Practice by city · November 2026
Environment & Sustainability in Washington, DC: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Environment & Sustainability 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
- 27
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +4.5%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 37.0%
- Partner share of moves
- 24
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 27 lateral moves in Environment & Sustainability in Washington, DC, 8.1% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 22 to 23 (+4.5%), which we read as flat. It tracks the market's own change of +9.0%.
| Measure | Here | Environment & Sustainability | Washington, DC | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 37.0% | 32.9% | 37.7% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 11.0% | 15.5% | 13.2% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 48.1% | 46.4% | 49.9% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level (three years) | 11.0% | 15.3% | 12.1% | 12.3% |
| Changed city (three years) | 10.0% | 21.7% | 15.6% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 50.0% | 44.0% | 67.1% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+4.5%) | flat (+7.1%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 Environment & Sustainability practice as a whole, the widest gap is the share who changed city over three years, which is lower here: 10.0% against 21.7%. Against all moves in Washington, DC, the widest gap is the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers, which is lower here: 50.0% against 67.1%. Year on year it moved with the Environment & Sustainability practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 73 lawyers moved in Environment & Sustainability in Washington, DC, 26 of them partners (35.6%). They joined 44 different firms. 11.0% stepped up a level on the move and 10.0% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 34.3% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner37.0%
- Associate48.1%
At 37.0%, the partner share of arrivals sits above the market's 27.7%.
- 1,000+ lawyers50.0%
- 400-999 lawyers42.3%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. Lateral hires in Environment & Sustainability in Washington, DC were spread across 44 firms. Ten firms account for 46.5% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: concentrated. First on the hiring table is Steptoe, with arrivals in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers34.3%
- 400-999 lawyers45.7%
- 150-399 lawyers14.3%
The practice accounts for 3.4% of all lateral moves in Washington, DC. Over the three years to October 2026, 74.0% of movers came from another firm in Washington, DC itself.
With volume in Environment & Sustainability in Washington, DC 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 | Steptoe | 6-10 |
| 2 | Holland & Knight | 3-5 |
| 3 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | 3-5 |
| 4 | DLA Piper | 3-5 |
| 5 | Greenberg Traurig | 3-5 |
| 6 | Hogan Lovells Cadwalader | 3-5 |
Deals in Environment & Sustainability in Washington, DC
Sartori & Partners data count 22 dated deals in Environment & Sustainability in Washington, DC in the 12 months to October 2026 and 68 over the three years to October 2026.
Disputes & investigations work is involved in 54.4% of them.
Sidley Austin ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 6-10 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sidley Austin | 6-10 |
| 2 | Paul Hastings | 3-5 |
| 3 | Kirkland & Ellis | 3-5 |
| 4 | McGuireWoods | 3-5 |
| 5 | Latham & Watkins | 3-5 |
| 6 | Bracewell | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Environment & Sustainability in Washington, DC
36 lawyers were promoted to partner in Environment & Sustainability 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 9.0 years and 15.2 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 53.1% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 32 promotions.
Specialities in Environment & Sustainability in Washington, DC
Over the three years to October 2026, Environmental Litigation was involved in 42.5% of moves in Environment & Sustainability in Washington, DC, then Environmental Compliance & Permitting with 32.9%.
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Environment & Sustainability 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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