Practice by city · November 2026
Corporate & M&A in Houston: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Corporate & M&A in Houston over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 92
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +51.7%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 30.4%
- Partner share of moves
- 37
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 92 lateral moves in Corporate & M&A in Houston, 3.2% of the practice's moves. Year on year, on windows that end a month early, the count grew 51.7% (58 to 88). The market as a whole moved +9.0%, so this flow outpaced it.
| Measure | Here | Corporate & M&A | Houston | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 30.4% | 29.9% | 29.6% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 10.9% | 11.3% | 10.3% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 58.7% | 57.7% | 59.5% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 9.8% | 12.4% | 9.1% | 12.9% |
| Changed city | 16.5% | 21.2% | 16.8% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 71.1% | 62.6% | 58.9% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | rose (+51.7%) | rose (+15.8%) | rose (+51.1%) | rose (+9.0%) |
12 months to October 2026 unless the row says three years; a row switches to three years for every column when this page's 12-month value is not published. A dash is a value we do not publish. Flat means a change under 5% or inside the noise of the two counts.
Against the Corporate & M&A practice as a whole, the widest gap is the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers, which is higher here: 71.1% against 62.6%. Set against all moves in Houston, the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers stands out most: 71.1% here against 58.9%, above it. Year on year it moved with the Corporate & M&A practice as a whole: both rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 223 lawyers moved in Corporate & M&A in Houston, 73 of them partners (32.7%). They joined 62 different firms. 11.7% stepped up a level on the move and 15.7% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 63.8% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner30.4%
- Counsel10.9%
- Associate58.7%
The level mix sits close to the market: partners are 30.4% of arrivals, against 27.7% market-wide. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 21 to 28 (+33.3%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. 9.8% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
- 1,000+ lawyers71.1%
- 400-999 lawyers18.9%
- under 150 lawyers5.6%
Lateral hires in Corporate & M&A in Houston were spread across 37 firms. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 60.9% of arrivals (12.9% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. First on the hiring table is Kirkland & Ellis, with arrivals in the 11-20 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers63.8%
- 400-999 lawyers22.0%
- 150-399 lawyers4.6%
- under 150 lawyers9.6%
The practice accounts for 27.8% of all lateral moves in Houston. Over the three years to October 2026, 72.2% of movers came from another firm in Houston itself. A change of city came with 16.5% of moves (market 20.5%).
There were 24 open roles in Corporate & M&A in Houston on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
For a firm hiring in Corporate & M&A in Houston, a rising market means candidates have options: move quickly once a shortlist exists.
Firms by rank and band
Each firm appears as a rank and a band, never an exact count, and only with at least 10 moves in the window.
| Rank | Firm | Moves (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirkland & Ellis | 11-20 |
| 2 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | 11-20 |
| 3 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | 6-10 |
| 4 | Baker Botts | 3-5 |
| 5 | White & Case | 3-5 |
| 6 | Latham & Watkins | 3-5 |
| 7 | O'Melveny & Myers | 3-5 |
| 8 | Haynes and Boone | 3-5 |
| 9 | Norton Rose Fulbright | 3-5 |
| 10 | Clifford Chance | 3-5 |
| Rank | Firm | Moves (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | 6-10 |
Deals in Corporate & M&A in Houston
Sartori & Partners data count 773 dated deals in Corporate & M&A in Houston in the 12 months to October 2026 and 1,933 over the three years to October 2026.
M&A work is involved in 79.9% of them and Private equity in 9.4%.
By client industry, Oil & Gas comes first with 28.5%.
Kirkland & Ellis ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 251-400 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirkland & Ellis | 251-400 |
| 2 | Latham & Watkins | 251-400 |
| 3 | Vinson & Elkins | 151-250 |
| 4 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | 101-150 |
| 5 | Baker Botts | 61-100 |
| 6 | White & Case | 61-100 |
| 7 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | 61-100 |
| 8 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher | 41-60 |
| 9 | Troutman Pepper Locke | 41-60 |
| 10 | Sidley Austin | 41-60 |
Time to partner in Corporate & M&A in Houston
23 lawyers were promoted to partner in Corporate & M&A in Houston in the 12 months to May 2026, 79 over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 9.0 years, with the middle half between 8.0 years and 10.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 88.7% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 71 promotions.
Specialities in Corporate & M&A in Houston
Over the three years to October 2026, Private M&A was involved in 37.2% of moves in Corporate & M&A in Houston, then Joint Ventures with 24.7%.
Related monitors and reports
Other practices in Houston
Corporate & M&A in other cities
Hiring in this market
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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