Goodwin Procter has added four private equity lawyers from Latham & Watkins, as it continues to invest in a core practice — middle-market dealwork — following what a partner says is the PE group's strongest year of record. The additions include partner Cory Lewis, counsel Pat Argenio and associates Gabby Caruselo and Sydney France, all from Latham. Goodwin said they are coming aboard to further build out the talent offerings Goodwin has for mid-market private equity clients this year. Partner Chris Wilson said in an interview that the private equity practice had its strongest year on record in terms of billable hours in 2025, and the firm is set to outperform itself again in 2026 on the private equity front. Focusing on the middle market is part of how Goodwin has seen its recent growth in the space, Wilson said, and is the firm’s strategy going forward as competition in the space heats up. Lateral movement for private equity attorneys has been on the rise in recent months, along with billing rates, which Wilson said have gone up competitively for Goodwin’s private equity practice as well. Wilson, co-chair of the firm’s healthcare practice and a partner on Goodwin's executive committee, said that Goodwin’s success in private equity comes from its exclusive focus on the mid-market space. He added that too many law firms want to service both large-cap private equity clients and the mid-market, but they cannot do both well. “The unfortunate reality is you have certain firms that are trying to be all things to all people, and, for example, teams that service the bulge-bracket mega-cap private equity funds but are also trying to serve the middle market funds as well,” Wilson said. “What you see with that is inefficiencies. In a dynamic like that, it won’t surprise anybody that the large-cap private equity firms are going to get a disproportionate amount of the high-quality talent and resources that these (law) firms have to offer, to the detriment of the middle-market sponsors and their companies.” By focusing exclusively on mid-market private equity firms and their portfolio companies, Goodwin has been able to set itself apart from peer firms, Wilson said, and deliver high-quality talent and resources to those clients that would be comparatively less well serviced on a team without a mid-market focus. The firm’s private equity team includes over 350 attorneys focused on private equity specifically. While no specific lateral additions beyond the four Latham attorneys in Boston are planned at the moment, Wilson said that Goodwin is always looking for opportunities to add high-value private equity talent to its ranks, as they are a “limited resource.” Representatives for Latham did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the attorneys’ move to Goodwin.