In recent months, White & Case LLP has not just emerged, but surged as a notable hub for attracting top-tier lateral hires specialized in mergers and acquisitions. This active pursuit of partners in one of the legal field's most competitive and esteemed job markets is a significant development. What's more intriguing is that many of the recruited attorneys come from firms with higher profits per partner rates than White & Case, such as Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP, Ropes & Gray LLP, and Paul Hastings LLP.

Using Leopard Solutions data, we examined the raw figures and were able to ascertain whether White & Case's activity was unique or indicative of a broader trend in M&A specialty hiring across the industry. The Leopard Solutions Growth Decline report extracted on USA-based AmLaw 200 laterals indicated 2-3% declines over intervals spanning the past two months to one year. While any surge isn't notably reflected in the data, should April continue its current growth trajectory for AmLaw 200 lateral hires, it is projected to surpass last month's and the previous year's figures for April. This suggests that White & Case may capitalize on declines to dominate the market in this area potentially, leveraging favorable market conditions to attract talent from otherwise more lucrative PPP firms.

However, a closer look at the Leopard Job Trend Report reveals a complex and contrasting narrative. The report indicates a significant increase in USA-based M&A job openings at Am Law 200 firms during the first three months of Q1 2024: 68% in January, 18% in February, and 58% in March. Notably, from December 2023 to January 2024, there was a remarkable 271% surge. Looking ahead, despite a somewhat sluggish April, Leopard Solutions' job trend predictive analytics anticipate a steady increase in job openings, with figures expected to rise from 32 in April to 45 in May and further to 48 by the mid-year point, accounting for 14% of all Am Law 200 job openings.