A seven-partner healthcare lift-out in Raleigh, and Cravath loses another one

Barnes & Thornburg picked up a 12-lawyer healthcare team from K&L Gates in Raleigh, seven of them partners, the firm's latest group hire this year. Willkie Farr & Gallagher poached a Jackson Walker energy and infrastructure partner in Houston and Dallas, who works on the construction side of power, energy storage, and data center projects. O'Melveny poached a Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman environmental partner in DC, who joins its project development and real estate practice. Orrick added a structured finance partner in New York, hired from DLA Piper, as the firm continues a buildout that has more than doubled its structured finance team since last October. Cravath, Swaine & Moore lost a corporate partner in DC to digital assets company Fireblocks, where he becomes chief regulatory and policy officer. He is a former acting chairman of the SEC.

On the business side, Clifford Chance is asking a federal court to throw out the suit brought by two of its former partners over $5.8 million in pay clawbacks, and to send the dispute to arbitration in Geneva. The two left for Sidley Austin in January. Citi's midyear data show law firm revenue up 11.7% in the first half of the year, powered by a rarely seen level of demand growth.