Top 20 US firm Goodwin Procter has secured a group of 14 partners from Troutman Pepper to officially launch in Philadelphia. 

The team includes rainmakers and former practice heads and is split between Goodwin’s life sciences, healthcare transactions and white collar defense teams. 

The hire also sees the firm officially launch in Philadelphia, where ten of the new arrivals will be based. It marks a significant expansion for Goodwin in the city, where it has had a presence since early 2022 when private equity partner Barbara Shander joined from pharmaceutical company WCG along with a team of associates. 

The move comes a amid a flurry of large-team hires by top 50 US firms since the start of 2023: Morrison Foerster's takeover of Californian IP litigation boutique Durie Tangri has gone live, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is merging with Washington DC-based specialist fintech firm Buckley and  K&L Gates has secured a seven-partner corporate team from Pittsburgh-based Dentons Cohen & Grigsby.

Significantly, Troutman Pepper's loss comes two-and-a-half years after the merger that created the firm and which set out to forge a larger, more competitive platform better able to protect it from its core teams being picked off by more profitable rivals like Goodwin. 

“Goodwin’s strategy is to be the firm of choice for clients doing business within the healthcare, life sciences, private equity, real estate, technology, and financial services sectors, and where they converge,” said Goodwin chair, Rob Insolia. “The [Troutman] team joining us aligns with our long-term strategy and will scale the firm’s global capital-meets-innovation platform for the benefit of our clients.”

Six partners are joining Goodwin’s life sciences team from Troutman Pepper, including team lead Rachael Bushey. She was previously chair of the health sciences department at Troutman and has been tapped to serve as co-managing partner of Goodwin’s Philadelphia office. She represents public and private life sciences companies in connection with capital markets transactions, Securities Exchange Act work, M&A, complex divestitures and carve-out transactions, as well as corporate governance. 

Meantime a five-strong team led by John Jones has joined Goodwin’s healthcare transactions and regulatory practice, two of whom including Jones will be based in Philadelphia, two in Washington DC and one in New York. 

Jones had chaired the healthcare transactions and regulatory practices at Troutman; he represents financial sponsors and strategics on a wide range of corporate, M&A, regulatory, structure, governance and compliance matters. 

Rounding out the hires is a trio of partners headed by Thomas Gallagher that has joined Goodwin’s government enforcement, investigations and white collar defense group. Gallagher and Allison DeLaurentis will be based in Philadelphia, while Miranda Hooker will work out of Boston. 

Gallagher was previously vice chair of Troutman and represents clients facing government investigations and qui tam litigation, particularly in life sciences and healthcare. A former Assistant US Attorney, he brings extensive experience handling False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Antikickback Statute matters. 

A Troutman Pepper spokesperson confirmed the lawyers' departures, adding: “We appreciate their contributions to the firm and wish them well in their future endeavours.”

The team hire follows a busy year for Goodwin that saw the firm continue to top the global M&A legal advisory rankings by volume, invest heavily in its European private equity team, launch its second location in Asia, in Singapore, and unveil its largest-ever partner promotions round. 

However, it emerged earlier this month that the firm has embarked on a round of job cuts in response to the economic slowdown that affects associates, paralegals and business professionals across multiple US offices.