Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads has re-recruited another lawyer in its labor and employment practice, taking partner Carmon Popler from LeClairRyan.

Popler was the head of LeClairRyan's Philadelphia office and co-leader of its labor and employment practice. She rejoined Montgomery McCracken, where she started her career and spent more than a decade, as a partner in the firm's Cherry Hill, New Jersey, office, effective Tuesday.

Popler started at Montgomery McCracken as a summer associate in 2002, and continued there until 2014 when she joined LeClairRyan. She does not regret the move, she said, which gave her exposure to leadership and administrative roles, and the chance to be part of a national practice. But Popler was eager to return “home” to Montgomery McCracken, she said.

“There's a little bit of a different dynamic at a smaller firm,” Popler said. “Montgomery's been able to maintain the culture of a boutique firm while offering its clients the services of a larger firm.”

Popler is just the latest lawyer to boomerang back to Montgomery McCracken after a stint at a larger firm.

Last fall, Frank Chernak and William Kennedy rejoined the labor and employment practice as well, coming from Ballard Spahr, where they went in 2002 as part of a large group move. Litigation partner Richard Simins also rejoined Montgomery McCracken in March 2017, having worked there before from 1989 to 2001.

Popler noted that she never worked with Chernak and Kennedy, as their tenures at Montgomery McCracken did not overlap, but nonetheless, she was encouraged to see others returning to the firm after time away.

Chernak now chairs Montgomery McCracken's labor and employment group, and Kennedy is vice chair. Chernak said Popler “will strengthen our growing labor and employment practice through her significant experience and institutional knowledge of our client base.”

Popler said she's bringing with her clients in the restaurant business, franchises and consulting companies. She also works in higher education, counseling institutions on student, faculty, administration and compliance issues. Some of her insurance clients overlap with Montgomery McCracken, she said, but most of her client base is additive to the firm's.

Chernak and Kennedy joined Montgomery McCracken just after the firm saw two partners and two associates leave its labor and employment practice for Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart.

Popler noted that labor and employment has been a hot lateral market, something she noticed nationally while leading the practice at LeClairRyan, and Philadelphia is no exception to the trend. In labor and employment, she said, “there's a lot of changing laws, a lot of new laws, and a lot of work that may result from that.”