The American Lawyer highlighted TMG’s Lateral Report for July 2022. This article was originally published by The American Lawyer and authored by Bruce Love. To view the article on their website, click here. To view TMG’s lateral market report, click here.
After a sluggish start earlier in the year, but with a strong July, the D.C. lateral market has bounced back effectively to 2021 levels.
A total of 73 laterals moved firms last month compared to 66 in June and 56 in the same period last year, according to a report by legal recruiters, the McCormick Group compiled with data from Firm Prospects.
Those figures bring the 2022 count so far to 483, compared to 486 in 2021 from January to June.
Driving the strong market, said McCormick managing principal Stephen Nelson, were the local moves resulting from the national merger of McGonigle with Davis Wright Tremaine.
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A total of 14 attorneys in Washington moved to Am Law 100 Davis Wright from its merger with Seattle-founded financial services boutique McGonigle.
Additionally, McCormick said, three group moves also happened in July. A real estate tax group moved to Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, while a government contracts group joined Seyfarth Shaw, and an energy group that joined Paul Hastings.
Several other firms also reported multiple laterals in July, including Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld—which saw among others Kenneth Gross join from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom; Baker & Hostetler, whose laterals included Winston Kirton from Winston & Strawn; Miller & Chevalier who brought on laterals in D.C. including international arbiter Margarita R. Sánchez from Quinn Emmanuel Urquhart & Sullivan; Morgan Lewis & Bockius, which lured Justin Weitz from the Department of Justice; and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett which had Jonathan Pacheco rejoin after nine months at Mayer Brown.
Last month, hiring from the government also increased. Twelve lawyers joined firms from government, up from five in June, according to McCormick.
Nelson said that “not surprisingly, due to the McGonigle-Davis Wright combination,” financial services practice areas featured highly in July moves.
“Securities and commodities regulation was the most active practice area, with 12 moves,” said Nelson, adding that other active practice areas were intellectual property, with 10 moves, and white collar, with seven.
Nelson also noted that 23 of the 73 lawyers who moved—almost 32%—were women. More than half of those women (55.6%) joined their new firms as partners, compared to 44% of men that moved to their new firms as partners.
