This is the latest update on lateral partner and counsel moves in the Washington, D.C. area. All data included in these reports is derived from Firm Prospects LLC, and consists of moves reported by them in May. For more details and analysis, please contact TMG’s Steve Nelson (snelson@tmg-dc.com) or Dave Ris (dris@tmg-dc.com).
Lateral partner recruiting in D.C. was cut in half in May, as only 26 lateral partner and counsel moves were reported, compared to 52 such moves in April. Even more startling was the comparison to the same month in 2019, when a total of 132 moves were reported. Overall, during the three months since Covid-19 restrictions went into effect (March-May), lateral partner hiring is down more than 50 percent (260 in 2019, compared to 126 in 2020).
For the first time since we’ve been tracking monthly lateral partner moves, International Trade was the most active practice area, with five total moves. Two of those came from government (one from the U.S. Trade Representative and one from U.S. Marine Corps) and one came from an in-house position at Cummins. There were four moves in Intellectual Property, highlighted by a three-partner Trademark and Copyright group that left McDermott, Will & Emery to go to Snell & Wilmer’s D.C. office.
Other notable findings include:
- Of the 26 moves, three came from government and three came from industry.
- Nineteen of the lawyers came in as partners, while seven came in at the counsel level.
- Eight of the lateral movers were women, with five of them joining as partners.
- In addition to Snell & Wilmer, three firms added multiple laterals. The telecommunications boutique Lerman Senter added a two-lawyer group from Womble Bond Dickinson, while Covington & Burling and DLA Piper each added two individual laterals.
Steve Nelson is an executive principal at The McCormick Group, an executive search firm based in Arlington, VA. Steve conducts partner-level searches, searches for in-house counsel, and searches for administrative professionals for law firms. In addition, he serves as a consultant for law firm merger planning, practice area expansion, and recruiting strategy. Steve is a former attorney with 17 years in legal journalism and publishing and is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management. Follow him @SKNLegal.
