Philadelphia's labor and employment practices have been engaged in a game of musical chairs in recent months, and observers say the music is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Most recently, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney announced that it added eight lawyers from the labor and employment practice at Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel. Before that, Cozen O'Connor took a dozen labor and employment lawyers from Buchanan Ingersoll's Philadelphia office, as well as a few from other offices.

The next likely move could be by Obermayer Rebmann—managing partner Mathieu Shapiro said he's already looking to fill the void left by the Buchanan Ingersoll defectors. It's always a practice area of interest to law firms, he said, and regional firms feel “pressure that comes from the national labor and employment boutiques.”