This year’s list of star laterals is a varied group. Some, like Milbank’s George Canellos and Morrison & Foerster’s Charles Duross, are leaving powerful government posts. Others, like Freshfields’ Peter Lyons and Skadden’s Olivier Diaz, come from the big-bucks world of public company M&A. One is a pioneer: John Moore became the first lateral brought on to Slaughter and May in its 125-year history. And then there’s James Roome, whose team’s move to Akin Gump contributed to the demise of his former firm, Bingham McCutchen. In a lateral market most often characterized by its froth, they are reminders of the lateral market’s high stakes, both for the lawyers themselves and for the firms that gain (and lose) them.
SHEILA BAIRD
Moved to: DLA Piper
From: Pew Charitable Trusts
During her five-year tenure as chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Bair weathered both the housing boom and the banking crisis. After leaving the FDIC in 2011, she became a senior adviser to the Pew Charitable Trusts, among other things. At DLA Piper, she becomes a senior policy adviser in the international banking practice and will continue work on a pro bono project involving construction of playgrounds in China for disabled orphans.
