With a lot of making up to do, 2021 was packed with big hires, shock exits, and in-house additions right from the the word go. As has been the case in recent years, American firms continued to lure London partners away, and one big name said goodbye to law altogether. In March, a Law.com analysis showed that law firms made 81 lateral partner hires in January and February alone, a frenetic period which set the prevailing mood for the rest of the year. Here is Law.com International's rundown of the biggest moves of the year.

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Murray Cox

➤➤ From: Slaughter and May ➤➤ To: Weil Gotshal & Manges

Murray Cox

Historically, Slaughters has been known as a firm that rarely sheds partners, although a spate of high-profile departures in recent times may have somewhat changed this perception. One of the most notable exits of 2021 was corporate partner Murray Cox, who made the move to Weil Gotshal & Manges in February after over 13 years at the Magic Circle firm - including five years as a partner. Weil had made a series of London hires in 2019, but Cox's arrival was the U.S. firm's first recruit for some time.

Boris Bronfentrinker (+13)

➤➤ From: Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan ➤➤ To: Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Boris Bronfentrinker

Not one, not two, but three partners made the move from one U.S. giant to another in October, when the antitrust and litigation trio joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Partners Boris Bronfentrinker, Elaine Whiteford and Nicola Chesaites were accompanied by a team of around 11 associates, making it among the only mass departures in 2021. Following the news, people with knowledge of the firm told Law.com that the departures could lead to a loss of up to a quarter of Quinn's London revenue. Prior to her departure, Chesaites had been the first woman to ever be promoted to partner in Quinn's London office.

Tom Shropshire

➤➤ From: Linklaters ➤➤ To: Diageo

Tom Shropshire

In what was perhaps a slightly unexpected career change, Linklaters' U.S. head, Tom Shropshire, who had been widely expected to run in the firm's senior partner election, instead became general counsel and company secretary of the drinks giant Diageo this year. With its headquarters in London, the multinational company owns brands such as Baileys, Guinness, Gordon's Gin and Smirnoff. Aedamar Comiskey was ultimately elected as the firm's first ever female senior partner in April.

Barbara Levi

➤➤ From: Rio Tinto ➤➤ To: UBS

Barbara Levi

It was a case of swapping London for Zurich when Barbara Levi, previously chief legal officer for mining giant Rio Tinto, made the move to become group general counsel at the Swiss investment bank. The move was announced in April, with Levi ultimately taking the reins at UBS in November. Levi certainly knows Switzerland well, having previously spent 15 years with the healthcare company Novartis, before moving to Rio Tinto in 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Patrick Swain

➤➤ From: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ➤➤ To: Debevoise & Plimpton

Patrick Swain

It was a clear-cut example of a trend that sets fear into the hearts of many U.K. firms: a talented, veteran partner leaving in order to join a U.S. giant. Patrick Swain had spent three decades at Freshfields, but made the move to become part of the commercial litigation offering at the London office of Debevoise & Plimpton in November. In fact, Swain's exit was by no means the first Freshfields departure to American pastures; earlier in the year, tax partner Helen Lethaby joined Latham & Watkins.

Jenine Hulsmann

➤➤ From: Clifford Chance ➤➤ To: Weil Gotshal & Manges

Jenine Hulsmann

There were a number of lateral moves - in both directions - for Weil this year in their London office, including the arrival of competition partner Jenine Hulsmann in May. Along with Murray Cox, Hulsmann represented another major coup for Weil, who succeeded in persuading the lawyer to move after 25 years with Clifford Chance. Her extensive experience in pharmaceuticals, TMT, and energy and infrastructure will no doubt be highly valued by Weil.

Mike Casey

➤➤ From: Kirkland & Ellis ➤➤ To: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Michael Casey

Wilson Sonsini continues to scale up its plans for European expansion, as evidenced by the heavyweight addition of Michael Casey, previously a securities partner at Kirkland & Ellis. The firm's London office, which only opened in 2018, now has a partner headcount of six, with a focus on technology and life sciences. Casey's arrival came almost exactly a year after the addition of Joshua Kaplan, chief operating officer at global payment system Checkout.com, in October 2020.

Etay Katz

➤➤ From: Allen & Overy ➤➤ To: Ashurst

Etay Katz

Etay Katz's move to Ashurst in March came hot on the heels of another London hire the previous month: Will Chalk from Addleshaw Goddard. The two moves, in quick succession, was a strong indicator of what a busy year 2021 would turn out to be for lateral hires in the U.K. capital. Katz had spent ten years at Allen & Overy, but opted to join Ashurst's financial regulatory practice - one of several high-profile successes for the firm. This year, Ashurst also elected its first female chair, opened a new office in Dublin, and saw its PEP figures jump 15%.

Emmanuel Gaillard and Yas Banifatemi (+6)

➤➤ From: Shearman & Sterling ➤➤ To: Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes

Emmanuel Gaillard

This eight-strong mass defection was certainly an eye-catching piece of news in February. Global arbitration heads, Yas Banifatemi and the late Emmanuel Gaillard took six partners with them in their move to open a new boutique firm, which has offices in Paris, London and New York City. Banifatemi spent 15 years with the firm. They were joined in their departure by Coralie Darrigade, Ximena Herrera-Bernal, Maude Lebois, Daniel Reich, Mohamed Shelbaya and Benjamin Siino. In a tragic turn of events, Galliard, who had been with Shearman & Sterling since 1987, died suddenly less than two months after the move.

Annette Kurdian and Robert Burt

➤➤ From: Linklaters ➤➤ To: Allen & Overy

Annette Kurdian and Robert Burt

Lateral hires from one Magic Circle firm to another are hardly something you see everyday, so the arrival of two Linklaters partners at A&O understandably attracted attention. After a series of departures from its London leveraged finance team in 2020, as well as the exit of Sanjeev Dhuna for Shearman & Sterling in April this year, the addition of Kurdian and Burt, who spent 20 and 21 years at Linklaters respectively, represented a major coup for the firm.

Adam Gallagher and James Watson

➤➤ From: Kirkland & Ellis and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (respectively) ➤➤ To: Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Adam Gallagher (L), James Watson (R)

The news that Simpson Thacher was establishing a European restructuring practice in London with the hire of Watson and Gallagher came just days after the firm announced the opening of an office in Brussels. The restructuring practice, a significant part of Simpson Thacher's ambition for European expansion, reunited the two partners after a spell at separate firms. The duo had previously worked together at Freshfields, spending over a decade at the firm, before Watson left in 2015, joining Kirkland two years later.

Vincent Bergin and Keir MacLennan

➤➤ From: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ➤➤ To: Kirkland & Ellis

Vincent Bergin

This duo's departure in October was yet another example of London partners leaving for U.S. firms, a trend which has raised questions as to whether U.K. firms can afford to keep up with their American counterparts. As well as working alongside each other at Freshfields, the partners have another thing in common, with Bergin having been named a Law.com International Rising Star in Private Equity in 2018, and MacLennan appearing in the same list in 2019.

Ian Bagshaw

➤➤ From: White & Case ➤➤ To: Not Big Law

Ian Bagshaw

Widely credited as the driving force behind White & Case's rapid growth in recent years, the exit of global co-head of private equity Ian Bagshaw was seen as a real blow for the firm. His departure came after a difficult few months, in which Law.com reported that three U.K. partners had left following a set of internal disputes. If there was a silver lining for White & Case, it was that Bagshaw decided to leave law altogether, rather than take his expertise to a rival firm. His current employment on LinkedIn simply reads: "Relaxing".