Practice by city · November 2026
Private Equity in Houston: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Private Equity in Houston over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 37
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +38.5%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 29.7%
- Partner share of moves
- 22
- Firms that hired
What the data show
In the Sartori & Partners lateral record, 37 lawyers joined a new firm in Private Equity in Houston from November 2025 to October 2026, 3.0% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 26 to 36 (+38.5%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Private Equity | Houston | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 29.7% | 38.1% | 29.6% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 10.1% | 10.0% | 13.8% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 59.5% | 50.1% | 59.5% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level (three years) | 9.0% | 12.6% | 11.5% | 12.3% |
| Changed city | 17.6% | 21.1% | 16.8% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 78.4% | 71.6% | 58.9% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+38.5%) | rose (+14.9%) | rose (+51.1%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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.
Set against the Private Equity practice as a whole, the associate share stands out most: 59.5% here against 50.1%, above it. Set against all moves in Houston, the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers stands out most: 78.4% here against 58.9%, above it. Year on year it held flat while the Private Equity practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 89 lawyers moved in Private Equity in Houston, 32 of them partners (36.0%). They joined 44 different firms. 9.0% stepped up a level on the move and 15.8% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 65.5% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner29.7%
- Associate59.5%
With partners at 29.7% of arrivals, the mix is in line with the market's 27.7%.
- 1,000+ lawyers78.4%
- 400-999 lawyers16.2%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. 44 firms hired at least one lateral in Private Equity in Houston in the window. Ten firms account for 49.4% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: concentrated. First on the hiring table is Kirkland & Ellis, with arrivals in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers65.5%
- 400-999 lawyers21.8%
- 150-399 lawyers5.7%
- under 150 lawyers6.9%
The practice accounts for 11.2% of all lateral moves in Houston. Over the three years to October 2026, 71.9% of movers came from another firm in Houston itself. 17.6% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.
With volume in Private Equity in Houston 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 | Kirkland & Ellis | 6-10 |
| 2 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | 6-10 |
| 3 | White & Case | 3-5 |
| 4 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | 3-5 |
| 5 | O'Melveny & Myers | 3-5 |
| 6 | Latham & Watkins | 3-5 |
| 7 | Clifford Chance | 3-5 |
| 8 | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates | 3-5 |
| 9 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher | 3-5 |
| 10 | Jones Day | 3-5 |
Deals in Private Equity in Houston
Sartori & Partners data count 97 dated deals in Private Equity in Houston in the 12 months to October 2026 and 219 over the three years to October 2026.
Private equity work is involved in 62.1% of them.
By client industry, Financial Sponsors comes first with 72.1%.
Kirkland & Ellis ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 41-60 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirkland & Ellis | 41-60 |
| 2 | Latham & Watkins | 41-60 |
| 3 | Vinson & Elkins | 11-20 |
| 4 | Sidley Austin | 11-20 |
| 5 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher | 11-20 |
| 6 | Troutman Pepper Locke | 11-20 |
| 7 | Holland & Knight | 6-10 |
| 8 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | 6-10 |
| 9 | Weil Gotshal & Manges | 3-5 |
| 10 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Private Equity in Houston
44 lawyers were promoted to partner in Private Equity in Houston 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 10.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 87.8% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 41 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other practices in Houston
Private Equity in other cities
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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