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).
September was a strong month for lateral movement, with 70 partner and counsel moves reported, up from 53 in August, and down just slightly from the September 2021 figure of 71. But the big news was the amount of activity from government, with 20 lawyers making the jump to private practice, the highest number since early 2021. This illustrates the typical phenomenon of government officials leaving about halfway through a Presidential Administration. But with three moves directly from Capitol Hill, it may also signal that firms want to be prepared in the event of a shift of control in Congress.
Five of the 20 lawyers came from the Department of Justice, while two exited the Securities and Exchange Commission and the International Trade Commission.
Only two group moves were reported in September. One involved a two-partner health care litigation team that left the California-based boutique of Callahan & Blaine to join Arnall Golden Gregory in DC. The other was a three-partner group that left Anderson Kill to join Brown Rudnick. Other firms reporting multiple lateral moves included:
- Arnold & Porter
- Covington & Burling
- Davis Wright Tremaine
- Goodwin Procter
- Jenner & Block
- Loeb & Loeb
- O’Melveny & Myers
- Stinson
- Taft, Stettinius & Hollister
- Womble Bond Dickinson
Almost half of the 70 lawyers who moved (48.6 percent) were women, with 58.8 percent joining their new firms as partners. That compares to 72.2 percent of the 36 men that entered their new firms as partner.
Energy and Litigation were the most active practice area, with 7 moves apiece. Other active practice areas were Health Care (6), Antitrust (5), White Collar/Investigations (5), Intellectual Property (4), Data Privacy (3), Legislative (3), FDA (3), Real Estate (3), and Labor/Employment (3).
