Banking & Finance in Washington, DC: lateral monitor

Sartori & Partners data show 55 lateral moves in Banking & Finance in Washington, DC from November 2025 to October 2026, 2.8% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 52 to 58 (+11.5%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.

Over the three years to October 2026, 161 lawyers moved in Banking & Finance in Washington, DC, 51 of them partners (31.7%). They joined 72 different firms. 14.9% stepped up a level on the move and 18.9% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 61.2% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.

At 40.0%, the partner share of arrivals sits above the market's 27.7%. A step up in title came with 18.2% of moves (market 12.9%).

The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. 72 firms hired at least one lateral in Banking & Finance in Washington, DC in the window. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 40.9% of arrivals (12.2% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 11-20 band.

The practice accounts for 7.0% of all lateral moves in Washington, DC. Over the three years to October 2026, 64.0% of movers came from another firm in Washington, DC itself. 13.0% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.

9.1% of moves came as part of a group, against 1.5% market-wide.

There were 37 open roles in Banking & Finance in Washington, DC on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.

For a firm planning a hire in Banking & Finance in Washington, DC, a flat market means candidates are not being pulled by a wave: the case for a move has to come from the platform.

Sartori & Partners data count 277 dated deals in Banking & Finance in Washington, DC in the 12 months to October 2026 and 662 over the three years to October 2026.

Banking & lending work is involved in 44.1% of them and Leveraged & acquisition finance in 19.9%.

By client industry, Banks & Financial Institutions comes first with 15.4%.

Latham & Watkins ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 101-150 band.

Over the three years to October 2026, Structured Finance & Securitization was involved in 15.5% of moves in Banking & Finance in Washington, DC.