It s not just hot outside the market for lateral litigators heated up in June, with multiple big-league moves. Befitting the world s top-grossing law firm, Latham & Watkins was on a tear, snapping up two new white-collar partners and two all-around litigators. Shearman & Sterling cleaned out Hunton & Williams antitrust practice, snagging five partners, and white-collar star Kenneth Wainstein found a new home as well.
Here are 10 lateral litigator moves that stood out in June.
Name: Kenneth Wainstein
Practice area: White-collar defense
The move: To Davis Polk & Wardwell in Washington, D.C. from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
Why it s interesting: One of Washington s top white-collar lawyers, Wainstein was co-chair Cadwalader s litigation department and chair of its white-collar group.
He told my colleague Katelyn Polantz that the move had nothing to do with Cadwalader s management or with client matters. Rather, a shift to Davis Polk was just a tremendous opportunity to work with Neil [MacBride] and friends I had known for a number of years, he said.
Wainstein is a former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and ran the Justice Department s National Security Division from 2006 to 2008. He represented James Clapper Jr., when the former director of national intelligence testified in May about Russian interference in the presidential election. He also represents John Brennan, the former CIA director, and David Cohen, the CIA s deputy director until January.
Names: David Higbee, D. Bruce Hoffman, Todd Stenerson, Djordje Petkoski and Ryan Shores
Practice area: Antitrust
The move: To Shearman & Sterling in Washington, D.C. from Hunton & Williams
Why it s interesting: Higbee was a member of President Donald Trump's transition team and the managing partner of Hunton & Williams' office; Hoffman headed the firm s global competition practice. (Higbee was vice-chair). Shores was a member of the firm s executive committee.
Their addition offers Shearman clients the benefit of a deeper, integrated global antitrust team that covers the full spectrum of merger clearance, investigation, litigation and counseling services worldwide, said Creighton Condon, the firm s senior partner.
Why the move? I love Hunton & Williams and the people there, but the opportunity for me and for our practice group to work closely with the corporate M&A team and the global footprint of Shearman & Sterling offered the optimum platform for our practice, and ultimately was one that we felt we should not pass up, Higbee said, according to The National Law Journal.
Name: Charles Tobin
Practice area: Media and entertainment law
The move: To Ballard Spahr in Washington, D.C. from Holland & Knight
Why it s interesting: Tobin, who joins Ballard Spahr as co-chair of its media and entertainment law group, told Lit Daily affiliate The Legal Intelligencer that he left Holland & Knight because the firm adopted a policy of not taking on matters that were adverse to President Donald Trump or the executive office of the president.
John Hogan, chairman of Holland & Knight's litigation section, disputes this. These engagements constitute a significant portion of our litigation and transactional practices," he told The Legal Intelligencer.
Tobin has defended media outlets including NBC News in libel, privacy, and copyright cases around the country. Associate Adrianna Rodriguez also made the move from Holland & Knight.
Names: Kent Goss and Valerie Goo
Practice area: IP and commercial litigation
The move: To Crowell & Moring in Los Angeles from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Why it s interesting: Goss chaired Orrick s litigation group in Los Angeles since 2011, representing clients including quarterback Tom Brady, according to The Recorder. He and Goo have worked together at Orrick for 11 years.
She s also the secretary of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers in Los Angeles which is how she got to know lawyers at Crowell & Moring. I think that Crowell in California generally and L.A. particularly has been on a real growth streak, Goo said.
Names: Joseph Serino and Eric Leon
Practice area: Complex commercial litigation
The move: To Latham & Watkins in New York from Kirkland & Ellis
Why it s interesting: According The American Lawyer, the hires are part of a move by Latham to expand its litigation offering to a global client base. Latham s global litigation and trial chair Jamie Wine said the firm is especially focused on ramping up in New York.
Serino and Leon worked closely together at Kirkland for 20 years on multiple cases, including antitrust matters, M&A disputes and trade secrets battles. Eric and I try not to pigeonhole ourselves, said Serino.
Associates Kuangyan Huang and Nate Taylor also made the move.
Name: Leslie Caldwell and Nicholas McQuaid
Practice area: White-collar defense and investigations
The move: To Latham & Watkins in San Francisco and New York from the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House
Why it s interesting: Caldwell, a onetime partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, most recently headed the Justice Department s Criminal Division. McQuaid was deputy White House counsel to President Barack Obama, and was also a former prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.
Caldwell, who joins the firm in San Francisco, teams up with other big name white-collar women at Latham, including ex-White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler and Alice Fisher, a fellow former head of the Criminal Division. In a statement, Fisher praised Caldwell s strategic trial prowess, intellectual firepower and responsive, hands-on approach.
At the White House, McQuaid dealt with congressional inquiries into the Benghazi attacks and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He also served as a liaison with the Department of Justice on criminal and civil litigation matters.
Names: Ralph Campillo and Arameh Zargham O Boyle
Practice area: Products liability
The move: To Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo in Los Angeles from Sedgwick
Why it s interesting: Campillo has tried nearly 100 cases to verdict, defending pharmaceutical, medical device and other life sciences companies in high-profile, product liability mass torts, class actions and other complex litigation.
O Boyle also focuses her litigation practice on the defense of complex products liability matters.
Their addition, along with associates Christopher Norton and Nicholas Weiss, marks a move by Mintz Levin to expand its West Coast footprint, said Joshua Briones, managing partner of the firm s Los Angeles office. In June, the firm also added corporate and securities partner Greg Chin, who joined the San Francisco office from the Flatiron Law Group.
Name: Michael Liftik
Practice area: Government investigations and regulatory enforcement defense
The move: To Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in Washington, D.C. from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Why it s interesting: Liftik was the deputy chief of staff of the SEC, where he served as a senior legal advisor to Chair Mary Jo White, and also held senior roles in the Division of Enforcement. In a statement, the firm s managing partner, John Quinn, said: Our goal is to establish the top white collar and investigations practices in the world. A major part of that practice is dealing with and sometimes litigating against government regulators. Michael s experience with the SEC will help make this goal a reality.
Name: Aitan Goelman
Practice area: Securities and commodities litigation
The move: To Zuckerman Spaeder in Washington, D.C. from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Why it s interesting: Goelman headed the CFTC s enforcement division, bringing groundbreaking cases using new authorities provided by the Dodd-Frank Act. On his watch, the agency set records for the highest monetary sanctions imposed and collected in a single matter, highest total sanctions imposed and collected during one year, and the largest whistleblower award granted.
He rejoins the firm (where he previously spent 11 years as a partner) as head of the securities and commodities litigation practice. As I looked at some great firms, it became clear to me how unique Zuckerman Spaeder is. It has the perfect combination of complex cases, a strong reputation in financial litigation, and a culture of trying cases and winning cases, he said.
The firm has done well getting back its big names from the government Health and Human Services GC Bill Schultz also rejoined earlier this year.
Name: Erik Swanholt
Practice area: Business litigation
The move: To Foley & Lardner in Los Angeles from Jones Day
Why it s interesting: Foley views Swanholt s arrival as another step forward in building out its presence in a robust market for legal services, according to Lit Daily affiliate The Recorder. With consumer class actions continuing to be top of mind for many of our clients both in California and nationally, Erik is a natural addition to our California team, said Jeffrey Atkin, managing partner of Foley & Lardner s 50-lawyer Los Angeles office.
Swanholt represents companies in product liability litigation and commercial and consumer class actions. Clients have included Genentech Inc., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc., Mattel Inc. and its educational toy subsidiary Fisher-Price.
Contact Jenna Greene at jgreene@alm.com. On Twitter @jgreenejenna.
