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 contact Steve Nelson.
May was one of the hottest months ever for lateral hiring in DC, as 99 partner and counsel moves were reported, up from 86 in April. Moreover, the 99 moves were much higher than the 60 moves reported in May 2024. Overall, there have been 415 moves reported in the first five months of 2025, compared to 335 during that timeframe in 2024.
Government hiring also reached record highs, as 36 moves were reported, compared to 26 in April and 28 in March. So far in 2025, there have been 135 government moves reported this year, compared to 108 during the first five months of the previous Administration.
As usual, the Department of Justice accounted for the most hires, with 12 attorneys moving into private practice. The only other government sources with more than one lateral were the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (3) and the White House (2).
April was a particularly active month for group movement, as six such transactions were reported. Most notable were the four Litigation partners who left Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to start their own firm, Dunn Isaacson Rhee LLP in the aftermath of the controversy surrounding their former firm’s agreement with the Trump Administration. (Three other partners from Paul Weiss joined the new firm in June.)
Two groups departed from A&O Sherman in May. One involved two Banking and Fintech partners who joined Baker McKenzie, while the other involved two Banking and Securities Regulation lawyers who joined Sidley Austin. Other groups included:
- A four-partner Health Care group that moved from Feldesman Leifer to Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville.
- A two-partner Government Relations group that left Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer to join K&L Gates.
- Two partners from the now-defunct International Trade boutique Kabealo PLLC, (including Founding Partner John Kabealo), who joined Kirkland & Ellis.
Other firms reporting multiple hires included:
- Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld
- Cooley
- Covington & Burling
- Elias Law Group
- Evershed Sutherland
- Faegre Drinker Biddle
- Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
- Hogan Lovells
- Holland & Knight
- Jenner & Block
- Mayer Brown
- Milbank
- Mitchell Sandler
- Morrison & Foerster
- Ropes & Gray
Forty-one of the movers (41.4 percent) were women, with 21 (51.2 percent) entering as partners. That compared to 41 of the 59 men (69.4 percent) who joined their new firms as partners.
Litigation was the most active practice area, with 18 moves. Other active practice areas included:
- Intellectual Property (8)
- International Trade (8)
- Health Care (8)
- White Collar/Investigations (7)
- Antitrust (5)
- Government Relations (5)
- Corporate (3)
- Banking (3))
- Government Contracts (3)
- Investment Management (3)
- Securities/Commodities Regulation (3)
The Trump Administration’s executive orders aimed at various law firms has resulted in the most significant issue that the country’s leading law firms have faced in recent memory. In this episode of TMG’s Executive Consultant Steve Nelson podcast, Steve and his McCormick Group colleague Dave Ris provide some insights on the impact of these orders and the law firm responses, with a particular focus on lateral partner hiring.
Key topics covered in this episode:
- Immediate impact on law school, associate and partner recruiting.
- Which litigators might be affected.
- How corporate clients might react.
- Impact on the DC offices of the Wall Street and other elite firms that have settled.
- Possible chasm between “transactional” and “litigation” firms.
- How this may impact Government Relations practices in DC.
This is the 16th episode of Steve’s Rules. The podcast is available on virtually all platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
