Los Angeles: lateral market monitor

Sartori & Partners data show 712 lateral moves in Los Angeles from November 2025 to October 2026, 5.1% of all lateral moves we tracked. Measured on settled 12-month windows, 714 moves against 590 the year before, the count rose 21.0%. That runs ahead of the wider market, which moved +9.0%.

The level mix sits close to the market: partners are 27.9% of arrivals, against 27.7% market-wide. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 162 to 191 (+17.9%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. 13.8% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.

191 firms hired at least one lateral in Los Angeles in the window. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 16.7% of arrivals (12.9% market-wide), so hiring here is moderately concentrated. First on the hiring table is Jackson Lewis, with arrivals in the 11-20 band.

Litigation & Disputes ranks first among practices, involved in 59.4% of the city's arrivals against 39.9% of the whole market. More lawyers moved into Los Angeles from another city (95) than left it for one (65). A change of city came with 16.4% of moves (market 20.5%).

In-house roles drew 29 lawyers in the last 6 months, 7.5 per 100 lateral moves (market 13.1).

Volume in Los Angeles is rising with a mix close to the market, so timing matters more than the level you hire at.