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 click here.
For the second straight month, the pace of lateral moves declined, as only 25 partner and counsel moves were reported, down from 49 in November. While December is notably a slow month for lateral movement, the 25 moves represented more than a 40 percent dip in moves from December 2021. So, it may be that the weaker economic situation is impacting the lateral market. Overall, the number of lateral moves in 2022 were down 5.3 percent from 2021.
At the same time, the government market continued to be active, with 11 moves, up from 9 in November. And that did not include one attorney who joined a firm from the National Association of Attorneys’ General.
No group moves were reported in December, and only two firms—Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld and Kelley Drye & Warren—reported multiple moves.
Ten of the 25 lawyers (40 percent) were women, with half of those entering as partners. That compares to two-thirds of the 15 men joining their new firms as partners.
For the first time in recent memory, the leading practice area represented was White Collar/Investigations, with eight moves. The only other practice area which had more than two movers was Intellectual Property, with five.
Starting next month, TMG will be producing a similar report on lateral moves in the state of Texas. For more information, please contact TMG’s Saadia Sultan.
