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, please contact TMG’s Steve Nelson (snelson@tmg-dc.com) or Dave Ris (dris@tmg-dc.com).
Lateral movement reached a new peak over the past 18 months as 93 moves were reported in May, up from 64 in April. Much of that increase can be attributed to a rash of government hires, as 33 government lawyers moved to the private sector, up from 16 the month before. Those hires came from 14 different agencies, with the Department of Justice leading the way with six hires. Other agencies with multiple hires included the Department of State (4), the Department of the Treasury (3), and the Securities & Exchange Commission (3). Hiring from Capitol Hill was also active in May, as six hires were reported.
Unlike last month, when no practice groups moved, there were five separate practice groups that moved in May. Those were a corporate practice group that moved from Winston & Strawn to Shearman & Sterling, a bankruptcy group that moved from Foley & Lardner to Quinn Emmanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, an automotive and franchise group that moved from Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough to Quarles & Brady, a litigation group that moved from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner to Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath and a trusts and estates group that moved from a small firm in Maryland to Offit Kurman. In addition, while not a practice group per se, Arent Fox hired both former U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) and his chief counsel, Sarah (Cissy) Jackson.
More than a third of the movers in May were women, with half (17 of 34) coming in as partners. That contrasted with 38 out of 59 (64.4%) of men who joined their new firms as partners.
In terms of practice area, Litigation and Intellectual Property headed the way, with 8 moves apiece. Other active areas included Legislative/Public Policy (7 moves), Corporate (6), Banking (5), Health Care (5), and White Collar/Investigations (5).
