This is the latest update on lateral partner and counsel moves in the Washington, D.C. area. The data included in these reports is primarily derived from Firm Prospects LLC. For more details and analysis, including a list of laterals for the month, please contact Steve Nelson.
After a very strong April, lateral hiring in the D.C. area slowed in May, as 60 partner and counsel moves were reported, down from 75 in April. Last year, 84 moves were reported in May.
Four group moves were reported in May:
- Three Intellectual Property partners who joined Boies, Schiller & Flexner’s DC office from the Kansas City and Denver offices of Shook, Hardy & Bacon.
- Two International Trade partners who joined K&L Gates from DLA Piper.
- Two FDA partners who left Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom for Latham & Watkins.
- Two Antitrust partners who joined Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati from Freshfields.
Other firms reported multiple hires included:
- Dentons
- DLA Piper
- Freshfields
- Mitchell Sandler
- Nixon Peabody’
- Paul Weiss
- Rimon Law
- Squire Patton Boggs
The number of government lawyers joining D.C. firms dropped dramatically, as only three lawyers entered private practice in May. Three other lawyers moved from in-house positions.
One-third of the movers were women, with 12 of those 20 (60.0 percent) entering as partners. That compared to 30 of the 40 men (75.0 percent) who joined their new firms as partners.
Antitrust and Litigation were the leading practices represented, with 9 movers apiece. Other active practice areas included FDA (5), Banking (5), White Collar/Investigations (4), Intellectual Property (4), International Trade (3) and Energy (3).
In the latest episode of Steve Nelson’s podcast, Steve’s Rules (to be released next week), Steve reviews the issues that candidates need to consider when engaging with legal recruiters, and provides tips on choosing a recruiter for representation. Other topics recently addressed by the podcast include:
- A roadmap through the Lateral Partner Questionnaire
- Compensation issues faced by laterals
- The myth of portable business
- The difference between retained and contingency search
- The key elements of a legal business plan
The podcast is available on a number of platforms, including Buzzsprout, Spotify, and Apple.
