Amid a U.S. presidential election year, lateral hiring in Washington, D.C., has been dominated by a steady flow of government attorneys transitioning to law firms' antitrust, white-collar defense, public policy, and litigation practices this past year.

While there has been a constant stream of firm hiring from the federal government throughout the year, moves from the Justice Department accelerated in the first nine months of this year compared with the last year, according to lateral move figures.