Phrases that come to mind when thinking back to the year 2020—unprecedented times, lockdown, social distancing—to name just a few, surprisingly weren't indicators of a slow year for lateral moves. Even with all of the upheaval going on in the world, which includes a global pandemic, a fight against systemic racism and the presidential election, lateral moves were steady and consistent in 2020. A few boutique law firms got scooped up by bigger firms and some solo shifts helped grow practices at other firms. Some notable moves included Cozen O'Connor's combination with Baer Crossey McDemus, which helped to bolster Cozen's transactional and corporate practices and Shook Hardy & Bacon adding to its already growing products liability practice with the addition of a group of four partners and two associates to its Philadelphia office back in March. After an extensive search through our archives from the past year and hearing from reliable sources on lateral moves in Pennsylvania, the staff at The Legal talked over which moves made the biggest impact on the legal landscape. All in all, these moves made significant impressions on their new and old firms. Below is a list of moves that were either major additions to their new firm, a big loss to their former firm or were instrumental in adding to their new firm's practice groups. Cozen Absorbs Boutique Firm Baer Crossey McDemus In May, Baer Crossey McDemus combined with Cozen O'Connor in a nine-attorney tie-up that includes name partners Andrew Baer, Michael Crossey and Christopher McDemus. The Philadelphia boutique brought to the locally founded Am Law 100 firm a roster of mid-Atlantic clients, as well as some national clients, in the venture capital, data privacy and cybersecurity space—a boon to Cozen O'Connor's strategic plan, which called for continued growth in the transactional and corporate practices. Baer took on the role as chair of Cozen O'Connor's technology, privacy and cybersecurity practice, while Crossey and McDemus took the lead at Cozen O'Connor's emerging business and venture capital group. The combination signaled the end of Baer Crossey McDemus. Baer and Crossey founded the firm in 2010 with McDemus joining in 2012. Over the last decade, the firm grew every year and employed around 17 lawyers before the combination. "We wanted to be a truly national presence with the ability to represent startups and larger companies with tech and privacy needs." Baer said in May. "Joining Cozen was a way to get there." Burns White Brings on Christie & Young Lawyers, Staff Pittsburgh-based midsize firm Burns White expanded its Philadelphia presence in January 2020, bringing on 13 lawyers and 12 support staff from Christie & Young. The smaller firm gave Burns White a presence in Center City Philadelphia, and added to its health care and professional liability practices. The Christie & Young lawyers and staff stayed at their existing office space at 1880 John F. Kennedy Boulevard after joining Burns White. Christie & Young co-founder Jim Young said he began discussing the possible combination after getting to know some Burns White attorneys based in Conshohocken, who were involved in a case he was working on in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Burns White CEO David B. White said in a statement, "The blending of our two firms is a natural fit—allowing us to strengthen our presence in the Philadelphia market as part of a strategic growth initiative and to deepen our bench strength." 5-Litigator Group Leaves Akin Gump for Cozen Less than two years after moving their practices from Drinker Biddle & Reath to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Philadelphia-based class action litigators Meredith Slawe and Michael McTigue joined Cozen O'Connor in May. The duo, joined to co-chair the firm's national class actions practice group. They said they are chasing their next strategic opportunity with their move to the Philadelphia-based Am Law 100 firm, pointing to several practices with crossover. "We were impressed with Cozen's national footprint and its premier state attorneys general practice, strong bipartisan public strategies group, and privacy compliance practices, all of which complement our work," McTigue said in May. McTigue and Slawe have practiced together for nearly 15 years. They join Cozen O'Connor along with partner Mira Baylson, a white-collar defense attorney; partner Daniel Brewer, a class action litigator; and associate Marie Bussey-Garza. IP Partners Jump From Condo Roccia to Flaster Greenberg Four partners from Philadelphia IP boutique Condo Roccia made a move to Flaster Greenberg in January 2020, where two of them took on leadership roles. Ross Alexander, Michael Bonella, Joseph Klinicki and Michael Piscitelli all joined Flaster Greenberg as shareholders. Klinicki became chair of Flaster's patent practice, as part of the intellectual property department, and Bonella joined the firm's board of directors. Their move came on the heels of a significant defection from Flaster Greenberg. A group of seven Flaster lawyers, including former managing shareholder Peter Spirgel and five other shareholders, left to start a new law firm focused on high-end corporate law. Flaster Greenberg managing shareholder Alan Zuckerman said in a statement that the group and his firm shared similar strategies. McGuireWoods Energy Chair Goes to Reed Smith McGuireWoods dealmaker Ryan Purpura joined Reed Smith's global energy and natural resources industry group as a partner in late September and the firm's former energy and disputes team co-chair, Megan S. Haines, followed him to Reed Smith in early October. On the move, Purpura said: "Reed Smith has a really robust litigation team in Pittsburgh" with whom Purpura has "a lot of common client overlap. The pitch to me was, 'We would really like for you to round out the transactional piece we're missing.'" "Ryan is a perfect fit for our overall growth strategy, which remains focused on our industry groups. He enhances our corporate practice, especially in the private equity sector, and our overall energy capabilities," Ron Francis, managing partner of Reed Smith's Pittsburgh office, said in a statement. Saltz Mongeluzzi Hires Competitor's Co-Founder Philadelphia plaintiffs firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Barrett & Bendesky announced a shift in practice and firm leadership in January, as it brought on a co-founding partner of another prominent trial firm in the region. Steven Wigrizer, one of the founding partners at Wapner Newman Wigrizer Brecher & Miller, moved over to Saltz Mongeluzzi, where he took on the role as chair of the medical malpractice department. Attorney Jason Weiss made the move with him, as well as some staff. Founding partner Robert Mongeluzzi noted that large firms, which are mostly on the defense side, have been ahead of most plaintiffs firms in implementing targeted business development strategies and putting professionals in charge of those efforts. As the 33-lawyer firm grows a more national practice, he said, Saltz Mongeluzzi decided it needed to do the same. Saltz Mongeluzzi Name Partner Leaves to Form Firm Michael F. Barrett and two other lawyers left Philadelphia plaintiffs firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Barrett & Bendesky in February 2020 to form a boutique medical malpractice firm. Barrett said his decision to form his own boutique medical practice firm, Barrett DeAngelo, with fellow Saltz Mongeluzzi attorneys (and brothers) Joseph G. and Terry DeAngelo was both personal and professional. Barrett had been at the firm for 22 years and has been a practicing lawyer for 36 years, always on the side of plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases. Joseph DeAngelo spent 12 years at Saltz Mongeluzzi as a personal injury lawyer with an emphasis on complex medical malpractice, premises liability and civil rights cases in Pennsylvania. Rounding out the trio is Terry DeAngelo, also a former attorney with Saltz Mongeluzzi. Shook Hardy Adds 6 as Dechert Colleagues Reunite Shook, Hardy & Bacon continued its products liability-focused march into the Northeast, adding a group of four partners and two associates to its Philadelphia office in March. The move brought back together a group of lawyers who previously practiced together at Dechert, and it advanced Kansas City-founded Shook Hardy's strategy of establishing a strong foothold in all four corners of the country. Partners Bob Limbacher, Eben Flaster, Adam Tolin and Margaret O'Neill joined Shook Hardy effective March 1, coming from the Philadelphia office of Baltimore-based Goodell, DeVries, Leech & Dann. Joining with them were associates Brian Lands and Katelyn Romeo and two paralegals. "Our little office does a lot of pharmaceutical litigation defense work and Shook has an excellent reputation in that area," Limbacher said in an interview. He estimated the group's book of business was about $4 million in 2019. In terms of rate structure and flexibility, not much changed for the group in moving from Goodell DeVries to Shook Hardy, Limbacher said. But their new firm's geographic footprint and practice depth was a game changer, he said. Buchanan IP Group Reunites at Panitch Schwarze A group of IP lawyers with a long history of working together left Big Law to reunite in a move to Philadelphia-based IP boutique Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel in April. Erin Dunston and Phil Hirschhorn joined the firm as partners from Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, while Aaron Pereira, a lawyer they worked with at Buchanan until 2016, joined Panitch Schwarze as counsel from Weil, Gotshal & Manges. The three lawyers reunited with colleagues Travis Bliss and Stephany Small, who joined Panitch Schwarze in February as a partner and patent agent, respectively, also from Buchanan. Hirschhorn said he and the others had been thinking about moving "back to our roots" in the boutique space. He had previously worked at Hopgood Calimafde Judlowe & Mondolino, which merged into Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in 2002. Dunston, likewise, had previously worked in an IP boutique that later became part of a larger firm. She was an associate at Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis, which merged into Buchanan in 2005—Dunston made a move to Bingham McCutchen that same year, but later came back to Buchanan in 2009, also the year Hirschhorn joined the firm. Six Flaster Greenberg Partners Leave to Form New Firm A group of six partners from Flaster Greenberg, including its chairman of the board and several practice group leaders, left to start their own law firm, Lex Nova Law LLC, back in January 2020. They were joined by three staff members from Flaster Greenberg, and two lawyers from other firms. The group included Peter Spirgel, who was Flaster Greenberg's chairman of the board, and who served as the firm's managing shareholder for 18 years until he stepped down in 2017. In an interview from 2020, he described the new firm as a "high-end corporate boutique." Other Flaster partners who joined Lex Nova were Markley Roderick, a tax corporate and securities lawyer; E. Richard Dressel, who chaired Flaster's bankruptcy practice; Bernard Eizen, a tax, trust and estates lawyer; Darren Goldstein, who chaired Flaster's commercial litigation practice; and William Skinner, a corporate lawyer who was Flaster's loss prevention partner.