THE CHEETAH BRIEF – 45TH EDITION
Washington, D.C., is already seeing a surge in lateral law firm hiring as 2026 begins, fueled by a combination of firm mergers, the one-year mark of the Trump administration, and upcoming midterm elections. Major firms—including Cooley, Gibson Dunn, WilmerHale, Baker Botts, and others—have begun hiring, while boutiques led by Big Law alumni continue to launch. Mergers like Hogan Lovells/Cadwalader and Perkins Coie/Ashurst are expected to prompt partner departures, while government attorneys from the Trump administration are increasingly moving to firms, bringing in-demand experience in trade, national security, antitrust, health care, and private equity. Recruiters predict 2026 could be a record year for lateral hiring as firms adjust to regulatory trends, anticipate election outcomes, and position themselves for high-demand practices.
MARKET MOVEMENTS
Cravath chair of investigations, John Buretta, decamps to co-chair Paul Hastings’ litigation practice
Jones Day adds former Nelson Mullins and SEC enforcement official, Nekia Hackworth, to Atlanta office
Orrick and Wilmer add IP partner Farheena Rashid and Antitrust partner Ryan Danks, both from the federal government
Morgan Lewis welcomes private client partner Daniel Hudson and tax partner Alexios Hadji, in Miami and New York, respectively
FIRM SPOTLIGHT - GIBSON DUNN
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher is a global powerhouse with more than 2,000 attorneys across 21 offices worldwide, best known for its elite litigation capabilities—particularly in appellate and securities litigation—while also excelling in antitrust, M&A, private equity, restructuring, white collar, tax, and real estate. Founded in Los Angeles in 1890, the firm has grown into a top-tier international presence and has been repeatedly recognized as Litigation Department of the Year by The American Lawyer and consistently ranked among Vault’s top firms for litigation and appellate work. Beyond the courtroom, Gibson Dunn maintains a strong corporate practice, advising on major billion-dollar transactions and earning top national rankings in areas such as general corporate and real estate.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Worked billing rate growth for Am Law 100 firms through November was more than 9%. But it was also relatively high for smaller firms — above 7% for Second Hundred firms, specifically, while midsize firms saw a 6% increase in worked billing rates
Dentons U.S. Grows Revenue to $828M in 2025, a record jump of 7% from the previous year.
A strong IPO market highlighted the blitz of deal activity in 2025, which saw the highest number of IPOs (347) since 2021
The number of government attorneys who moved to law firm offices in the Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia region in the first 10 months of 2025 rose by more than 225%, compared with the same period in 2024
Jack Smith Launches New D.C. Boutique
Former special counsel Jack Smith has launched a new Washington, D.C. boutique, Heaphy, Smith, Harbach & Windom, alongside former federal prosecutors Timothy Heaphy, David Harbach, and Thomas Windom. The firm is already handling client work, focusing on investigations, litigation, trials, congressional inquiries, compliance counseling, and pro bono rule-of-law matters. While some perceive the firm as an “anti-Trump” endeavor, the partners stress that their goal is to provide full-service legal work broadly. Heaphy will bring cases and associates from Willkie Farr & Gallagher, including litigation involving school districts and transgender student funding. The partners say the firm’s smaller size gives them flexibility to select cases and fee structures without traditional large-firm constraints.
Hughes Hubbard Acquires D.C. Litigation Boutique
Hughes Hubbard & Reed has acquired Washington, D.C., boutique Schulman Bhattacharya, bringing seven lawyers, including co-founders Jeremy Schulman, Koushik Bhattacharya, and Jeffrey Gavenman, to the firm. Schulman will lead Hughes Hubbard’s D.C. litigation practice. The boutique, known for commercial litigation and arbitration, represents a range of clients across industries such as finance, pharmaceuticals, and energy. Hughes Hubbard emphasized that the deal focused on the team’s expertise and cultural fit rather than specific clients. The acquisition strengthens the firm’s litigation, arbitration, and investigations practices as part of its broader growth strategy in D.C.
