Practice by city · November 2026
Corporate & M&A in Paris: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Corporate & M&A in Paris over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 67
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- -29.7%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 32.8%
- Partner share of moves
- 27
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 67 lateral moves in Corporate & M&A in Paris, 2.3% of the practice's moves. Measured on settled 12-month windows, 71 moves against 101 the year before, the count fell 29.7%. It fell behind the market's own change of +9.0%.
| Measure | Here | Corporate & M&A | Paris | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 32.8% | 29.9% | 26.2% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 13.4% | 11.3% | 10.0% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 52.2% | 57.7% | 63.1% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 13.4% | 12.4% | 11.5% | 12.9% |
| Changed city | 10.2% | 21.2% | 12.2% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 89.4% | 62.6% | 86.4% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | fell (-29.7%) | rose (+15.8%) | fell (-20.5%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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: 89.4% against 62.6%. Against all moves in Paris, the widest gap is the associate share, which is lower here: 52.2% against 63.1%. Year on year it fell while the Corporate & M&A practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 231 lawyers moved in Corporate & M&A in Paris, 49 of them partners (21.2%). They joined 55 different firms. 10.8% stepped up a level on the move and 9.9% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 85.9% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner32.8%
- Counsel13.4%
- Associate52.2%
Partners make up 32.8% of arrivals, against 27.7% across the market: a partner-heavy flow. 13.4% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
- 1,000+ lawyers85.9%
- 400-999 lawyers7.1%
- under 150 lawyers6.6%
27 firms hired at least one lateral in Corporate & M&A in Paris in the window. Ten firms account for 68.7% of arrivals, against 12.9% across the market: concentrated. First on the hiring table is Proskauer Rose, with arrivals in the 6-10 band.
The practice accounts for 25.8% of all lateral moves in Paris. Over the three years to October 2026, 67.1% of movers came from another firm in Paris itself. A change of city came with 10.2% of moves (market 20.5%).
For a firm planning a hire in Corporate & M&A in Paris, a quieter market means fewer competing processes but also fewer people already in motion: plan on direct approach.
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 | Proskauer Rose | 6-10 |
| 2 | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe | 6-10 |
| 3 | White & Case | 6-10 |
| 4 | Ropes & Gray | 3-5 |
| 5 | Jones Day | 3-5 |
| 6 | Freshfields | 3-5 |
| 7 | Latham & Watkins | 3-5 |
| 8 | Clifford Chance | 3-5 |
| 9 | Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I | 3-5 |
Deals in Corporate & M&A in Paris
Sartori & Partners data count 652 dated deals in Corporate & M&A in Paris in the 12 months to October 2026 and 1,935 over the three years to October 2026.
M&A work is involved in 76.3% of them and Venture & growth in 6.2%.
By client industry, Technology & Software comes first with 11.8%.
White & Case ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 151-250 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White & Case | 151-250 |
| 2 | Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I | 101-150 |
| 3 | Latham & Watkins | 101-150 |
| 4 | Hogan Lovells Cadwalader | 101-150 |
| 5 | Jones Day | 61-100 |
| 6 | McDermott Will & Schulte | 61-100 |
| 7 | CMS | 61-100 |
| 8 | Freshfields | 61-100 |
| 9 | Bird & Bird | 61-100 |
| 10 | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe | 61-100 |
Time to partner in Corporate & M&A in Paris
52 lawyers were promoted to partner in Corporate & M&A in Paris over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 12.0 years, with the middle half between 10.0 years and 13.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 56.2% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 32 promotions.
Specialities in Corporate & M&A in Paris
Over the three years to October 2026, Private M&A was involved in 45.0% of moves in Corporate & M&A in Paris, then Public M&A with 10.0%.
Related monitors and reports
Other practices in Paris
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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