A Look Back at High-Profile Hires in Big Law From Federal Government

Reprinted with permission from the December 23rd edition of National Law Journal © 2024 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited.

Amid a U.S. presidential election year, lateral hiring in Washington, D.C., has been dominated by a steady flow of government attorneys transitioning to law firms' antitrust, white-collar defense, public policy, and litigation practices this past year.

While there has been a constant stream of firm hiring from the federal government throughout the year, moves from the Justice Department accelerated in the first nine months of this year compared with the last year, according to lateral move figures.

The number of government attorneys on the job market picked up entering the second half of the year, even before election results were in, according to several recruiters.

“It was already an outpouring. One of the biggest ones I've ever seen, probably the biggest. It started bigger and earlier than at any time before, and it's only accelerated," Jeffrey Lowe, a senior managing partner at CenterPeak, said in a November interview.

It came amid upheaval in the presidential race, starting with special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified files, and months later, Biden dropping out of the race, followed by Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee.

Moving into 2025, area recruiters indicate they expect a flurry of government hires, particularly after the start of the New Year, as a number of Biden administration officials transition out of the government. However, whether law firms have space to hire those attorneys, remains to be seen.

Here's a look at some of the most notable Big Law hires with government backgrounds in 2024:

• Robert Hur, who served as special counsel with the DOJ, joined King & Spalding as a partner in the firm’s special matters & government investigations practice in September. 
• Gurbir Grewal, former director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, joined Milbank’s litigation and arbitration group as a partner in October.
• Mark Seidman, former head of the Federal Trade Commission’s Mergers IV Division, joined Weil, Gotshal & Manges as an antitrust partner in September. 
• Stuart Delery, former White House Counsel for President Joe Biden, joined Gibson Dunn & Crutcher as a partner and co-chair of the crisis management practice group and administrative law and regulatory practice group in February. 
• Jude Volek, who most recently served as special assistant and senior associate counsel to President Joe Biden in the White House Counsel's Office, joined Latham & Watkins as counsel in the firm's white-collar defense and investigations practice in January.
• Gerald Moody, former assistant chief of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) unit in the DOJ Criminal Division’s fraud section, joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s white-collar defense and government investigations practice as a partner in July. 
• Mark Esper, former Trump administration Defense Secretary, joined Squire Patton Boggs as a senior advisor in its national security practice in September. 
• Arun G. Rao, former deputy assistant Attorney General in the DOJ’s Civil Division, joined Mayer Brown as a partner in its global investigations & white collar defense practice in September. 
• Sonali Patel, former assistant chief of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Unit of the DOJ, joined Mayer Brown in September. 
• James Fredricks, previously chief of the Washington Criminal II Section of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, joined Skadden as a partner in its antitrust and competition practice group. 
• Mark Grundvig, who most recently served as assistant chief in the Washington criminal II section of the DOJ's antitrust division, joined Foley & Lardner in its antitrust and competition practice as a partner in April. 
• James Weingarten, who most recently served as first chair trial counsel representing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in federal court and administrative proceedings challenging anticompetitive mergers and conduct, joined Milbank as a partner in its antitrust and competition group in June.
• Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Loeb, joined Farella Braun + Martel as a partner in its white-collar defense, internal corporate investigations and business litigation groups in November.