Corporate law firms can’t seem to hire M&A lawyers quickly enough, as Big Law braces for a surge of deal business in 2021. Meanwhile, Am Law 200 firms in the last week also staffed up on patent and energy attorneys and found plenty of talent through the federal government.

After the pandemic put the brakes on mergers and acquisitions in the second quarter of 2020, the worldwide M&A market surged in the back half the year and finished just 5% down from 2019, according to a Refinitiv report.