With COVID fatigue in full swing in 2022, workers started to return to the office—at least in a hybrid capacity—and law firms began seeking out talent from a few different sources. Our top moves—we settled on 13 this time—came from big and small law firms, as well as quite a few from government jobs. Notable moves included two former congressman, a well-known Philadelphia litigator who left Kline & Specter to form her own firm and then went on to join another, as well as two class action co-chairs who left Cozen O'Connor in Philadelphia to head up Skadden's practice group in the Big Apple. 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. Ex-Kline & Specter Star Leaves Firm She Started for Anapol Weiss Baldwin Matzus, the personal injury firm founded by Kila Baldwin after leaving the Kline & Specter partnership, dissolved four months after forming, as Baldwin joined Anapol Weiss as an equity shareholder in November 2022. Baldwin said she joined the Philadelphia-based mass torts firm in order to grow her practice in catastrophic personal injury and mass torts faster than she could at the now-dissolved four-partner firm. Baldwin said she was approached by Anapol Weiss name shareholder Thomas Anapol about joining after the two had known each other for years through the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, where Baldwin currently is serving a term as president. Baldwin said she expected her ongoing client matters to follow her to Anapol Weiss. In recent years, Baldwin litigated in multiple transvaginal mesh cases resulting in verdicts of $80 million, $57.1 million and $40 million. She also participated in the settlement of a class action case for $35 million and a catastrophic birth injury case for $20 million, and received an $8.75 million verdict against Ford for a defective parking brake. US Rep. Conor Lamb Joins Kline & Specter U.S. Congressman Conor Lamb joined Kline & Specter in January following the conclusion of his current term in Congress. "We are excited to have Conor among our talented lawyers," firm leaders said in a statement in November. "Conor has been an outstanding public servant and is an experienced and accomplished trial lawyer. Conor will work out of both our Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices." Lamb, a Democrat, since 2019 has served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district, which is composed of all of Beaver County and parts of Allegheny County. Prior to his time in Congress, Lamb served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's Pittsburgh office from 2014 to 2017, experience he said he intended to draw on during his time in private practice. "I was always thrilled by the challenge of carrying the burden of proof," Lamb said. "I've always felt that it's a special task to be on the side of someone who has been wronged. That's the side I'd like to be on." Retired US Rep. Mike Doyle Takes On Role With K&L Gates K&L Gates gained a new member of its lobbying team with the addition of retired U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, who started in the firm's public policy and law practice in January. In an interview in December 2022, 69-year-old Doyle said he planned to continue to support economic development in the western Pennsylvania region by lobbying on behalf of major industries in a part-time, nonlawyer role, titled "government affairs counselor." Doyle, who announced in October 2021 that he would retire at the conclusion of the latest congressional term, represented Pittsburgh and surrounding communities since 1995. His motivation for not seeking another term in Congress came about from the decision by state authorities to redraw the 18th district, which has been absorbed into the 17th and 12th districts. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Jumps to Morgan Lewis Morgan, Lewis & Bockius hired partner Dana Baiocco, who previously served as a commissioner with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, to counsel business clients on regulatory compliance from the firm's Philadelphia office. Baiocco, a former Jones Day partner who helped establish that firm's Boston office, was tapped by the Trump White House to join the CPSC, flipping the agency's majority toward Republicans on her confirmation in 2018. Baiocco, who replaced Democrat Marietta Robinson, held a seat on the commission until Oct. 7, when she left five years into a seven-year term to join Morgan Lewis. Baiocco said that her work at the firm won't be confined to defending companies in consumer products litigation and will likely include many areas of commercial litigation. However, her principal work, she said, will consist of helping business clients shore up their regulatory compliance programs. "I haven't been retained by anyone as of this moment," Baiocco said in an interview in October. "What I'm focused on right now is helping companies that haven't looked at their safety compliance programs for a while. It's time to look at those again and tighten them up." Nelson Mullins Opens Office in Phila. Suburb A trio of civil defense litigators representing auto manufacturers joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in suburban Philadelphia, granting the South Carolina-based law firm its first physical presence in one of the nation's hot beds of personal injury and products liability litigation. Partners Tiffany Alexander and Heather Russell Fine and of counsel Elyse Cohen, formerly of litigation boutique Tanenbaum Keale, resumed practice in the Berwyn, Pennsylvania, office of their former firm, which has come under the control of Nelson Mullins, the firm announced in October. The firm, with roughly 1,000 professionals, is expanding into the commonwealth amid "strong growth" in the litigation practice in 2022, according to leaders. With the addition of the three lawyers in a market where the firm tries several cases, Nelson Mullins now counts more than 160 lawyers in its products liability practice, a spokesperson said. Troutman IP Partner Heads to Saxton & Stump When IP litigator M. Kelly Tillery joined Pepper Hamilton from his own boutique in 2005, it was to capitalize on the larger firm's resources. How the times have changed, remarked the former Troutman Pepper partner in an October interview, ahead of his first day at 100-lawyer firm Saxton & Stump. At the time, years before its merger with Troutman Sanders, Pepper Hamilton hadn't yet reached the high billable rates and overhead costs that have come to define the largest law firms in the U.S. These characteristics explain why a growing number partners like himself have decamped from the Am Law 100 for a smaller firm's leaner operating mode. As he transitioned into his new position as a shareholder at Saxton & Stump's recently opened Philadelphia office, Tillery said he sought to cultivate a client base of companies outside of the Fortune 500, many of whom were priced out by his former firm. Stradley Ronon Appellate Chair Leaves for Stevens & Lee Karl Myers, a 16-year Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young veteran who spent the last three years chairing the firm's appellate practice, joined Stevens & Lee in May, where he said he planned to build up the firm's appellate practice as co-chair. Myers said the chance to lead an appellate practice with former Third Circuit Judge Thomas Vanaskie, who has chaired the appellate practice at Stevens & Lee since January 2020, was a "once-in-a-career opportunity." Myers said he shares a vision with Stevens & Lee to build a "first-class elite appellate practice" around Vanaskie's experience. "There's no better resource for how to effectively present your appeal than a former appellate judge because the judge was once in that role and knows what is persuasive and not and knows what works and what doesn't work," Myers said. "He really has the know-how and the tools for how to service a client effectively." Troutman Pepper Takes 7 Partners From Ballard Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders took a seven-partner consumer financial protection group from Ballard Spahr, with members of the group spread out among Atlanta, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and New York. In Troutman Pepper's Philadelphia office, Mark Furletti, Jeremy Rosenblum and Jason M. Cover joined the firm. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Christopher Willis and Stefanie Jackman have joined the firm as well. Leaders at the firm said that Furletti and Willis will co-lead Troutman Pepper's consumer financial services regulatory practice. In a statement, Troutman Pepper chair Steve Lewis said the arrival of the seven "confirms" the firm's status as a "market leader in the financial services industry." Skadden Nabs Cozen O'Connor Class Action Co-Chairs Cozen O'Connor class action litigators Meredith Slawe and Michael McTigue are joining Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York to help clients defend against the rise in aggregate litigation, firm leaders confirmed in a March interview. The duo had hopped across several Am Law 100 firms for the last four years. They moved from Drinker Biddle & Reath to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Philadelphia in 2018, then less than two years later they went to Cozen O'Connor. They were co-chairs of Cozen's class actions group, and Slawe was also co-chair of Cozen's retail group. Slawe and McTigue have developed robust class action practices, having regularly defended class action matters brought under federal and state consumer protection statutes, including privacy, false advertising and communications acts, and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. SEC Phila. Office Head to Co-Lead Morgan Lewis Practice The director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Philadelphia regional office took a job at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius as a partner and co-leader of the firm's securities enforcement practice in February. Gibson said she would divide her time between Philadelphia and New York to diversify her practice, advising the firm's financial services clients on a wide range of securities-related enforcement and compliance matters. Jeffrey Boujoukos, the former director of the SEC's Philadelphia regional office who rejoined Morgan Lewis in 2020 and serves as co-leader of the securities enforcement practice, is a former colleague of Gibson during their time at the commission. In a statement he said he is "thrilled" to work with her again. "Kelly will be a huge asset in guiding clients on a broad sweep of regulatory and compliance issues—from ESG disclosures to SPACs to cyber-related incidents and matters that affect investment advisers," Boujoukos said in an email statement. Saxton & Stump Launches Franchise Practice With Stevens & Lee Trio Saxton & Stump, which spun off from Stevens & Lee in 2015, brought on a three-lawyer team from Stevens & Lee's franchise law subsidiary, including the subsidiary's president and co-founder. Thomas Kent, co-founder and former president of Kent Franchise Law Group, and Amanda Dempsey are part of Saxton & Stump's Malvern office, where they are tasked with leading the firm's franchising practice. They were joined by a senior counsel and paralegal also from their previous firm. The team brings a base of franchisor-clients, including "mature brands" like Visiting Angels, Wing Zone and Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, as well as a cohort of emerging brands that are eager to capitalize on the firm's business affiliates, they said in a February interview. "We work with emerging brands to middle-market franchisors throughout the U.S.," Kent said. "We also do a fair amount of international work, much of which is tied to intellectual property, managing trademark portfolios and the like." McNees Bets on Connections to Grow Pittsburgh Office After nine months of operating a brick-and-mortar presence in Pittsburgh, midsize central Pennsylvania firm McNees Wallace & Nurick accumulated a total of 11 attorneys from locally headquartered firms, in its effort to grow its local reputation through networking and chain recruitment rather than professional recruiters. Firm leaders said their strategy in western Pennsylvania, since onboarding most of the lawyers from construction litigation boutique Blumling & Gusky in late 2021, had been based on enticing area lawyers who have existing relationships with newly onboarded team members. Firm leaders credited Blumling & Gusky lawyers Michael Klein and David Levine for helping draw more recent additions to the office and said they expect the same chain-recruitment to flow from its three most recent additions. Apart from Garfinkel, the firm in July also hired construction litigator Timothy Berkebile from Metz Lewis Brodman Must O'Keefe and patent attorney Donald McKay, who ran his own business and IP boutique. Royer Cooper Poaches Klehr Harrison's Family Law Architect The creator of Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg's family law practice took up shop at Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld in May, where firm leaders tasked her with spearheading the firm's newly established family law division. Royer Cooper's entrance into family law took place as the rise in divorces and child custody battles have generated busy years for family law practices in Pennsylvania since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. LegalTemplates, a servicer of bespoke legal documents, reported a 34% increase in the sale of divorce agreements in 2020 compared with 2019. Leaders at the 60-lawyer firm said the new venture is a natural outgrowth of other business divisions at Royer Cooper, like trust and estates, that deal with the personal aspects of clients' lives. Clients of the firm include high-net worth family offices, individuals and investors, according to firm leaders.