Corporate & M&A in Chicago: lateral monitor

From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 119 lateral moves in Corporate & M&A in Chicago, 4.1% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 77 to 115, up 49.4% year on year. The market as a whole moved +9.0%, so this flow outpaced it.

Over the three years to October 2026, 265 lawyers moved in Corporate & M&A in Chicago, 76 of them partners (28.7%). They joined 80 different firms. 7.2% 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. 66.4% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.

The level mix sits close to the market: partners are 28.6% of arrivals, against 27.7% market-wide. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 21 to 34, up 61.9% year on year. A step up in title came with 5.9% of moves (market 12.9%).

Lateral hires in Corporate & M&A in Chicago were spread across 54 firms. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 39.5% of arrivals (12.9% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. First on the hiring table is Kirkland & Ellis, with arrivals in the 6-10 band.

The practice accounts for 19.9% of all lateral moves in Chicago. Over the three years to October 2026, 69.8% of movers came from another firm in Chicago itself. 19.2% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.

There were 35 open roles in Corporate & M&A in Chicago on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.

For a firm hiring in Corporate & M&A in Chicago, a rising market means candidates have options: move quickly once a shortlist exists.

Sartori & Partners data count 1,022 dated deals in Corporate & M&A in Chicago in the 12 months to October 2026 and 2,451 over the three years to October 2026.

M&A work is involved in 77.0% of them and Private equity in 10.5%.

By client industry, Technology & Software comes first with 14.5%.

Kirkland & Ellis ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 251-400 band.

Over the three years to October 2026, Private M&A was involved in 47.5% of moves in Corporate & M&A in Chicago, then Joint Ventures with 12.5%.