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 but organized by the Legal Recruiting team at The McCormick Group. For more details and analysis, including a list of laterals for the month, please contact Steve Nelson.
Lateral partner hiring fell somewhat in July, as only 60 partner and counsel moves were reported, down from 79 in June. The number was also lower than the 74 moves reported in July 2025.
Much of this can be attributed to the fact that the number of group moves declined from six in June to two in July. Those were:
- A two-lawyer White Collar/Investigations group that left Hogan Lovells Cadwalader to go to Fried Frank.
- A two-partner Structured Finance group that joined Sidley Austin from Clifford Chance.
Other firms reporting multiple lateral moves included:
- Akin Gump
- Baker & McKenzie
- Crowell & Moring
- Foley & Lardner
- Holland & Hart
- Jones Day
- Latham & Watkins
- Squire Patton Boggs
- Steptoe
- Winston Taylor
Thirteen attorneys moved from the federal government to law firms in July, down from 15 in June. Eight lawyers joined firms from in-house positions in July.
Twenty-two of the laterals (36.7 percent) were women. Of those, nine(42.9 percent) joined their new firms as partners. That compares to 38 of the 48 men (79.2 percent) who were selected partners at their new firms.
International Trade/National Security was the most active practice area represented in July, with seven moves. Other active practice areas included:
- White Collar/Investigations (6)
- Intellectual Property (5)
- Banking (5)
- Litigation (4)
- Labor/Employment (4)
- Government Relations (3)
- Energy (3)
Recent DOJ subpoenas have shed more light on last year’s executive orders focused on law firms. In the latest episode of “Steve’s Rules,” TMG’s Steve Nelson and David Ris reviewed the impact on these orders on lateral hiring. Among the areas covered:
- How much turnover has there been at the settling firms, as well as those firms that challenged the government.
- Why some firms experienced significant departures while others did not.
- The impact on associate retention.
- The impact on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The podcast, a feature of the Legal Recruiting and Legal Management practices of The McCormick Group, is available on virtually all platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
