Other than the Red Sox and a few muggy late summer days, few things were hotter in September than the Boston legal market. Morgan Lewis made four lateral hires, WilmerHale welcomed back an experienced life sciences attorney, and Simpson Thacher snagged a former Goodwin banking lawyer.

Here are September's legal moves in Greater Boston.

Morgan Lewis

Former Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP partner John Boxer has rejoined the firm in the private client group after spending more than 10 years as general counsel and chief operating officer of a private, multifamily office.

Boxer will be based in Morgan Lewis' Boston and Philadelphia offices, the firm announced. He told Law360 Pulse by email that he decided to return to the firm in part due to its reputation for client service excellence, as well as a deep bench of exceptional talent.

"I know this firsthand based on my years with the firm and in my work with firm lawyers and professionals while in-house," he said. "This is also how the industry views the Morgan Lewis team. I am thrilled to return and am excited to hit the ground running."

More Morgan Lewis

The former head of Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP's mergers and acquisitions and private equity practice, as well as two of his colleagues, have joined Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, the firm announced.

Partners Shannon Zollo, Joshua French and Meghan Kelley have come aboard the firm's Boston office.

"When the opportunity to join Morgan Lewis came about, we were thrilled to move our practices to the firm's expansive platform," Zollo told Law360 Pulse in an email on Wednesday.

The trio advises on M&A; debt, equity and venture capital transactions; and corporate governance, according to Morgan Lewis. The partners bring strong relationships with investment banks and Boston businesses, and represent clients across such industries as life sciences, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, consumer retail and defense.

WilmerHale

Andrea Paul, an attorney specializing in the life sciences, is returning to private practice with WilmerHale, after more than nine years as an in-house counsel for several pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Paul joins the WilmerHale Boston office as a partner in the life sciences group on Oct. 6. She had served as chief legal officer and corporate secretary for Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, which is represented by WilmerHale.

Paul said in a statement to Law360 Pulse that joining WilmerHale was an "exciting opportunity" to bring her in-house perspective to the life sciences group after being inside biotech companies for nearly a decade.

Paul said in her statement. "As a client, I always admired the attorneys at WilmerHale, and I'm excited to be joining this talented team."

Simpson Thacher

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has added Elizabeth Kates, a former Goodwin Procter LLP attorney who specializes in debt financing transactions, as a partner in its Boston office.

Kates will work as part of Simpson Thacher's banking and credit practice, with a focus on advising private equity sponsors, lenders, and private and public companies on structuring and negotiating both secured and unsecured debt financing transactions, according to the firm's announcement.

Kates regularly assists clients with matters such as acquisition financings, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, refinancings and restructurings, according to Simpson Thacher.

She is experienced working in industries such as financial services, manufacturing, healthcare and technology, according to the firm.

"I am thrilled to join such a multifaceted financing team and to be part of the firm's growth in Boston," Kates said in a statement. "I look forward to working with my new colleagues."

Goodwin

Goodwin Procter LLP announced that it has tapped former Sidley Austin LLP partner Leonard Wood to lead its shareholder activism and takeover defense practice.

Wood has joined Goodwin as a partner in the firm's New York and Boston offices, the firm said. Wood began as co-chair of the shareholder activism and takeover defense practice, and was slated to take over as chair effective Wednesday, according to the announcement.

Wood told Law360 Pulse in an interview that he joined Goodwin because he saw an opportunity to build out what he views as a top shareholder activism practice at a dynamic global law firm.

"Shareholder activism is now a fixture of public company life in America and really worldwide," Wood said. "Goodwin has long-standing relationships across industries and decades of experience guiding clients through complex and contested situations. I can already see on day one, there's a lot to do. It's a very fast-moving field, and it was a really exciting time to come here."

Cooley

Cooley LLP has grown its debt finance practice in Boston with the addition of Choate Hall & Stewart LLP attorney Dallas Cruz.

Cruz has joined the firm as a partner after spending the last six years at Choate, where she worked earlier in her career, as a partner in Choate's private equity group, Cruz told Law360 Pulse.

"Cooley's platform provides me with the opportunity to continue to grow my practice on a larger scale, with additional resources and capabilities to better serve my clients," Cruz told Law360 Pulse in an email.

In her practice, Cruz represents private equity sponsors, private and public company borrowers, and financial institutions in a variety of complex transactions, including acquisition financings, asset-based credit facilities, fund financings and workouts across industries, her firm biography said.

Choate

Choate has brought attorney Luke Barrett aboard as a principal in its finance and restructuring group, the firm announced, saying he will advise clients on a wide range of restructuring, bankruptcy and insolvency matters, including large Chapter 11 cases and complex out-of-court restructurings.

Choate touted Barrett's experience representing lenders, debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, agents, trustees and equity holders in Chapter 11 proceedings involving multinational, publicly traded companies across a wide range of industries. He has participated in transactions valued at more than $340 million, the firm said, including representing lenders in debtor-in-possession financings, senior secured term and first-lien term loans, and revolving credit facilities.

"Our restructuring and bankruptcy practice continues to see strong demand and Luke's experience handling high-profile, complex restructuring and bankruptcy proceedings will be an immediate asset to our clients," said John Ventola, chair of the practice group. "He brings the strategic insight and practical judgment needed to guide our clients through complex insolvency challenges."

Paul Hastings

Paul Hastings LLP announced that it has expanded its global private equity practice and Boston team with James Curley, a longtime Goodwin Procter LLP partner.

Curley represents private equity firms and their portfolio companies, as well as early- and late-stage growth companies, in transactions including leveraged buyouts, add-on acquisitions and dispositions.

In an interview with Law360 Pulse, Curley said it was a difficult decision to leave Goodwin.

"Goodwin is a wonderful firm," Curley said. "I've been there almost 30 years. I've spent my whole career to date there, other than a two-year stint where I went in-house, and I've got wonderful friends there."

But Paul Hastings impressed him for several reasons.

"They're starting to take market share from some firms that are above them, which is hard to do in the market," he said.

Verrill Dana

Jay McCormack, a former acting U.S. attorney in New England, who recently left the public sector after serving for 15 years as a prosecutor at the county, state and federal levels, has joined Verrill Dana LLP's Boston office, the firm announced.

McCormack was welcomed this week to Verrill as a partner in its healthcare and life sciences practice, as well as the white collar defense and government enforcement group, according to a statement. He arrived at the firm following a six-year stint at the U.S. Department of Justice, spending the last nine months as acting U.S. attorney for New Hampshire.

McCormack said in a statement that one of the primary reasons he chose Verrill was its "exceptional reputation as a national leader in both health care law and white-collar defense."

"As the firm continues to grow strategically, I am excited to utilize the experience I have gained over almost a decade devoted to prosecuting health care fraud and complex white-collar cases, working alongside a team of highly respected attorneys and helping to expand the depth and reach of our combined capabilities," he said.

Womble Bond

Womble Bond Dickinson announced that it has expanded its energy and natural resources team with two new hires, including Jason Marshall, who came to the Boston office following his tenure as deputy secretary and special counsel for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Prior to his new role, Marshall had spent much of his legal career in a variety of government posts. He oversaw litigation on behalf of the six New England governors before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the D.C. Circuit as the deputy executive director and general counsel of the New England States Committee on Electricity, and held legal positions within the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and the Massachusetts State Senate.

"During my time in government, I admired WBD from the outside looking in because of the quality of its counsel," he wrote in an email. "The attorneys at WBD demonstrated not only the highest level of technical expertise but also a deep understanding of the policy landscape that informed their engagement."

Whoop

Wearable technology company Whoop Inc. announced that it has found its new top attorney and administrative officer in Jason Lynch, the former general counsel for venture capital firm Foundry.

Lynch joined the Boston-based Whoop as its chief administrative officer and chief legal officer, according to the announcement. While at Foundry, Lynch previously worked with Whoop and other high-growth companies.

"I have admired Whoop and its team since 2019 when Foundry first invested," Lynch said in the announcement. "Since then, Whoop has expanded not only the scale of its operations, but also the scale of its vision for what continuous health monitoring can do to transform the quality of people's lives. I could not be more excited to be joining Whoop to help build its future and advance that mission."