Milan: lateral market monitor

From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 101 lateral moves in Milan, 0.7% of all lateral moves we tracked. On settled windows the count went from 139 to 105, down 24.5% year on year. That trails the wider market, which moved +9.0%.

With partners at 22.8% of arrivals, the mix is in line with the market's 27.7%. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 27 to 22 (-18.5%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. A step up in title came with 11.9% of moves (market 12.9%).

Lateral hires in Milan were spread across 37 firms. Ten firms account for 55.4% of arrivals, against 12.9% across the market: concentrated. McDermott Will & Schulte ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.

By practice, Corporate & M&A comes first, involved in 31.7% of arrivals here (20.7% across the market). 12.8% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.

For a firm planning a hire in Milan, a quieter market means fewer competing processes but also fewer people already in motion: plan on direct approach.