The collapse of King & Wood Mallesons' (KWM) European arm dominated the European recruitment landscape in 2016 – and has kept recruiters extremely busy.

The firm's slide towards insolvency has been accompanied by an exodus of talent. Approximately 100 partners have left KWM Europe (KWME) during the past 12 months, including more than 50 since October, when KWM's planned recapitalisation of £14m failed following the unexpected resignation of four senior partners.

"It has been a very good year for headhunters – I can't ever remember the market being so busy," says Leanne Clark, managing director at recruitment firm Fox Rodney Search, which recently helped move eight real estate partners from KWME to DLA Piper in London and Germany. "But it's also been an incredibly difficult time for everyone at KWM. Our priority has been trying to find partners and staff new firms."

The KWME partners have been picked up by a range of UK, US and international firms, including Baker McKenzie; Covington & Burling; Debevoise & Plimpton; K&L Gates; McDermott Will & Emery; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; and Winston & Strawn.

Among the most notable moves, Greenberg Traurig recruited six real estate-focused partners in London; Macfarlanes hired a highly rated four-partner competition team, including KWME's former senior partner Stephen Kon; and Proskauer Rose picked up two senior corporate partners, including Rob Day, the former managing partner of legacy SJ Berwin, which combined with King & Wood Mallesons in 2013.

By late January, Reed Smith sealed the deal on the acquisition of a 50-person KWM team, having already captured tax head Gareth Amdor.

Goodwin Procter has during the past year built a first-rate European private equity practice almost from scratch by cherry-picking partners from KWME.

Goodwin Procter started the process in April 2015 by hiring KWME's former corporate co-head Richard Lever (pictured above), to spearhead the practice's growth in Europe. Lever was quickly followed by sponsor-side leveraged finance partner Simon Fulbrook, but things really ramped up after Goodwin's capture in April 2016 of a prized six-partner private equity team from KWM's Paris office. The group, which launched Goodwin's office in Paris, included local managing partner Christophe Digoy and private equity star Maxence Bloch, and generated around £8m in annual billings.

Most recently, in January, Goodwin hired six additional private equity and funds partners in London, including KWME's former investment funds head Michael Halford. As part of the deal, KWME agreed to drop a suit against Lever and Goodwin over the US firm's hiring of the Paris private equity group.

Goodwin Procter has implemented a remarkably effective and targeted recruitment drive. The firm, which also recently recruited Shearman & Sterling's former global private equity head Mark Soundy, now has one of the largest and most formidable private equity funds practices in Europe.

Looking further into 2017, recruiters say the widespread uncertainty caused by Britain's decision to leave the European Union makes it hard to predict the level of lateral hiring activity.

Headhunters say firms are likely to increase their investment in continental Europe, with Germany attracting particular interest. They do not expect this to come at the expense of the UK, however. American firms continue to outmuscle their British rivals when it comes to the splashiest hires in London – Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins and White & Case were particularly aggressive hirers in 2016. Meanwhile, the weakening of the pound against the dollar since the Brexit vote has only strengthened the American firms' buying power.

"US firms had a lot of questions about the strategic importance of London immediately after Brexit," says Melinda Wallman, a partner at recruitment firm Major, Lindsey & Africa. "But now we're seeing continued activity both from elite and mid-market US clients, who see this period of uncertainty as an opportunity to grow and gain market share."