Practice by city · November 2026
Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation 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
- 32
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +16.7%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 28.1%
- Partner share of moves
- 26
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 32 lateral moves in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London, 12.7% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 24 to 28 (+16.7%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation | London | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 28.1% | 30.2% | 29.3% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 25.0% | 19.8% | 9.1% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 46.9% | 48.8% | 60.4% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 18.8% | 17.5% | 11.5% | 12.9% |
| Changed city (three years) | 9.6% | 19.6% | 17.7% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 73.3% | 61.9% | 68.5% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+16.7%) | rose (+16.6%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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.
Against the Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation practice as a whole, the widest gap is the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers, which is higher here: 73.3% against 61.9%. Set against all moves in London, the counsel share stands out most: 25.0% here against 9.1%, above it. Year on year it held flat while the Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 81 lawyers moved in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London, 20 of them partners (24.7%). They joined 42 different firms. 14.8% stepped up a level on the move and 9.6% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 61.1% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner28.1%
- Counsel25.0%
- Associate46.9%
With partners at 28.1% of arrivals, the mix is in line with the market's 27.7%. 18.8% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
- 1,000+ lawyers73.3%
- 400-999 lawyers23.3%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. Lateral hires in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London were spread across 42 firms. Ten firms account for 49.4% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: concentrated. Latham & Watkins ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers61.1%
- 400-999 lawyers34.7%
The practice accounts for 2.5% of all lateral moves in London. Over the three years to October 2026, 58.0% of movers came from another firm in London itself.
For a firm planning a hire in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London, a flat market means candidates are not being pulled by a wave: the case for a move has to come from the platform.
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 | Latham & Watkins | 6-10 |
| 2 | CMS | 6-10 |
| 3 | Bird & Bird | 3-5 |
| 4 | Simmons & Simmons | 3-5 |
| 5 | Eversheds Sutherland | 3-5 |
| 6 | Travers Smith | 3-5 |
| 7 | A&O Shearman | 3-5 |
| 8 | Pinsent Masons | 3-5 |
| 9 | Macfarlanes | 3-5 |
| 10 | Keystone Law | 3-5 |
Deals in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London
Sartori & Partners data count 31 dated deals in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London in the 12 months to October 2026 and 94 over the three years to October 2026.
Other work is involved in 46.8% of them.
By client industry, Asset Management & Funds comes first with 41.5%.
Slaughter and May ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 11-20 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slaughter and May | 11-20 |
| 2 | Travers Smith | 6-10 |
| 3 | Mayer Brown | 6-10 |
| 4 | Osborne Clarke | 6-10 |
| 5 | Eversheds Sutherland | 6-10 |
| 6 | Macfarlanes | 6-10 |
| 7 | Gowling WLG | 3-5 |
| 8 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher | 3-5 |
| 9 | Squire Patton Boggs | 3-5 |
| 10 | DLA Piper | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London
27 lawyers were promoted to partner in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
Specialities in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London
Over the three years to October 2026, Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs was involved in 34.6% of moves in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation in London.
Related monitors and reports
Other practices in London
- Banking & Finance
- Corporate & M&A
- Litigation & Disputes
- Private Equity
- Real Estate
- Restructuring & Insolvency
- Funds & Investment Management
- Technology, Data & Privacy
- Projects & Infrastructure
- Capital Markets
- Tax
- Employment & Labor
- Construction
- Intellectual Property
- Antitrust & Competition
- Insurance & Reinsurance
- International Arbitration & Public International Law
- Environment & Sustainability
- Regulatory & Compliance
- White Collar, Investigations & Criminal
- Financial Services Regulatory
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].
For law firm leaders
Planning a partner hire in this market?
We run retained partner searches using the same data behind this page.