Practice by city · November 2026
Litigation & Disputes in Montreal: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Litigation & Disputes in Montreal over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 29
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- -3.4%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 17.2%
- Partner share of moves
- 90
- Lateral moves, three yearsThree years to October 2026
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 29 lateral moves in Litigation & Disputes in Montreal, 0.5% of the practice's moves. Year on year the count held level (29 to 28 on settled windows, -3.4%). The market as a whole moved +9.0%, so this flow lagged it.
| Measure | Here | Litigation & Disputes | Montreal | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 17.2% | 27.4% | 17.6% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 7.8% | 13.4% | 6.2% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 69.0% | 57.7% | 71.8% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level (three years) | 10.0% | 13.2% | 13.3% | 12.3% |
| Changed city (three years) | 10.4% | 20.3% | 9.9% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 34.6% | 43.3% | 29.1% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (-3.4%) | rose (+7.5%) | rose (+45.8%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 Litigation & Disputes practice as a whole, the widest gap is the associate share, which is higher here: 69.0% against 57.7%. Set against all moves in Montreal, the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers stands out most: 34.6% here against 29.1%, above it. Year on year it held flat while the Litigation & Disputes practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 90 lawyers moved in Litigation & Disputes in Montreal. They joined 23 different firms. 10.0% stepped up a level on the move and 10.4% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 32.7% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner17.2%
- Associate69.0%
The partner share is 17.2%, below the market's 27.7%, so most movers are associates and counsel.
- 1,000+ lawyers34.6%
- 400-999 lawyers38.5%
- 150-399 lawyers23.1%
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 Montreal were spread across 23 firms. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 69.7% of arrivals (12.2% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. Borden Ladner Gervais ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 11-20 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers32.7%
- 400-999 lawyers42.3%
- 150-399 lawyers13.5%
- under 150 lawyers11.5%
The practice accounts for 34.1% of all lateral moves in Montreal. Over the three years to October 2026, 66.7% of movers came from another firm in Montreal itself.
With volume in Litigation & Disputes in Montreal 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 | Borden Ladner Gervais | 11-20 |
| 2 | DWF | 6-10 |
| 3 | McCarthy Tétrault | 6-10 |
| 4 | Gowling WLG | 3-5 |
| 5 | Blake Cassels & Graydon | 3-5 |
| 6 | BCF Business Law | 3-5 |
| 7 | Dentons | 3-5 |
| 8 | DLA Piper | 3-5 |
| 9 | Miller Thomson | 3-5 |
| 10 | Norton Rose Fulbright | 3-5 |
Deals in Litigation & Disputes in Montreal
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 6-10 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fasken Martineau DuMoulin | 6-10 |
Time to partner in Litigation & Disputes in Montreal
55 lawyers were promoted to partner in Litigation & Disputes in Montreal over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 9.0 years, with the middle half between 8.0 years and 11.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 88.1% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 42 promotions.
Specialities in Litigation & Disputes in Montreal
Over the three years to October 2026, Commercial Litigation was involved in 45.6% of moves in Litigation & Disputes in Montreal, then Class Actions with 24.4%.
Related monitors and reports
Up one level
Other practices in Montreal
Litigation & Disputes in other cities
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- Phoenix
- Dubai
- Bristol
- Orlando
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- New Orleans
- Wilmington
- Amsterdam
- St. Louis
- Brussels
- Newark
- Melbourne
- Sacramento
- Indianapolis
- Columbus
- Brisbane
- Calgary
- Leeds
- Kansas City
- Jacksonville
- Las Vegas
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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