Group moves · November 2026
Group moves
Teams that changed firm together, by quarter, with the most recent moves and their public sources.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 32
- Group moves recorded
- 16
- Median team size
- 1.5%
- Share of all lateral moves
What the data show
Sartori & Partners data record 32 group moves since 2022 Q1: teams of lawyers who left one firm for another together. The median team counted 16 lawyers.
Across all lateral moves in the last 12 months, 1.5% came as part of a group: team moves are rare, and each one reshapes a practice at two firms at once.
The table lists the most recent group moves with team size as a band and the public source for each.
For a firm, a team move is the fastest way to add a practice and the hardest to integrate; for the firm a team leaves, the gap usually shows first in the clients the team served.
The figures in full
| Quarter | From | To | Team size | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Q4 | Wiley Rein | Tyka Law | 11-20 | businessinsurance.com |
| 2026 Q4 | Kasowitz Benson Torres | Choate Hall & Stewart | 11-20 | mlex.com |
| 2026 Q3 | WilmerHale | King & Spalding | 11-20 | kslaw.com |
| 2026 Q3 | Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer | Brown Rudnick | 11-20 | iipla.org |
| 2026 Q3 | Cipriani & Werner | KLA Legal | 21-40 | mychesco.com |
| 2026 Q2 | Erickson Immigration Group | Berry Appleman & Leiden | 11-20 | bal.com |
| 2026 Q2 | Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton | Kirkland & Ellis | 6-10 | pymnts.com |
| 2026 Q1 | Ballard Spahr | Barnes & Thornburg | 21-40 | law360.co.uk |
| 2026 Q1 | McDermott Will & Schulte | Dechert | 21-40 | law360.co.uk |
| 2026 Q1 | Winston Taylor | King & Spalding | 21-40 | kslaw.com |
Related monitors and reports
Hiring in this market
Reports
- Law Firm Team Moves Come in Bursts: 6 of 32 in One Quarter
Announced team moves do not arrive as a steady flow. One quarter, the second of 2025, held 6 of the 32 on record, while every other quarter held 3 or fewer.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Team Moves by City: 17.9% in Minneapolis, 1.5% Overall
Lawyers rarely change firms as a group: 1.5% of lateral moves were team moves over the latest 12 months. The exceptions are mid-sized cities, with Minneapolis at 17.9%, not the largest markets.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - What a Team Hire Changes: 57.7% of DC Insurance Moves
One team can be most of a local practice's year: 57.7% of Washington, DC insurance moves came in teams, against 3.1% for the practice overall. Firm hiring ranks count only individual hires, so those lawyers sit in no firm's position.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026
Edition November 2026. Window: November 2025 to October 2026. Source: Sartori & Partners, from public law-firm announcements, firm websites and professional profiles, checked monthly. Methodology. Spot an error? [email protected].
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