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 partner hiring decreased in December, as is often the case toward the end of the year. A total of 42 moves were reported, down from 67 in November. Ironically, the exact same number of lateral moves were reported in December 2020. Based on the number of moves already reported in the press. January may be a banner month for laterals.
Three groups moved in December, although one of them involved a follow-on from November. Last month, we reported that a four-partner health care group moved from Baker Donelson to Bass Berry & Sims. In December, they were joined by one additional partner and one counsel. The other two group moves were a 3-partner family law group that moved from Bethesda-based Paley Rothman to the DC office of Cipriani & Werner; and a plaintiffs-side ERISA litigation group that left Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll for the DC office of Berger & Montague. Other law firms reporting multiple hires in December were Latham & Watkins and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
It was a fairly slow month for government laterals, with only seven reported. Four laterals came from in-house positions.
Fifteen of the 42 movers (35.7 percent) were women, with just under half of them (46.7 percent) entering as partners. That compared with 63 percent of the 27 men who were named partners at their new firms.
Antitrust continues to be a hot area, as five such practitioners (including two from government and one from in-house) moved in December. For the first time ever, ERISA made the list of most active practice areas as four ERISA lawyers moved (including the two mentioned above). Other active practice areas (all with three moves) included Family Law (see above), Corporate, Litigation, Intellectual Property, and Banking/Finance.
COMING SOON: A RETROSPECTIVE ON THE DC LATERAL MARKET IN 2021
