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.
Lateral hiring continued at a strong pace in February, as 67 partner and counsel moves were reported. However, that number was down from the 77 reported in January, and well below that of February 2023, when 89 moves were reported.
Five group moves were reported in February. Most notably, a group of six Investment Management partners moved from Goodwin Procter to Kirkland& Ellis. Other moves included three Intellectual Property lawyers from McKool Smith who opened the DC office of Spencer Fane, two White Collar/Investigations lawyers who joined Blank Rome from Akerman, two FDA lawyers who moved from McDermott Will & Emery to DLA Piper, and two Banking Regulatory partners from Davis Wright Tremaine who joined Troutman Pepper. Other firms reported multiple hires included:
- Adams and Reese
- Alston & Bird
- Cozen O’Connor
- Fluet
- Husch Blackwell
- Kelley Drye & Warren
- King & Spalding
- Lowenstein Sandler
- Miller & Chevalier
- Squire Patton Boggs
- Steptoe
Nine government lawyers entered private practice in February, while four lawyers moved from in-house positions.
Twenty-three women were among the 67 movers (34.3 percent, with 16 (69.6 percent) entering as partners. That compared to 31 of the 44 men (70.0 percent) joined their new firms as partners.
Keyed by the aforementioned lateral group, Investment Management was the leading practice represented, with seven movers. Other active practice areas included Litigation (6), Banking/Finance (6), White Collar/Investigations (5), Intellectual Property (5), International Trade 4); FDA (4), Corporate (4) and Tax (4).
Steve Nelson’s podcast, Steve’s Rules, has just started its second season. In the next episode, due to be released later this month, Steve will review compensation issues faced by laterals when they transition to new firms. Other topics recently addressed by the podcast include:
- A roadmap through the Lateral Partner Questionnaire
- Advice to government affairs lawyers coming off the Hill
- The myth of portable business
- The difference between retained and contingency search
- Developing your firm’s unique selling points
The podcast is available on a number of platforms, including Buzzsprout, Spotify, and Apple.
