Despite an industry-wide slowdown in M&A and a broader macroeconomic malaise, the biggest and most profitable law firms are still “full-speed ahead” on hiring transactional talent.

That includes Latham & Watkins, which, through the first two quarters of the year, has announced several hires in the corporate and M&A space, with a particular focus on investment funds, insurance transactions and private equity. The hires have often been in the biggest markets, including New York, Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley, and from rivals such as Kirkland & Ellis, Clifford Chance and Willkie Farr & Gallagher.