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Last week's lateral market featured 35 firms welcoming 47 new partners, with intellectual property and litigation practices driving the bulk of activity. Morrison Foerster pulled two IP trial partners from Sidley Austin, while Greenberg Traurig added a pair of IP litigators from Goodwin. Latham & Watkins and King & Spalding each brought in three new partners across litigation, finance, and regulatory. On the government-to-BigLaw pipeline, Gibson Dunn recruited a former Senate counsel from Kirkland & Ellis, Skadden hired a former OCC official, and Akerman tapped a former acting U.S. Attorney to co-chair its white-collar practice.

On the executive side, JPMorgan Chase restructured the top of its investment banking division, naming three co-heads of global investment banking as the bank moves to an integrated, industry-aligned model. Mastercard named a new CFO, while Apollo made two strategic hires in London to bolster its European policy and government affairs presence. Motive Partners added the former CEO of Credit Suisse as an industry partner.

Now, on to what matters for your practice today.

BigLaw Moves Sentiment

Three themes stand out this week. First, intellectual property litigation continues to attract significant lateral investment, with six partners moving across four firms, reflecting the growing volume of patent and trade secret disputes tied to AI and technology.

Second, the government-to-BigLaw pipeline is producing hires at senior levels across regulatory, white-collar, and national security practices, which signals sustained demand from clients navigating federal enforcement and compliance.

Third, real estate partner movement at Cooley and Womble Bond Dickinson suggests firms are positioning for a recovery in commercial real estate transactions as interest rate conditions stabilize.

BigLaw Moves

A few quick patterns worth noting: This week saw 35 firms welcoming 47 new partners. King & Spalding, Greenberg Traurig, and Latham & Watkins each welcomed the most partners this week. Intellectual property litigation was the most active practice area, with six partners moving across four firms. The government-to-BigLaw pipeline remained active, with former officials from the DOJ, OCC, Treasury Department, and State Department landing at firms including Skadden, Gibson Dunn, Latham & Watkins, and Squire Patton Boggs.

Firms Welcoming Multiple Joiners

-King & Spalding: Andrew Bettwy and Jinyoung Joo joined as partners in the firm's finance and restructuring practice group in New York, focusing on fund finance. Both previously were with Proskauer. Separately, Ryan Tansey joined as a partner in its business litigation practice in New York. Tansey previously served as chief of the Washington Criminal Section of the DOJ's Antitrust Division.

-Greenberg Traurig: Scott Weingaertner and Stefan Mentzer joined as IP litigation partners in New York from Goodwin. Deborah Rotenberg joined as a shareholder in the firm's health care and FDA practice in Sacramento from Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld.

-Latham & Watkins: Shayne Henry joined as a complex commercial litigation partner in Texas from Kirkland & Ellis. Casey Berger joined as an M&A litigator in Houston from Winston & Strawn. Cate Behles joined as counsel in the firm's CFIUS and U.S. national security practice in Washington, D.C. from the Treasury Department.

-Morrison Foerster: Ching-Lee Fukuda joined as a partner in the firm's IP trial practice in New York, and Tom Broughan joined as an IP trial partner in Washington, D.C. Both previously were with Sidley Austin.

-Sheppard Mullin: Gideon Sharp joined as office managing partner in London, focusing on private equity, from Simmons & Simmons. Luke Taeschler joined as an antitrust partner in New York from Crowell & Moring.

-McGuireWoods: David Aaronson joined as a partner in its energy M&A practice in Houston from O'Melveny. Marc Nickel returned to the firm as an energy tax transactions partner in San Francisco from Aon.

-Foley & Lardner: Melissa McGrory and Teresa Napoli joined as partners in the firm's employee benefits and executive compensation practice in Chicago from Sidley Austin.

-Cooley: Kevin Donahue and Jacob Clark joined as real estate partners in New York from Kirkland & Ellis.

-Buchalter: Madhumita Datta joined as an IP partner in San Francisco from Lowenstein Sandler. Thomas Song joined as a labor and employment partner in Orange County, California from Constangy.

Firms Adding Single Joiners

-Akin: Dilen Kumar joined as a partner in its corporate practice focusing on private equity in Dallas.

-Akerman: Carolyn Pokorny joined as co-chair of the firm's white-collar crime and government investigations group in New York. She is the former acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

-Barnes & Thornburg: Bradley Micsky joined as an IP litigation partner in Minneapolis from Dykema.

-BCLP: Ania Farren joined as an arbitration partner in London from Fieldfisher.

-Cahill: Marc Shepsman returned as a corporate partner in New York from Paul Weiss.

-Covington: Mark Simpson joined as a competition litigation partner in London from Cooley.

-Dechert: Andy Sagor joined as a finance partner in New York from Akin Gump.

-DLA Piper: Abrar Hussain joined as a partner in its emerging growth and venture capital practice in Palo Alto from Samsara BioCapital.

-Gibson Dunn: Matthew Owen joined as a partner in its litigation and congressional investigations practice groups in Washington, D.C. from Kirkland & Ellis. Owen is a former Senate counsel.

-Goodwin: Richie Schwartz joined as a partner in its life sciences and public M&A practices in Boston from Paul Weiss.

-Jackson Lewis: Brad Kushner joined as a principal in its workplace safety and health practice in Philadelphia.

-K&L Gates: Edward Baer joined as a partner in its asset management and investment funds practice in San Francisco from Ropes & Gray.

-Loeb & Loeb: Angelo Grasso joined as a private client partner in New York from Greenfield Stein & Senior.

-Mayer Brown: Larissa Lee joined as a data privacy and minor safety partner in Salt Lake City from Wilson Sonsini.

-Nelson Mullins: Dean Valore joined as a partner in its litigation practice in Cleveland from Wegman Hesler Valore. He is a former DOJ lawyer.

-Nixon Peabody: Sarah Quinn joined as a partner in its labor and employment practice in Chicago from Husch Blackwell.

-Norton Rose Fulbright: Ginger Faulk joined as a sanctions and investigations partner in Washington, D.C. from Eversheds Sutherland.

-Orrick: Kalen Walker joined as an energy and infrastructure partner in Houston from King & Spalding.

-Paul Weiss: Daniel Zygielbaum joined as a corporate tax partner in Washington from Gibson Dunn.

-Pillsbury: Matthew Sperry joined as a family office and private wealth partner in New York from Cadwalader.

-Polsinelli: Brian Willbur joined as a principal in its venture capital and emerging growth companies practice in San Francisco from Gunderson Dettmer.

-Skadden: Monica Freas joined as a partner in its Financial Institutions Regulatory Group in Washington, D.C. She previously served as acting senior deputy comptroller at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

-Snell & Wilmer: Julie Hamilton joined as a commercial finance partner in Seattle from Hills Clark Martin & Peterson.

-Squire Patton Boggs: Tim Lenderking joined in Washington, D.C. after more than 30 years at the U.S. Department of State.

-Steptoe: Natalie Rainer joined as a partner in its environment, food, and chemicals group in San Francisco from K&L Gates.

-Womble Bond Dickinson: Andrew Yocopis joined as a real estate partner in Phoenix from Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch.

Corporate Moves Sentiment

JPMorgan Chase's investment banking restructuring reflects the broader trend of banks consolidating coverage models to offer integrated advisory services, which should generate increased demand for cross-practice legal work, particularly in M&A, capital markets, and regulatory compliance.

The CFO appointment at Mastercard involves internal promotions, signaling that Fortune 500 boards are prioritizing operational continuity.

Apollo's London hires suggest alternative asset managers are building out European government affairs capabilities in anticipation of regulatory developments, creating potential advisory opportunities for firms with strong financial regulatory practices.

Corporate Moves

Investment Banking

-Houlihan Lokey hired Bodo Krug von Nidda as a Managing Director in its Capital Solutions Group, focusing on GP-Led Secondaries advisory.

-JPMorgan Chase named Dorothee Blessing, Kevin Foley, and Jared Kaye as co-heads of global investment banking. The bank is combining its industry coverage and sector M&A teams into an integrated, industry-aligned model while maintaining its dedicated M&A practice and capital markets group.

-Royal Bank of Canada is expanding in U.S. financial markets, where it recently landed a role in the SpaceX IPO and Alphabet's equity capital raise, with plans to hire more senior bankers and new graduates.

-Standard Chartered hired Edward McBride as head of consumer and retail M&A in London from Deutsche Bank.

-Wells Fargo hired Rory Green from PJT Partners as a managing director in its M&A group focusing on industrials.

Private Capital and Asset Management

-Apollo hired Huw van Steenis as a partner and European economic and policy strategist in London. Van Steenis was most recently vice-chair of Oliver Wyman and formerly senior adviser to Mark Carney when he was governor of the Bank of England. The firm also hired Sarah Jenkins as managing director and head of government affairs for Europe in London from CPP Investments.

-EQT AB promoted Gustav Segerberg to CFO, succeeding Kim Henriksson, who will become a senior adviser.

-Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund hired Muhammad Alhammad as director of health-care MENA investment.

-Barings hired Brad Finkle as global COO.

-Motive Partners hired Ulrich Korner, former CEO of Credit Suisse, as an industry partner.

-OceanSound Partners hired Ken Wolff as partner and CLO from Skadden.

-Cliffwater hired Sean Brenan as head of real estate from Goldman Sachs.

-Inovia promoted Mia Morisset to partner.

-Sixth Street hired Jenny Kim as MD of capital formation and strategy.

-Ridgepost Capital hired Brian McKenna as VP of investor relations.

-645 Ventures promoted William Hess to principal.

-Norwest hired Ken Yagen and Bryan Wise as principals.

Corporates

-Mastercard appointed Ling Hai as CFO, effective August 3. Hai currently serves as the company's President of Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa and will succeed Sachin Mehra, who is transitioning to the role of Chief Business Officer.

Heard on the Street

Law.com reports that At least seven Am Law 200 firms have added lateral partners or counsel in D.C. so far this month. Latham, Skadden, Paul Weiss, Gibson Dunn, Arnall Golden Gregory, Troutman Pepper Locke, and DLA Piper have brought on new hires across international arbitration, regulatory, tax, government contracts, and national security practices.

On the executive side, C-suite turnover continues to accelerate. Among S&P 500 companies, the share of new leadership appointments jumped from 14 percent in 2023 to 22.7 percent in 2025, equating to more than 1,400 new roles, according to Altrata. Demand for Chief Growth Officers, Chief Transformation Officers, and AI-focused leadership roles is rising, with boards placing greater emphasis on leaders who can navigate complexity and deliver cross-functional impact.

That’s the rundown. See you next where law meets the markets.

-The BigLaw Markets Team

*DISCLAIMER: BigLaw Markets analyzes publicly available information, filings, press releases, and news stories published by reputable media sources to deliver newsletters that highlight the drivers of demand for legal services.