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.
Lateral hiring in DC continued its upswing in September, as 70 partner and counsel moves were reported, up from 58 in August and 50 in July. There were 49 moves reported in August 2024. As a result, 2024 hires are now nearly at the 2023 level.
Keying the increase were particularly high number of moves from government and in-house positions. Overall, 13 lawyers moved from government positions, up from nine the previous month. Seven of those lawyers departed from positions at the Department of Justice.
Even more surprising were 14 lawyers who moved from in-house positions in September. Among the companies represented included Google, Amazon, Walmart, Capital One, and IBM.
Four group moves were reported in September. One was a two-partner Health Care group that moved from Foley Hoag to Manatt Phelps & Phillips; a separate group of Health Care lawyers moved from Foley to Manatt in August. Also moving in September were two separate Telecommunications groups from Morgan Lewis. One two-partner group moved to Cooley, while three partners moved to Greenberg Traurig. The final group involved the merger of the Intellectual Property boutique Browdy and Neimark with Fisher Broyles.
Other firms reported multiple hires included:
- Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer
- Holland & Knight
- King & Spalding
- Mayer Brown
- Milbank
- Sheppard Mullin
- Steptoe
- Weil, Gotshal & Manges
- Womble Bond Dickinson
Twenty-eight of the movers (40 percent) were women, with 15 (53.6 percent) entering as partners. That compared to 28 of the 42 men (66.7 percent) who joined their new firms as partners.
Intellectual Property was the leading practice represented, with 9 movers. Other active practice areas included Litigation (7). White Collar/Investigations (7), Telecommunications (6), Banking (5), Antitrust (5), International Trade (5), SEC Regulation (3), and Health Care (3).
As noted in the above report, government lawyers are increasingly joining private law firms. The McCormick Group has a long history of placing government lawyers in the private sector. Placements have Included many high-level government officials, including Cabinet Officials and Members of Congress, but also line attorneys at key agencies. If you are a law firm seeking to add top talent, or if you are a government attorney seeking opportunities in the private sector, please contact Steve Nelson at snelson@tmg-dc.com or Dave Ris at dris@tmg-dc.com.
