The team approach to lateral moves continued in 2013, as many firms grabbed up groups of laterals or an entire boutique to bolster a practice area or open an office in a new market.
Last year saw a number of significant lateral groups switch firms, resulting in at least two new firms entering the Pennsylvania legal market, one splitting up and another merging out of existence. Insurance was a hot practice area, with four of the top 10 lateral moves in 2013 concentrated in some aspect of that practice. Energy and intellectual property attorneys also made the list, along with financial services, commercial litigation and white-collar defense lawyers.
