STARS REALIGNED
In an unprecedented year full of splashy lateral hiring, these moves made waves in 2021.
Last year was defined by a war for talent that reached all levels of the legal industry, and it was on full display in the lateral market. From star partners to significant groups making the leap to new law firms, 2021 was full of big bets on major talent. In some cases, that meant spinning off from an Am Law 200 powerhouse to form a new firm altogether, and in some cases it meant a reshuffling of the decks among the most powerful and profitable firms in the world. These are the 25 moves that left the biggest imprint on the industry in 2021.
From Cravath, Swaine & Moore > To Davis, Polk & Wardwell
Kara Mungovan
Shortly after hiring tax attorney Corey Goodman away from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Davis Polk made another big splash by adding tax partner Kara Mungovan from Cravath. Mungovan specializes in the tax elements of complex mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions and bank financings, both in the United States and globally, according to Davis Polk’s website. She has worked on a variety of large M&A deals in her career, including the $123 billion Anheuser-Busch InBev acquisition of SABMiller and Occidental Petroleum in its $57 billion buy of Anadarko. In speaking about the firm’s interest in growing its tax capabilities, Davis Polk chair and managing partner Neil Barr said, “If you want to grow a large transactional firm, you need to grow those complementary practices.”
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From Sullivan & Cromwell > To Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
KRISHNA VEERARAGHAVAN
Paul Weiss brought on New York-based M&A partner Krishna Veeraraghavan from Sullivan & Cromwell, in a move signaling the firm’s growth intentions and ambitions to work with more technology-sector clients. Paul Weiss said Veeraraghavan is “one of the nation’s leading M&A deal lawyers,” noting his work on Amazon’s $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods, Praxair’s $80 billion merger with Linde as well as AB InBev’s $123 billion merger with SABMiller. Besides Amazon, he’s also advised Broadcom, Genesis Robotics, Unisys and other tech clients in deals. Veeraraghavan, 43, had practiced at Sullivan & Cromwell for nearly 15 years, including 10 years as a partner. “I expect Krishna joining us to greatly accelerate a process we’ve seen over the last [several] years, which is huge growth in our public company M&A practice,” said corporate department chair Scott Barshay.
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From Kasowitz Benson Torres > To Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes
A 7-PARTNER SPINOFF
Seven partners at Kasowitz Benson Torres abruptly left the firm in February 2021 in order to set up their own shop, in the former office space of Boies Schiller Flexner in New York and San Francisco. Andrew Glenn, Lyn Agre, Jed Bergman, Trevor Welch, Olga Fuentes, Michael Bowen and Marissa Miller were the founding partners for the law firm of Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes. A Boies Schiller memo sent to attorneys at the firm said the firm expects to “partner with [Glenn Agre] on cases going forward, particularly bankruptcy matters where the new firm needs litigation and corporate support.” Kasowitz has been losing partners, with its overall head count down across virtually every practice area, according to ALM data, and it was one of seven Am Law 200 firms to take the full $10 million available for PPP loans in 2020.
Andrew Glenn
From Delaware Chancery Court > To Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
ANDRE BOUCHARD
Former longtime chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery Andre Bouchard joined Paul Weiss as a partner in the firm’s litigation department. Bouchard served as chancellor of the Court of Chancery from May 2014 until his retirement in May 2021. “Andy is an incredible jurist and many of his decisions as chancellor have had national and international impact,” Paul Weiss litigation department co-chair Jessica Carey said. “At a time when Paul Weiss is already a go-to firm in Delaware for the most significant deal challenge and shareholder rights litigation, Andy adds unparalleled strategic firepower to our thriving Delaware and M&A litigation practices.” Bouchard presided over some high-profile matters during his tenure, including the merger dispute between Viacom and CBS Corp. as well as the restructuring of WeWork.
From Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr > To Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
HEATHER NYONG’O
Cleary Gottlieb opened an office in the Bay Area, adding an antitrust practice leader from Wilmer and relocating several lawyers from New York and Washington, D.C. Pointing to longstanding clients in California as well as a new regulatory landscape, the firm said four partners—two in antitrust and one each in white-collar and mergers and acquisitions, along with a half-dozen associates—would join Heather Nyong’o, who previously served as partner-in-charge of the San Francisco office and West Coast antitrust leader for Wilmer. Nyong’o said she was motivated to join the firm because of its “deep commitment to the region and incredible client base.” “I’m thrilled to join Cleary’s global antitrust practice and to help our clients navigate their challenges in this increasingly complex and dynamic regulatory environment,” she said.
From Cravath, Swaine & Moore > To Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
DAMIEN ZOUBEK
Dealmaker Damien Zoubek joined Freshfields as the international firm rode a remarkable wave of demand for corporate transactional work. Zoubek, who joined Cravath in 1999, now co-leads Freshfields’ U.S. corporate and M&A practice alongside Ethan Klingsberg, who joined the firm in October 2019. Freshfields’ buildup of its U.S. corporate practice in the last three to four years has been “deliberate,” Klingsberg said. Zoubek worked on a number of high-profile transactions in 2021, including Canadian National’s $33.6 billion interloper bid to acquire Kansas City Southern and Afterpay’s $29 billion sale to Square. He also represented GW Pharmaceuticals in its $7.2 billion sale to Jazz Pharmaceuticals and AmerisourceBergen in its $6.5 billion acquisition of Walgreen’s Alliance Healthcare businesses, among others.
From Munger, Tolles & Olson > To Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
ROSEMARIE RING
In October, Gibson Dunn brought on Munger, Tolles & Olson lifer Rosemarie Ring to join its litigation practice in San Francisco. Ring ”is a first-chair litigator with a proven track record of defending companies in high-stakes commercial litigation and high-profile regulatory investigations,” Barbara Becker, chair and managing partner of Gibson Dunn, said. She brings “a deep understanding of the business models and technology that drive the areas of greatest risk for our top clients” and has “repeatedly demonstrated she can translate technical concepts into winning legal arguments and forceful narratives,” according to Ryan Murr, co-partner-in-charge of the firm’s San Francisco office. Ring represented Facebook in its global settlement of actions claiming that the company’s advertising platform was discriminatory. And she defended Microsoft in several national class actions over data services for the T-Mobile Sidekick.
From Munger, Tolles & Olson > To Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
LITIGATORS MAKE THE LEAP
Wilson Sonsini continued to bolster its litigation group for tech and life sciences clients, adding five partners from Munger, Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles: Luis Li, Matthew Macdonald, Fred Rowley, Mark Yohalem and Eric Tuttle. “These lawyers possess a level of talent that will benefit our clients enormously in their most significant legal disputes,” Doug Clark, managing partner of Wilson Sonsini, said. “They bring diverse career experiences—from trying cases of all kinds in private practice and as prosecutors to arguing appeals throughout the country—in a cohesive group that has practiced together for years.” Li previously served as co-counsel in the defense of Transocean, the owner of Deepwater Horizon. He also represented the University of California in relation to the 2019 college admissions scandal and is currently representing Vanessa Bryant.
Luis Li
From U.S. Food and Drug Administration > To Morrison & Foerster
STACY CLINE AMIN
Stacy Cline Amin, the FDA’s chief counsel from 2018 to 2021, joined Morrison & Foerster in June as the co-lead of the firm’s FDA regulatory and compliance practice. One legal recruiter who declined to be named said there was “a lot of demand” from law firms for Amin. An FDA professional now at an Am Law 100 firm said at the time of the move that FDA lawyers were in high demand yet short supply. “FDA compliance is a potential growth area for many firms, but often they are challenged by their ability to attract top talent,” the professional said. “When you do see individuals on the market, there is a lot of interest in them, because there is no substitute for the deep experience you get at the FDA. It is truly distinguishable—both for the lawyers themselves and the firms where they land.”
From U.S. Federal Trade Commission > To Latham & Watkins
IAN CONNER
Former Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Competition director Ian Conner joined Latham & Watkins, rather than returning to his former firm, Kirkland & Ellis. Conner first joined the FTC in 2017 as deputy director before rising to the role of director in late 2019, just months before the onset of the pandemic. He joined Latham’s Washington, D.C., office as a partner. Asked why he joined Latham rather than rejoining Kirkland, Conner pointed to Latham’s global antitrust platform, which he said is best suited to the future of his practice, given increased enforcement efforts not just from the European Union but from the post-Brexit Competition and Markets Authority in the United Kingdom as well as Asian regulators. “It is increasingly necessary to have a coordinated platform to offer antitrust clients as complexity increases and the number of regulators increases,” Conner said.
From Sullivan & Cromwell > To Cravath, Swaine & Moore
RONALD CREAMER JR.
Ronald Creamer Jr., the former head of Sullivan & Cromwell’s tax group who also spearheaded mergers and acquisitions for the group, decamped after close to three decades at the firm to set up shop at rival firm Cravath. Creamer began his legal career at Sullivan & Cromwell in 1992 straight out of law school. He has been a part of several major deals over the years, according to his former biography page at Sullivan & Cromwell. He represented Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in its acquisition of SABMiller, the third largest acquisition in history, with a value of over $100 billion, in 2016. Creamer worked with Bayer AG in its $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto Co. in 2018 and with Advance/Newhouse Partnership in the $80 billion three-way combination among its subsidiaries Bright House Networks, Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable in 2015.
From Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld > To Allen & Overy
ALLEN & OVERY OPENS IN L.A.
Allen & Overy opened a Los Angeles office in March, bringing on board 19 lawyers from Aking Gump, including six partners, to focus on renewable energy matters. U.S. managing partner Tim House said the goal of the addition was to complement Allen & Overy’s international strength in energy projects. He anticipated the firm’s arrival in California would open up expansion opportunities that go beyond the new team’s specialization in renewables. In addition to Los Angeles, the new group from Akin Gump has a presence in New York and Washington, D.C., and is co-led by partners Dan Sinaiko in Los Angeles and John Marciano in Washington. Sinaiko and Marciano were co-leaders of Akin Gump’s global project finance practice. Other partners joining Allen & Overy included Greg Lavigne, Matthew Nesburn, Andrea Wang Lucan and Sam Kamyans. They were joined by a large group of associates and counsel, mostly in Los Angeles.
John Marciano
From Sidley Austin > To Kirkland & Ellis
NADER SALEHI
Securities defense attorney Nader Salehi jumped to Kirkland & Ellis after eight years as a partner at Sidley Austin, where he most recently served as co-leader of the securities enforcement practice. Salehi joined Kirkland’s government, regulatory and internal investigations practice group in the Washington, D.C., office. He arrived at Sidley Austin in 2013 as part of an 11-partner securities group that moved from Bingham McCutchen in the downsizing that preceded that firm’s dissolution. Salehi said he began entertaining the idea of a move to Kirkland after Reginald Brown, a colleague from the start of his career, arrived there in November 2020. “The idea of reconnecting with him was appealing, as was the conclusion that I’d be able to work together with a lot of like-minded lawyers,” he explained.
From Boies Schiller Flexner > To her own boutique
NATASHA HARRISON
Former Boies Schiller Flexner deputy chair and co-managing partner Natasha Harrison is leaving the firm to start her own boutique. Harrison had announced in September that she was stepping down from the deputy chair role after having been elevated to the position following the departure of former co-managing partner Nick Gravante to Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft late in 2020. With Harrison’s elevation came the understanding that she would eventually take the reins from founder David Boies. She cited professional and personal reasons for stepping down from that post. “The significant and persistent challenges posed by the pandemic weighed heavily in her ultimate decision. Most notably as it relates to the pandemic, international travel restrictions have prevented Natasha from spending the kind of time in the U.S., actively engaging with the leadership team,” the firm said in a September memo.
From Perkins Coie > To Elias Law Group
MARC ELIAS
Marc Elias, the Perkins Coie partner who rose to fame for his strident election and voting rights litigation on behalf of the Democratic Party, left his former firm along with 10 other Perkins Coie partners and three counsel to form his own firm: Elias Law Group. In leaving, Elias and his colleagues will be able to “broaden” their advocacy “by engaging more directly in the political and electoral process,” according to a joint press release between Elias Law Group and Perkins Coie. Elias and his new firm will continue to work closely with Perkins Coie on “key matters” such as voting rights litigation. “The formation of Elias Law Group will allow us to more fully engage in representing our clients in the political process at this unique moment in history,” Elias said. “I look forward to continuing to work with Perkins Coie and want to thank the firm and its leadership for understanding and supporting us for the past decades and in this next step in our evolution.”
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From Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher > To Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Weil, Gotshal & Manges added two litigation partners from Gibson Dunn, Andrew Tulumello and Chantale Fiebig. Tulumello now serves as co-head of its complex commercial litigation practice. The duo boosted the firm’s capabilities in Washington, D.C., as courts reopened and enforcement began to pick up. Weil said the two hires were critical to its strategy of deepening its expertise in one of its most significant markets. Tulumello joined as a senior partner who “will lead the firm’s strategic initiative to build and deepen Weil’s litigation and enforcement capabilities in Washington, D.C.,” the firm said. The firm’s executive partner, Barry Wolf, said Tulumello will help handle business strategy for expanding the complex commercial litigation practice. Wolf called Fiebig and Tulumello “star litigators with amazing reputations” in the market.
ANDREW TULUMELLO AND CHANTALE FIEBIG
Andrew Tulumello
From Debevoise & Plimpton > To Cravath, Swaine & Moore
DAVID PORTILLA
In a rare lateral partner hire, Cravath brought on banking regulatory lawyer David Portilla, a Debevoise & Plimpton partner. Portilla had been at Debevoise for the previous seven years and was previously a former senior policy adviser to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Stability Oversight Council office (FSOC). Portilla advises international and domestic banks and other financial institutions on transactional, regulatory, supervisory and governance matters, Cravath said, noting he served as a member of the initial team that established the FSOC and helped develop its agenda, operating procedures and governance structure. Portilla’s hiring was unusual in that Cravath is known for selecting its partners almost exclusively from within its ranks. But on a few occasions in the last decade, the firm has hired partners, especially those with government experience.
From Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison > To Kirkland & Ellis
RACHAEL COFFEY
New York-based Rachael Coffey joined Kirkland’s M&A practice, another sign of the firm’s ambitions to handle more public company large deals. The firm added Edward Lee from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in 2020 and David Klein, also from Paul Weiss, in 2019. The firm’s corporate practice also boosted its bench earlier in 2021 by hiring partners from Vinson & Elkins and Baker Botts. Coffey counsels private equity companies and sponsors on M&A transactions and represents boards of directors and special committees in disputes. She has represented clients such as Xerox, Barnes & Noble and Kraft Heinz over the years. She guided Rocket Companies, the parent company of Quicken Loans, in its initial public offering; Chevron in its proposed acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum; and portfolio groups in acquisitions of franchises such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robbins and Jamba Juice.
From Shearman & Sterling > To Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes
A MASS ARBITRATION EXIT
Eight of Shearman & Sterling’s arbitration partners, including global arbitration heads Emmanuel Gaillard and Yas Banifatemi, left the firm in February 2021 to set up their own boutique, along with 30 associates. The duo, alongside partners Coralie Darrigade, Ximena Herrera-Bernal, Maude Lebois, Daniel Reich, Mohamed Shelbaya and Benjamin Siino, launched their own firm called Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes. Gaillard died in April 2021. The new firm will have offices in Paris, London and New York City, and aims to expand in Asia. Six of the partners were based in Shearman’s Paris office. Herrera-Bernal was based in the London office while Reich was based in the New York office. Siino, Shelbaya, Darrigade, and Lebois were all based in the firm’s Paris office.
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Yas Banifatemi
From Kirkland & Ellis, Goodwin Procter, DLA Piper, Foley & Lardner, Hunton Andrews Kurth and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner > To McDermott Will & Emery
A TRANSACTIONAL SPREE
McDermott Will & Emery went all-in on its transactions practice with a collection of lateral partner hires from six different Am Law 200 firms in six different cities. The firm added former DLA Piper partner Brian Gordon in its Atlanta office, former Foley & Lardner partner Marcus Helt in its Dallas office, former Hunton Andrews Kurth partner Parker Lee in its New York office, former Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner partner Mal Serure in its Los Angeles office, former Goodwin Procter partner David Solander in its Washington, D.C., location and former Kirkland & Ellis partner David Wolff in its Chicago office. “Providing top legal talent for corporate clients in an increasingly active, technical and regulated post-pandemic market is our No. 1 priority,” Harris Siskind, global head of the firm’s transactions practice, said.
Brian Gordon
From Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Jones Day and Latham & Watkins > To Goodwin Procter
Goodwin Procter leaned into technology work, which is a driving force for the firm, adding fiercely to its partner ranks in the practice area. In June, the firm brought over four partners, one counsel and four associates from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, a partner from Latham & Watkins and two partners from Jones Day. From Orrick, the firm welcomed partners Peter Fusco, Geoff Willard, Jonathan Chou and William Wilson, as well as the counsel and four associates, in New York and D.C. In addition to that group, David Concannon joined from Latham as partner in the firm’s New York office. And from Jones Day, Stuart Ogg and Micheal Reagan joined the firm’s Silicon Valley offices as partners. The moves capped a six-month stretch in which the firm added about 50 lawyers to its tech practice.
GOODWIN GOES BIG ON TECH
Peter Fusco
From Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan > To Willkie Farr & Gallagher
ANTITRUST LEAP IN LONDON
Willkie hired a heavyweight antitrust and litigation team from Quinn Emanuel in a major addition to the firm’s London office. Partners Boris Bronfentrinker, Elaine Whiteford and Nicola Chesaites joined Willkie’s London office in October, along with a team of at least eight associates. Bronfentrinker co-led the U.K. competition litigation practice at Quinn Emanuel. Earlier in 2021 he successfully led a group of individuals in a $20 billion claim against Mastercard, in what was one of the U.K.’s biggest ever class actions. The additions are the latest in an expansive push by Willkie into the London legal market. The firm recently launched a London arbitration practice with the hire of international arbitration barrister Duncan Speller from Wilmer Culter Pickering Hale and Dorr.
Boris Bronfentrinker
From Slaughter and May > To Weil, Gotshal & Manges
MURRAY COX
Slaughter and May London corporate partner Murray Cox left the firm in February 2021 to join Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Weil executive partner Barry Wolf said in a statement: “Murray is an outstanding lawyer with a broad commercial practice. He will be an important addition to our market-leading global private equity and M&A practice, and we are thrilled to have him join the firm.” Partner exits from Slaughters have historically been rare, but a flurry of departures have occurred in recent years. In March 2020, corporate restructuring and insolvency partner Richard de Carle left the firm to join Ashurst while corporate partner Susannah Macknay left to Australian heavyweight Gilbert + Tobin. Meanwhile, Weil has not recruited in London for some time. In 2019, the firm made a number of London-based hires, including Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld restructuring partner Neil Devaney.
From Cravath, Swaine & Moore > To Sidley Austin
JOHNNY SKUMPIJA
In a rare move away from the lockstep partnership firm, Johnny Skumpija left Cravath in March 2021 to join Sidley’s New York office as a partner in its capital markets practice. Skumpija advises corporate clients and financial institutions in capital markets and corporate matters, including initial public offerings, direct listings and other equity financings, debt financings and M&A. Skumpija has been involved in IPOs for Boot Barn, Ferrari, Replimune, Schneider National and WhiteWave Foods and has handled high-yield debt offerings for American Axle & Manufacturing, Chesapeake Energy, Expedia, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Freeport‑McMoRan, J.B. Poindexter, New Fortress Energy, RJS Power and TRW Automotive, among others. According to his former Cravath profile, Skumpija had served as co-chair of the firm’s business development group. He joined Cravath in 2005 and became a partner in 2013.
From Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom > To Grab Holdings
CHRISTOPHER BETTS
In May, Christopher Betts, a heavyweight partner in Skadden’s capital markets practice, joined Southeast Asian tech company and ride-hailing powerhouse Grab Holdings, as general counsel. Betts spent nearly a decade at Skadden advising on some of the world’s largest equity offerings, most of which were by Chinese companies. He acted on the $3.1 billion Hong Kong secondary listing of Nasdaq-listed Baidu, China’s version of Google. Betts’ reputation and credentials are so formidable that when news began making its way through the lawyer grapevine earlier in 2021 that he was leaving Skadden, the legal community held its breath—not only to find out where Betts might be heading, but also how his departure would impact Skadden’s practice. “I never thought that my whole life and career would be defined by my time at a law firm,” Betts said.
