Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Statement Of Stockholders Equity [Abstract]
Tax expense (benefit) related to delivery of Class A Common Stock in connection with share-based incentive compensation	$ 4,287	$ (7,219)

Tax expense (benefit) from stock issued in connection with share-based incentive compensation.

No definition available.

Name:	laz_TaxExpenseBenefitFromStockIssuedInConnectionWithSharebasedIncentiveCompensation
Namespace Prefix:	laz_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration