Standout Big Law Moves in 2024 Amid Robust Lateral Hiring

Law firms jumped into the lateral hiring market with two feet in 2024, raising the stakes — and pay packages — along the way.

The top 50 law firms hired more than 900 partners through mid-December, up slightly from the year prior, according to Leopard Solutions data.

Rival law firms poached top partners from each other while others executed on growth ambitions. Competition to hire and retain top talent forced some firms to introduce higher pay to some hires or their top-earning partners.

Former Shearman & Sterling global managing partner George Casey joins Linklaters

Ahead of Allen & Overy and Shearman’s tie-up this May, Casey, who became co-head of Shearman in 2018, jumped to Linklaters in January as a part of a five-lawyer pick up by the UK-based Linklaters. Casey led the team advising Liberty Global on its 2020 deal with Telefónica to create a £31 billion media giant and GlaxoSmithKline’s $5.1 billion acquisition of US biopharmaceutical firm TESARO in 2018. In October, he led the Linklaters team advising Rio Tinto on its $6.7 billion all-cash acquisition of Arcadium Lithium.

Baker McKenzie Picks Up 17-Lawyer Corporate Team from Munger Tolles & Olson

Baker McKenzie has been steadily building out its M&A and private equity bench this year, starting in January when it picked up Latham & Watkins dealmaker Eric Schwartzman. But in April, the firm scored a massive hire, picking up the bulk of Munger Tolles’ corporate team that included 11 partners. The advised on several high-profile deals, including Berkshire Hathaway—a longtime Munger client—in its $11.6 billion acquisition of insurance company Alleghany Corp. in 2022.

Sullivan & Cromwell Picks Up Pair of Dealmakers from Skadden

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom M&A partners Mike Ringler and Peter Jones jumped to Sullivan & Cromwell’s Palo Alto office in May. The pair worked on a several multibillion-dollar tech deals from Ansys in its $35 billion sale to Synopsys and Splunk in its $30 billion sale to Cisco Systems. They also represented Elon Musk in his contentious $44 billion purchase of Twitter.

Cleary Dealmaker Jumps to Paul Weiss

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison has been on a campaign to hire top lawyers away from its rivals, particularly on its corporate team led by Scott Barshay. In May, the firm did so yet again, adding M&A partner Jim Langston from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. His clients have included Allergan, General Mills, Goldman Sachs, private equity shop Warburg Pincus, Sony, Starbucks, Sysco and T-Mobile.

King & Spalding Restructuring, Private Credit Team Heads to Paul Hastings

Lateral hiring has been a strategic priority for Paul Hastings under its leader Frank Lopez. In June, the firm picked up an 11-lawyer restructuring and finance team that included the former leader of King & Spalding’s private credit and special situations group, Jennifer Daly. The hires, which totaled 20 lawyers, boosted Paul Hastings’ growing finance practice and its private credit capabilities, an area where nearly all law firms sought to gain market share.

Willkie Restructuring Leader Rachel Strickland Goes to Fried Frank

Fried Frank, like many of its Wall Street peers, was an active participant in the lateral hiring game this year. In August, picked up a three-partner team from Willkie Farr & Gallagher led by Strickland to expand its restructuring practice. Strickland, who joined as global head of Fried Frank’s restructuring practice, has advised the likes of Clovis Oncology, Inc., Momentive Performance Materials, NanoString Technologies, Inc. She also recently represented election workers in Fulton County, Georgia in claims related to Rudolph Giuliani’s bankruptcy case.

Polsinelli Raids Holland & Knight to Open in Philadelphia

Polsinelli moved into Philadelphia in a big way in August picking up 47 lawyers from Holland & Knight. The hire included 30 shareholders in total, spread across Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and New York. Lawyers in the group move already took over work being done by Holland & Knight on behalf of Tesla Inc. in a lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to court documents.

Camille Vasquez Jumps from Brown Rudnick to Sheppard Mullin

Camille Vasquez, one of the lead lawyers who helped actor Johnny Depp win $15 million in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, as well as four other lawyers from Depp’s team, left Brown Rudnick in August to join Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton’s litigation team. Vasquez and her team are representing singer Gloria Trevi and composer Danny Elfman in defamation cases.

Sidley Austin Builds in London with Latham Hires

London has been one of the hottest markets for lateral hiring among top law firms in 2024 with rivals going after each other’s top lawyers. Sidley endeavored to build out its team in the City and picked up a five-partner finance team from Latham & Watkins in August that included the head of its London office Jayanthi Sadanandan. Three more partners followed, including Tania Bedi, the co-chair of Latham’s London finance department.

Trump Impeachment Lawyer Barry Berke Heads to Gibson Dunn & Crutcher

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher picked up a five-partner team from Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel led by Barry Berke in late October. Berke, a white-collar litigator, served as lead counsel for the US House of Representatives in former president Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment. He joined Gibson Dunn as co-chair of its global litigation practice. For its part, Kramer Levin announced it would merge with UK-based Herbert Smith Freehills just two weeks after the group’s departure.

Co-Head of Weil’s Litigation Team Jumps to Paul Weiss

Paul Weiss made another high-profile lateral hire in November, this time picking up Elizabeth Stotland Weiswasser and Anish Desai from Weil Gotshal & Manges. The pair represented tobacco giant Altria Inc., as well as pharmaceutical companies Sanofi-Aventis and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Weiswasser co-led Weil’s global litigation group and served a member of the firm’s executive committee and now is one of five leaders of Paul Weiss’ litigation team.