All The Lateral Activity in Big Law? Messages Being Sent ...

 The legal news has become a daily chronicle about partners and counsel exiting their law firms for what has been presented to them as a better deal. Increasingly, opportunity is wrapped in lateral moves. Or, so it seems at the time. If that specific move proves a lousy fit, again there can a lateraling or joining with others to launch a new firm. However, that's on the partner/counsel level. For junior lawyers, the lateral market remains, well, dead. 

Among those moves for the top-tier players have been a dozen lawyers during the past 10 months who lateraled from Paul, Weiss to Sidley Austin. The most recent poaching by Sidley has been private equity heavyweight with experience on the Apollo account John Godfrey.

In turn, a partner in Sidley's UK private equity practice has departed for McDermott in London. 

Back in the US, King & Spalding lured three litigation partners from Kasowitz. 

The moves, of course, send powerful messages about the organizations involved, both internally and to outsiders. That's why they constitute major media stories. 

UPDATE:

Here is the chatter on Fishbowl Big Law about Sidley's ability to lure away Paul, Weiss lawyers. Were there guarantees given the London private equity lawyers hired away from Kirkland & Ellis and did those irritate partners at Paul, Weiss USA? Those kinds of guarantees were interpreted as factors which helped do in Dewey and Leboeuf. 

In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com)


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