When Kirkland & Ellis made its debut in Philadelphia this January through the hire of a five-partner mass tort team from Skadden led by prominent litigator Allison Brown, it became the latest international firm to open in a market once dominated by homegrown players.
That move followed similar launches, such as Polsinelli’s opening last summer with 35 lawyers, including 20 partners, from the local arm of Holland & Knight. The upshot is a lateral recruitment market that has rarely been more active.
