Practice by city · November 2026
Employment & Labor in Washington, DC: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Employment & Labor in Washington, DC over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 28
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +11.1%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 28.6%
- Partner share of moves
- 24
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 28 lateral moves in Employment & Labor in Washington, DC, 1.9% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 27 to 30 (+11.1%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Employment & Labor | Washington, DC | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 28.6% | 22.4% | 37.7% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 11.1% | 13.8% | 13.2% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 64.3% | 61.6% | 49.9% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level (three years) | 12.3% | 12.4% | 12.1% | 12.3% |
| Changed city (three years) | 18.0% | 21.5% | 15.6% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 63.0% | 46.9% | 67.1% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+11.1%) | rose (+6.9%) | rose (+12.4%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers, which is higher here: 63.0% against 46.9%. Set against all moves in Washington, DC, the associate share stands out most: 64.3% here against 49.9%, above it. Year on year it held flat while the Employment & Labor practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 81 lawyers moved in Employment & Labor in Washington, DC, 24 of them partners (29.6%). They joined 54 different firms. 12.3% stepped up a level on the move and 18.0% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 62.3% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner28.6%
- Associate64.3%
The level mix sits close to the market: partners are 28.6% of arrivals, against 27.7% market-wide.
- 1,000+ lawyers63.0%
- 400-999 lawyers22.2%
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 Washington, DC were spread across 54 firms. Ten firms account for 40.0% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: concentrated. Littler Mendelson ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers62.3%
- 400-999 lawyers24.6%
- 150-399 lawyers13.1%
The practice accounts for 3.5% of all lateral moves in Washington, DC. Over the three years to October 2026, 61.7% of movers came from another firm in Washington, DC itself.
There were 26 open roles in Employment & Labor in Washington, DC on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
For a firm planning a hire in Employment & Labor 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.
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 | Littler Mendelson | 6-10 |
| 2 | Jackson Lewis | 3-5 |
| 3 | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius | 3-5 |
| 4 | Seyfarth Shaw | 3-5 |
| 5 | Ogletree Deakins | 3-5 |
Deals in Employment & Labor in Washington, DC
Sartori & Partners data count 26 dated deals in Employment & Labor in Washington, DC in the 12 months to October 2026 and 76 over the three years to October 2026.
Disputes & investigations work is involved in 94.7% of them.
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 6-10 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius | 6-10 |
| 2 | Williams & Connolly | 6-10 |
| 3 | Littler Mendelson | 3-5 |
| 4 | Jones Day | 3-5 |
| 5 | O'Melveny & Myers | 3-5 |
| 6 | Jackson Lewis | 3-5 |
| 7 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | 3-5 |
| 8 | Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Employment & Labor in Washington, DC
33 lawyers were promoted to partner in Employment & Labor in Washington, DC 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. 63.6% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 33 promotions.
Specialities in Employment & Labor in Washington, DC
Over the three years to October 2026, Employment Litigation was involved in 61.7% of moves in Employment & Labor in Washington, DC, then Employment Advisory with 50.6%.
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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].
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