Intellectual Property in Washington, DC: lateral monitor

Sartori & Partners data show 110 lateral moves in Intellectual Property in Washington, DC from November 2025 to October 2026, 10.5% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 87 to 104 (+19.5%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.

Over the three years to October 2026, 277 lawyers moved in Intellectual Property in Washington, DC, 97 of them partners (35.0%). They joined 104 different firms. 9.7% stepped up a level on the move and 20.0% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 58.2% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.

This is a partner market: 35.5% of movers were partners, against 27.7% market-wide. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 28 to 33 (+17.9%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. 10.9% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.

Lateral hires in Intellectual Property in Washington, DC were spread across 64 firms. Ten firms account for 36.4% of arrivals, against 12.9% across the market: concentrated. Winston Taylor ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.

The practice accounts for 13.9% of all lateral moves in Washington, DC. Over the three years to October 2026, 63.5% of movers came from another firm in Washington, DC itself. 19.2% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.

There were 83 open roles in Intellectual Property in Washington, DC on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.

For a firm planning a hire in Intellectual Property 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.

Sartori & Partners data count 656 dated deals in Intellectual Property in Washington, DC in the 12 months to October 2026 and 1,737 over the three years to October 2026.

Disputes & investigations work is involved in 89.5% of them and Other in 2.8%.

By client industry, Pharma & Biotech comes first with 12.6%.

Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 151-250 band.

Over the three years to October 2026, Patent Litigation was involved in 49.5% of moves in Intellectual Property in Washington, DC, then Patent: Electrical, Computer & Software with 31.8%.