Los Angeles and San Francisco: moves between the cities

Over the last 3 years, Sartori & Partners recorded 94 lateral moves between Los Angeles and San Francisco. More went from San Francisco to Los Angeles (58) than the other way (36).

Partners were 16.0% of the lawyers who moved between the two cities, against 27.7% of all lateral moves in the last 12 months.

Litigation & Disputes was involved in 55.3% of these moves and Corporate & M&A in 24.5%.

33.0% of movers joined a firm in the same size class as the one they left: a move between these cities is usually a move between peers, not a change of platform.

For a firm recruiting in San Francisco, Los Angeles is a pool to approach directly, and the reverse holds: candidates who have made this move before show it can be done without losing the practice.