Practice by city · November 2026
Employment & Labor in San Francisco: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Employment & Labor in San Francisco over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 77
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +29.5%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 22.1%
- Partner share of moves
- 42
- Firms that hired
What the data show
In the Sartori & Partners lateral record, 77 lawyers joined a new firm in Employment & Labor in San Francisco from November 2025 to October 2026, 5.1% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 61 to 79 (+29.5%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Employment & Labor | San Francisco | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 22.1% | 22.4% | 24.9% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 7.8% | 15.2% | 15.0% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 70.1% | 61.6% | 58.9% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 11.7% | 13.5% | 14.1% | 12.9% |
| Changed city | 10.4% | 20.6% | 15.0% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 55.6% | 46.9% | 57.7% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+29.5%) | rose (+6.9%) | rose (+30.1%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 Employment & Labor practice as a whole, the widest gap is the share who changed city, which is lower here: 10.4% against 20.6%. Against all moves in San Francisco, the widest gap is the associate share, which is higher here: 70.1% against 58.9%. Year on year it held flat while the Employment & Labor practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 193 lawyers moved in Employment & Labor in San Francisco, 32 of them partners (16.6%). They joined 70 different firms. 10.4% stepped up a level on the move and 12.4% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 46.7% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner22.1%
- Counsel7.8%
- Associate70.1%
At 22.1%, partners are a smaller slice of arrivals than in the market as a whole (27.7%). A step up in title came with 11.7% of moves (market 12.9%).
- 1,000+ lawyers55.6%
- 400-999 lawyers25.0%
- 150-399 lawyers12.5%
- under 150 lawyers6.9%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. Lateral hires in Employment & Labor in San Francisco were spread across 70 firms. Ten firms account for 42.4% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: concentrated. Jackson Lewis ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 11-20 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers46.7%
- 400-999 lawyers22.6%
- 150-399 lawyers23.4%
- under 150 lawyers7.3%
The practice accounts for 17.0% of all lateral moves in San Francisco. Over the three years to October 2026, 73.1% of movers came from another firm in San Francisco itself. A change of city came with 10.4% of moves (market 20.5%).
There were 36 open roles in Employment & Labor in San Francisco on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
With volume in Employment & Labor in San Francisco holding level, a hire depends on a specific reason to move, which a firm has to put in front of the candidate.
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 | Jackson Lewis | 11-20 |
| 2 | Ogletree Deakins | 11-20 |
| 3 | Seyfarth Shaw | 6-10 |
| 4 | Littler Mendelson | 6-10 |
| 5 | Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani | 6-10 |
| 6 | Kaufman Dolowich | 6-10 |
| 7 | O'Hagan Meyer | 6-10 |
| 8 | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe | 3-5 |
| 9 | Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton | 3-5 |
| 10 | Tressler | 3-5 |
Deals in Employment & Labor in San Francisco
Sartori & Partners data count 52 over the three years to October 2026.
Disputes & investigations work is involved in 96.2% of them.
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 6-10 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liebert Cassidy Whitmore | 6-10 |
| 2 | Jones Day | 3-5 |
| 3 | Jackson Lewis | 3-5 |
| 4 | Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani | 3-5 |
| 5 | Duane Morris | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Employment & Labor in San Francisco
38 lawyers were promoted to partner in Employment & Labor in San Francisco over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 11.0 years, with the middle half between 10.0 years and 13.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 63.6% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 33 promotions.
Specialities in Employment & Labor in San Francisco
Over the three years to October 2026, Employment Litigation was involved in 72.5% of moves in Employment & Labor in San Francisco, then Discrimination & Harassment with 48.2%.
Related monitors and reports
Up one level
Other practices in San Francisco
Employment & Labor 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].
For law firm leaders
Planning a partner hire in this market?
We run retained partner searches using the same data behind this page.