Litigation & Disputes in Dubai: lateral monitor

From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 34 lateral moves in Litigation & Disputes in Dubai, 0.6% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 20 to 35, up 75.0% year on year. It outpaced the market's own change of +9.0%.

Over the three years to October 2026, 88 lawyers moved in Litigation & Disputes in Dubai, 24 of them partners (27.3%). They joined 38 different firms. 21.6% stepped up a level on the move and 28.9% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 66.2% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.

At 17.6%, partners are a smaller slice of arrivals than in the market as a whole (27.7%). 23.5% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.

The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. Lateral hires in Litigation & Disputes in Dubai were spread across 38 firms. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 54.5% of arrivals (12.2% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. Stephenson Harwood ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 11-20 band.

The practice accounts for 31.5% of all lateral moves in Dubai. Over the three years to October 2026, 61.4% of movers came from another firm in Dubai itself. 34.5% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.

A rising, associate-led flow in Litigation & Disputes in Dubai favors firms that build teams from below; a partner search here needs a longer runway.

Sartori & Partners data count 25 over the three years to October 2026.

Disputes & investigations work is involved in 100.0% of them.

Over the three years to October 2026, Commercial Litigation was involved in 38.6% of moves in Litigation & Disputes in Dubai.