuine improvement in profitability.
The executive team initiated a comprehensive review of all partnerships, focusing on performance metrics and alignment with strategic goals.
Partners deliver more impact to customers and boost earning potential by moving across and up the Partner Profitability Framework and collaborating with other Partners.
What role does data play in Partner Profitability?
At the summit stand the Expert Partners–who have mastered the art of comprehensive service delivery, achieving the coveted US$7.13x multiplier. The journey continues with Progressive Partners, who have mastered multiple service categories and command an impressive US$5.78x multiplier. Moving up, Multi-category Partners have begun to diversify, achieving a US$3.26x multiplier as they expand their breadth of services offerings.
Ideal https://synapsewaves.com/articles/understanding-process-patents-examples/ targets typically reflect a profitability ratio above industry benchmarks. Through the AWS Marketplace, they’re not merely listing solutions; they’re creating new revenue streams and accelerating customer outcomes. They’re building deep relationships in the C-suite, transforming themselves from vendors into trusted strategic advisors. Partners who combine technical excellence with strategic business acumen are positioning themselves at the forefront of this revolution. The study identifies 6 key strategies for Partners to achieve maximum multiplier over time—the Partner’s path to profitability (Figure 3).
Channel-forecast channel-trends partner-economics partner-profitability pricing-and-discounting Thanks for sharing Ryan Morris always great to see how the industry is evolving to make partner more profitable. Can a partner trace how the program improves their P&L. Vendors drive growth, partners see credible profit. If the design starts with partner profitability and maps to the GTM journey, then it works both ways.
At the foundation, we find Focused Partners, typically smaller organizations generating a US$1.26x multiplier. The APN demonstrates substantial maturity, with Partners able to capture considerable revenues across the customer lifecycle. Partners deliver more impact to customers and boost earning potential by moving across and up the Partner Profitability Framework and collaborating with other Partners. The new PEM 2025 study findings further reinforce that AWS Partners that achieve the US$7.13 multiplier, are those that have deeper AWS engagement and offer a breadth of services. In 2022, we introduced the AWS Partner Profitability Framework (Figure 1), an intuitive and reliable way to maximize business value with the AWS Partner Network (APN).
Partner Profitability Case Study Example
This is how services-led partners outperform in both good markets and tough ones. Partners who shift from “next deal” thinking to recurring value creation don’t just grow faster—they grow smarter. Investors, acquirers, and customers all reward predictability.
Latest Insights
At the summit stand the Expert Partners–who have mastered the art of comprehensive service delivery, achieving the coveted US$7.13x multiplier. The journey continues with Progressive Partners, who have mastered multiple service categories and command an impressive US$5.78x multiplier. Moving up, Multi-category Partners have begun to diversify, achieving a US$3.26x multiplier as they expand their breadth of services offerings.
Managed Services: Where Margin Multiplies (Not Just Grows)
NEW Mapping to a Balanced Scorecard perspective (financial, customer, internal process, learning & growth) Practical, actionable tips for improving the KPI, which might involve operational changes, strategic shifts, or tactical actions Questions to ask to better understand your current position is for the KPI and how it can improve
Most vendors don’t (and won’t) increase total partner spend when they modernize compensation, so clout can dilute with your historic, transaction-centric partners. The partner on the other side of that equation is averaging $11.1 million at one firm and the journey there involves, by industry estimates, 2,000–2,500 billable hours annually with perhaps another 500 in non-billable shadow work. The data is unambiguous for early-career lawyers trying to navigate the BigLaw labyrinth. They are also roughly one-fifth of Kirkland’s figure. Linklaters posted pre-tax profits above £1 billion for the first time. It recorded the largest revenue increase in the Am Law 100 in 2024, at 31.6%, adding $1.28 billion in new revenue.
Most vendors don’t (and won’t) increase total partner spend when they modernize compensation, so clout can dilute with your historic, transaction-centric partners.
Today they get points just like all of the loyalty programs we see from everyone like credit cards, airlines, retail etc etc.
However, many vendors are not intimately aware of how their programs affect partner profitability.
Linklaters posted pre-tax profits above £1 billion for the first time.
They are also roughly one-fifth of Kirkland’s figure.
The partner on the other side of that equation is averaging $11.1 million at one firm and the journey there involves, by industry estimates, 2,000–2,500 billable hours annually with perhaps another 500 in non-billable shadow work.
Can a partner trace how the program improves their P&L.
Moving up, Multi-category Partners have begun to diversify, achieving a US$3.26x multiplier as they expand their breadth of services offerings.
Following the big dogs who have built a massive marketshare may need a second look as you may not have that level of clout!
The all-equity shop posted 25.81% PEP growth in 2024 to reach $7.8 https://www.cs-coding.com/launch-a-pressure-washing-business-in-10-simple-steps/ million. The Thomson Reuters 2026 report confirmed that the average US firm posted 13% profit growth in 2025. As Global 100 data confirms, this reshaping of partnership structures concentrates profits among fewer hands.
If Kirkland’s $11.1 million is the headline grabber, the more structurally interesting story from late 2025 involves Quinn Emanuel quietly joining the nine-figure-average club.
It waits for the truly consequential M&A mandate and then charges accordingly, with revenue per lawyer reported at $4.47 million, the highest in the industry.
Monitoring this key figure helps identify leading indicators of profitability, enabling proactive management reporting and variance analysis.
Investors, acquirers, and customers all reward predictability.
Joint marketing initiatives and data analytics can also enhance collaboration and drive better results.
Regular assessments help identify issues early and allow for timely adjustments to strategies.
David Lat, (pictured) writing for Bloomberg Law’s legal commentary, had in January predicted both Kirkland and Wachtell would break $10 million in PEP for 2025 given their dramatic deal flow increases. Wachtell operates https://scivast.com/articles/understanding-device-development-process/ with fewer than 90 equity partners, zero offices outside Manhattan, and a profit margin that reportedly runs at 78%, the highest in the Am Law 100. The contrast in business models is what makes this rivalry so interesting to study. Kirkland dethroned it in the 2023 rankings (covering 2022 performance), lost it briefly, then reclaimed and extended its lead through 2024 and now into 2025 with a haul that would have seemed fantastical a decade ago. Sixty-eight firms recorded double-digit PEP growth, more than double the prior year.
