Any speculation that COVID-19 would cause long-term disruption in lateral hiring at law firms was proven wrong in relatively short order last year, as hiring stayed active through much of 2020—and remains even more so today.

New Jersey law firms “have been hiring very steadily during the pandemic. Things were put on ‘pause’ in March through May 2020, but after that, the market was incredibly busy and remains so,” according to Linda Berthold of search firm Haley Stuart Group, who advised Pashman Stein Walder Hayden’s recent hiring of four attorneys from Norris McLaughlin, including litigation co-chief Daniel Guadalupe, as well as Connell Foley’s acquisition last fall of the principals of immigration firm Dornbaum & Peregoy.