Law Firm Partner Moves in London - Issue 65
September - October 2021
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Welcome to the 65th edition of law firm partner moves, from the specialist partner team at Edwards Gibson, where we look back at announced partner-level recruitment activity in London over the past two months and give you a ‘who’s moved where’ update.
There were 87 partner hires - 23% up on last year (71), and almost exactly in line with the statistical average for the same period over the past five years (86). In terms of laterals - there were 65 (38% up on the 47 we saw last year).
The most acquisitive firm this edition was US firm Greenberg Traurig which hired 8 partners including, in what will almost certainly be the largest single team move of the year, a septet of litigators from Mishcon de Reya. The move is an extension of Greenberg’s raid last year, which saw it launch a disputes offering with a two-partner heavyweight team from, the soon to be listed, London firm.
New York headquartered Wilkie Farr & Gallagher was the second most prolific hirer snatching a quintet of laterals – including a market leading three-partner competition disputes team from Quinn Emmanuel – a firm usually more accustomed to being an apex predator in the lateral disputes market. In addition, newly created verein Advant, together with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and White & Case nabbed three-partner teams from Grimaldi Studio Legale, Vinson & Elkins and Dechert respectively.
Top partner recruiters in London September – October 2021
| Greenberg Traurig | 8 |
| Wilkie Farr & Gallagher | 5 |
| Eversheds Sutherland | 4 |
| White & Case | 4 |
| Ashurst | 4 |
| Advant | 3 |
| Gibson Dunn & Crutcher | 3 |
| Kirkland & Ellis | 3 |
| Mayer Brown | 3 |
| McDermott Will & Emery | 3 |
| Vinson & Elkins | 3 |
Also of note in this edition
- Four firms hired from in-house: Eversheds Sutherland (Chevron), Hagens Berman (Volvo), Mayer Brown (Barclays), McDermott Will & Emery (Deloitte).
- 30% of all hires were female
- 25% of all moves were non-partners moving into partnership.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss this article or any other aspect of the market in more depth.
Scott Gibson, Director scott.gibson@edwardsgibson.com
Sloane Poulton, Director sloane.poulton@edwardsgibson.com
Mark Coates, Senior Consultant mark.coates@edwardsgibson.com
Please click here to understand our methodology for compiling Partner Moves
Download the full Partner Moves Issue here >>
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Edwards Gibson Partner Round-Up - Our Methodology- Previous editions of Partner Moves in London
- Quantifying your following and writing an effective law firm business plan
- Specimen partner business plan template
- The Partnership Track and Moving for Immediate Partnership
- Legal directory rankings and their effect on lawyer recruitment
- Restrictive Covenants and Moving on as a Partner
- Paul Weiss - Happy Birthday to BigLaw's Apex Predator
- Paul Weiss - Blackjack!
- Breaking The Circle - the real significance of Freshfields pay bonanza is far more profound than just another Big Law salary arms race.
- A lawyer's progress to partnership... and the closing window of opportunity
- Linklaters – Welcome to the “Hotel California” of Big Law; “You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave”
- The Pecking Order at MIPIM; believe it or not Real Estate Lawyers are not at the bottom!
- Parallels in Peril, two midsize law firms – Axiom Ince and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan – collapse in the same month
- And you thought $20 million was a lot for a lawyer…
