Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has spent the month bleeding partners. Now, several more are heading out the door, bound for Hunton & Williams — including some big Washington names.
Legal Times has learned that the departing partners include Washington rainmaker Richard Wyatt Jr., as well as D.C. partners Joseph Esposito, Todd Stenerson, J. Steven Patterson, Michael O’Shea, and Michael Mueller. Texas Lawyer reported early this week that a total of nine partners are leaving, though not all are from the Washington office.
The departing partners cover a range of practice areas.
Wyatt’s firm biography lists him as a member of the firm’s executive committee, and Washington legal recruiters say he was one of the highest paid partners, if not the highest paid partner, in Akin Gump’s D.C. office. He focuses on antitrust, commercial litigation, class actions, and labor and employment matters.
Esposito focuses on commercial litigation and class actions. Stenerson also handles commercial litigation, but also focuses on antitrust matters. Patterson specializes in corporate governance matters, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance and securities. O’Shea practices in IP litigation, and also focuses on commercial litigation and biosciences work.
The departing partners did not return requests for comment. Akin Gump was not immediately available for comment, and Hunton & Williams declined to comment.
On July 15, Akin’s D.C. office lost another high profile rainmaker, Michael Madigan. After nearly 30 years with Akin Gump, the white-collar defender jumped to Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Read more on that departure in this recent Legal Times story.
The most recent group heading to Hunton follows a team of ex-Akin Gump labor and employment partners who joined Hunton July 1. Roland Juarez and Laura Franze left Akin to split their time between Hunton’s Los Angeles and Dallas locales. And Brett Burns and Fraser McAlpine joined Hunton’s San Francisco office.
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