The nuclear energy sector is moving faster than it has in decades. Nuclear plant revivals, construction of small modular reactors (SMRs), and a national target to expand US nuclear energy capacity to 400 GWe by 2050 have pulled the industry back into growth.

A large part of the demand is coming from power-hungry data centers fueling the boom in AI technology. We covered the firms powering data center growth, and nuclear is increasingly the other side of that same story. Hyperscalers like Meta and Amazon are securing nuclear deals to provide around-the-clock power for their facilities.

Using publicly available data tracked by Pirical Legal Professionals, we identified which law firms hold the deepest benches of nuclear talent, and which are focusing their lateral hiring most heavily in this space.

Lateral hiring of partners with nuclear experience rose sharply after 2020, with the clearest jump (+40%) between 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. It has held at that higher level over the past five years.

Given the recent acceleration in ‘data center’ lateral hiring (+65% from 2024 to 2025), we may see these numbers climb higher.

These firms hold the largest benches of Partners with nuclear experience, leaving them best positioned to capture the work as demand from restarts, new reactor projects, and data centers continues to grow.

Global, AM Law 200, >10 Partners, data as of June 2026

Looking at the share of each firm's lateral Partner hires that have nuclear experience reveals which are betting most heavily on the space. Vinson & Elkins leads the way, reflecting a focused push into nuclear from an already energy-heavy base.

Global, AM Law 200, >5 Partner hires, May 2020 - May 2026

The largest legal markets lead nuclear lateral hiring, with Washington, DC (39), New York City (31), and London (29) at the top. But, more telling are the locations that sit just behind them.

Houston ranks 4th on its own (17), but combined with Dallas (6) and Austin (2), Texas saw 25 'Nuclear Partner' moves. The state has recently invested significantly into nuclear energy, and firms are positioning Partners to capture work from its growing pipeline of reactor projects.

Source: Publicly-available data tracked by Pirical

Timeframe: May 2020 - May 2026

Scope: AM Law 200, Global

Caveat: Data is derived from tracked lateral Partner moves and firm profiles; numbers may be slightly incomplete due to limited public information.

In this analysis, Partners with experience in or surrounding nuclear energy were identified using keyword searches across PLP data. Profiles were included where nuclear energy, or related phrasing, featured in a Partner's biography or matter history with enough prominence to indicate genuine relevant experience.

Book a 30-minute Pirical demo to search for market insights on specific regions, competitor firms, client data, peer groups, or practice areas more relevant to you

Pirical Legal Professionals seamlessly aggregates data from a wide range of public sources: law firm websites, bar associations, legal news, deals publications, legal rankings, LinkedIn and more. Our coverage is global, in-depth and constantly refreshed.