Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe's office in Washington, D.C.

Will Stute, a first-chair trial lawyer at McDermott Will & Emery, has joined Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe as a partner in Washington, D.C.

Stute said he met with 50 Orrick partners before joining the firm and believes that it is a natural fit for him. He cited his attraction to Orrick as coming from the firm's “world-class” trial lawyers, innovative practices and public policy work, as well as the collaborative culture that he experienced firsthand working with two Orrick partners on a white-collar matter in New York.

Orrick, despite shuttering its office in Moscow, has been busy on the hiring front this year. The firm recently welcomed back former associate Jared Bobrow, a 25-year veteran of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, to co-lead its global intellectual property practice and brought on former Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft antitrust partner Amy Ray in Washington, D.C.

Stute's practice includes white-collar and class action defense, internal corporate investigations and regulatory issues involving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as a wide variety of corporate and civil litigation matters. He is also the national coordinating counsel representing the National Collegiate Athletic Association in concussion litigation. McDermott hired Stute in mid-2015 from Cozen O'Connor, where he worked on financial fraud cases in Minneapolis for about a year after coming aboard from DLA Piper in 2014.

Will Stute.

During his time in Washington, D.C., Stute said he has watched the local legal marketplace transform from focusing on white-collar and investigations work to also responding to a blossoming environment for business. Orrick said Tuesday that Stute is the 15th litigation partner to join the firm this year. Stute said he thinks his addition reflects his new firm's “shifting a bit to have a more well-rounded litigation portfolio.”

Orrick said it has brought on 33 partners in 2018, including several litigators in the nation's capital. Among them are white-collar experts Richard Morvillo, Daniel Nathan and Andrew Morris, all of whom officially came aboard on Jan. 1 when Orrick absorbed the Morvillo litigation boutique in New York and Washington, D.C.

McDermott, which earlier this year orchestrated a major lateral raid on DLA Piper, has also lost a few partners to competitors in recent weeks. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius bagged seven IP partners in three offices, while the former leader of McDermott's fintech group—part of a team hired from Debevoise & Plimpton late last year—decamped for Sidley Austin in New York earlier this month. McDermott did, however, make another lateral partner addition from DLA Piper in July.

Stute noted that while there is never a perfect time to change firms, his experience raising four sons with his wife has helped him learn how to spot the ingredients of a strong team. One of his sons, Stute noted, is a rising high school junior with several offers to play Division I college basketball.