McGuireWoods raids Womble, and private equity finally lands a US law firm

McGuireWoods took two commercial litigators out of Womble Bond Dickinson in Tysons, Virginia, both joining as partners across post-acquisition disputes, construction litigation and government contracts. Hunton Andrews Kurth poached an A&O Shearman restructuring partner in Dallas, and Clark Hill took a three-lawyer international trade and global mobility team out of Crowell & Moring in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, with the lead hire chairing Clark Hill's global supply chain practice. Moore & Van Allen signed a lease for a Washington, DC office, its fifth and its second outside the Carolinas, and poached a Seyfarth Shaw government contracts partner to build out national security there. Akerman brought a real estate partner back to New York as chair of affordable housing transactions, and Polsinelli added a private equity M&A shareholder in Chicago, hired from Freshfields.

On the business side, Wood Smith Henning & Berman has reportedly signed a letter of intent to sell the non-legal side of its business to Charlesbank Capital Partners, in a deal valuing it at around $700 million, which would be one of the largest private equity investments in a US law firm to date. Nelson Mullins is being sued by a former client, a private fund manager convicted of investor fraud who wants nearly $1 million in fees back and alleges the firm concealed conflicts of interest. Bloomberg Law reports the firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.