Practice by city · November 2026
Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 31
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- -8.3%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 29.0%
- Partner share of moves
- 23
- Firms that hired
What the data show
In the Sartori & Partners lateral record, 31 lawyers joined a new firm in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington from November 2025 to October 2026, 0.6% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 36 to 33 (-8.3%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Litigation & Disputes | Wilmington | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 29.0% | 27.4% | 31.2% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 11.3% | 13.4% | 9.8% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 61.3% | 57.7% | 58.3% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 19.4% | 13.4% | 20.8% | 12.9% |
| Changed city (three years) | 23.9% | 20.3% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 46.4% | 43.3% | 37.8% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (-8.3%) | rose (+7.5%) | flat (+8.7%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 share who moved up a level, which is higher here: 19.4% against 13.4%. Set against all moves in Wilmington, the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers stands out most: 46.4% here against 37.8%, above it. Year on year it held flat while the Litigation & Disputes practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 97 lawyers moved in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington, 24 of them partners (24.7%). They joined 47 different firms. 16.5% stepped up a level on the move and 23.9% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 23.7% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner29.0%
- Associate61.3%
Partners account for 29.0% of movers, near the market's 27.7%. A step up in title came with 19.4% of moves (market 12.9%).
- 1,000+ lawyers46.4%
- 400-999 lawyers25.0%
- 150-399 lawyers21.4%
Lateral hires in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington were spread across 23 firms. 46.4% of arrivals went to firms with 1,000+ lawyers, against 53.6% market-wide.
- 1,000+ lawyers23.7%
- 400-999 lawyers14.5%
- 150-399 lawyers27.6%
- under 150 lawyers34.2%
The practice accounts for 64.6% of all lateral moves in Wilmington. Over the three years to October 2026, 55.7% of movers came from another firm in Wilmington itself.
For a firm planning a hire in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington, a flat market means candidates are not being pulled by a wave: the case for a move has to come from the platform.
Deals in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington
Sartori & Partners data count 120 dated deals in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington in the 12 months to October 2026 and 269 over the three years to October 2026.
Disputes & investigations work is involved in 97.0% of them.
By client industry, Asset Management & Funds comes first with 8.2%.
Potter Anderson & Corroon ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 41-60 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Potter Anderson & Corroon | 41-60 |
| 2 | Richards Layton & Finger | 41-60 |
| 3 | Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor | 21-40 |
| 4 | Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell | 21-40 |
| 5 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | 21-40 |
| 6 | Troutman Pepper Locke | 11-20 |
| 7 | Fox Rothschild | 11-20 |
| 8 | Reed Smith | 6-10 |
| 9 | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates | 6-10 |
| 10 | Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati | 6-10 |
Time to partner in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington
41 lawyers were promoted to partner in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington 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 9.8 years and 14.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 57.5% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 40 promotions.
Specialities in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington
Over the three years to October 2026, Commercial Litigation was involved in 61.9% of moves in Litigation & Disputes in Wilmington.
Related monitors and reports
Litigation & Disputes in other cities
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Washington, DC
- Chicago
- London
- San Francisco
- Dallas
- Miami
- Philadelphia
- Houston
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Seattle
- Denver
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- Minneapolis
- Paris
- Nashville
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- Austin
- Toronto
- Manchester
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- Raleigh
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- Charlotte
- Cleveland
- Phoenix
- Dubai
- Bristol
- Orlando
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- New Orleans
- Amsterdam
- Montreal
- 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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