Practice by city · November 2026
Insurance & Reinsurance in London: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Insurance & Reinsurance in London over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 46
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +17.5%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 45.7%
- Partner share of moves
- 28
- Firms that hired
What the data show
In the Sartori & Partners lateral record, 46 lawyers joined a new firm in Insurance & Reinsurance in London from November 2025 to October 2026, 6.8% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 40 to 47 (+17.5%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Insurance & Reinsurance | London | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 45.7% | 30.5% | 29.3% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 10.9% | 16.2% | 9.1% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 43.5% | 52.7% | 60.4% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 13.0% | 16.5% | 11.5% | 12.9% |
| Changed city (three years) | 12.9% | 18.2% | 17.7% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 63.6% | 46.1% | 68.5% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+17.5%) | flat (+2.5%) | flat (-2.5%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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.
Set against the Insurance & Reinsurance practice as a whole, the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers stands out most: 63.6% here against 46.1%, above it. Set against all moves in London, the associate share stands out most: 43.5% here against 60.4%, below it. Year on year it moved with the Insurance & Reinsurance practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 126 lawyers moved in Insurance & Reinsurance in London, 56 of them partners (44.4%). They joined 46 different firms. 15.9% stepped up a level on the move and 12.9% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 72.6% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner45.7%
- Counsel10.9%
- Associate43.5%
This is a partner market: 45.7% of movers were partners, against 27.7% market-wide. 13.0% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
- 1,000+ lawyers63.6%
- 400-999 lawyers20.5%
- 150-399 lawyers11.4%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. 46 firms hired at least one lateral in Insurance & Reinsurance in London in the window. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 52.4% of arrivals (12.2% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. First on the hiring table is DWF, with arrivals in the 11-20 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers72.6%
- 400-999 lawyers18.6%
- under 150 lawyers6.2%
The practice accounts for 3.5% of all lateral moves in London. Over the three years to October 2026, 64.3% of movers came from another firm in London itself.
With volume in Insurance & Reinsurance in London 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 | DWF | 11-20 |
| 2 | DAC Beachcroft | 11-20 |
| 3 | Norton Rose Fulbright | 6-10 |
| 4 | Mills & Reeve | 6-10 |
| 5 | Simmons & Simmons | 3-5 |
| 6 | Reynolds Porter Chamberlain | 3-5 |
| 7 | CMS | 3-5 |
| 8 | Weightmans | 3-5 |
| 9 | Keystone Law | 3-5 |
| 10 | Clyde & Co | 3-5 |
| Rank | Firm | Moves (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DWF | 6-10 |
| 2 | DAC Beachcroft | 3-5 |
| 3 | Keystone Law | 3-5 |
Deals in Insurance & Reinsurance in London
Sartori & Partners data count 48 dated deals in Insurance & Reinsurance in London in the 12 months to October 2026 and 98 over the three years to October 2026.
M&A work is involved in 40.8% of them.
By client industry, Insurance comes first with 87.8%.
Debevoise & Plimpton ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 11-20 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Debevoise & Plimpton | 11-20 |
| 2 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher | 11-20 |
| 3 | Sidley Austin | 6-10 |
| 4 | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates | 6-10 |
| 5 | Reynolds Porter Chamberlain | 3-5 |
| 6 | Mayer Brown | 3-5 |
| 7 | Clifford Chance | 3-5 |
| 8 | Slaughter and May | 3-5 |
| 9 | Latham & Watkins | 3-5 |
| 10 | McDermott Will & Schulte | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Insurance & Reinsurance in London
21 lawyers were promoted to partner in Insurance & Reinsurance in London in the 12 months to May 2026, 72 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 14.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 65.8% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 38 promotions.
Specialities in Insurance & Reinsurance in London
Over the three years to October 2026, Insurance Coverage was involved in 50.0% of moves in Insurance & Reinsurance in London, then Reinsurance with 31.7%.
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Insurance & Reinsurance 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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