Practice by city · November 2026
Private Equity in Los Angeles: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Private Equity in Los Angeles over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 41
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- -2.5%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 51.2%
- Partner share of moves
- 31
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 41 lateral moves in Private Equity in Los Angeles, 3.3% of the practice's moves. Year on year the count held level (40 to 39 on settled windows, -2.5%). It fell behind the market's own change of +9.0%.
| Measure | Here | Private Equity | Los Angeles | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 51.2% | 38.1% | 27.9% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 8.7% | 10.0% | 12.7% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 43.9% | 50.1% | 57.4% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level (three years) | 13.6% | 12.6% | 13.1% | 12.3% |
| Changed city | 15.8% | 21.1% | 16.4% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 68.3% | 71.6% | 47.0% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (-2.5%) | rose (+14.9%) | rose (+21.0%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 Private Equity practice as a whole, the widest gap is the partner share, which is higher here: 51.2% against 38.1%. Set against all moves in Los Angeles, the partner share stands out most: 51.2% here against 27.9%, above it. Year on year it held flat while the Private Equity practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 103 lawyers moved in Private Equity in Los Angeles, 54 of them partners (52.4%). They joined 56 different firms. 13.6% stepped up a level on the move and 16.5% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 73.0% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner51.2%
- Associate43.9%
Partners make up 51.2% of arrivals, against 27.7% across the market: a partner-heavy flow. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 21 to 20 (-4.8%), which we read as flat.
- 1,000+ lawyers68.3%
- under 150 lawyers17.1%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. Lateral hires in Private Equity in Los Angeles were spread across 56 firms. Ten firms account for 40.8% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: concentrated. First on the hiring table is Baker McKenzie, with arrivals in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers73.0%
- 400-999 lawyers10.0%
- 150-399 lawyers9.0%
- under 150 lawyers8.0%
The practice accounts for 5.8% of all lateral moves in Los Angeles. Over the three years to October 2026, 73.8% of movers came from another firm in Los Angeles itself. A change of city came with 15.8% of moves (market 20.5%).
With volume in Private Equity in Los Angeles 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 | Baker McKenzie | 6-10 |
| 2 | Weil Gotshal & Manges | 3-5 |
| 3 | Kirkland & Ellis | 3-5 |
| 4 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | 3-5 |
| 5 | Sullivan & Cromwell | 3-5 |
| 6 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher | 3-5 |
| 7 | Massumi & Consoli | 3-5 |
| 8 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | 3-5 |
| 9 | McGuireWoods | 3-5 |
| 10 | O'Melveny & Myers | 3-5 |
Deals in Private Equity in Los Angeles
Sartori & Partners data count 131 dated deals in Private Equity in Los Angeles in the 12 months to October 2026 and 315 over the three years to October 2026.
Private equity work is involved in 58.4% of them and Venture & growth in 6.7%.
By client industry, Financial Sponsors comes first with 84.4%.
Latham & Watkins ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 61-100 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latham & Watkins | 61-100 |
| 2 | Kirkland & Ellis | 41-60 |
| 3 | Weil Gotshal & Manges | 11-20 |
| 4 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | 11-20 |
| 5 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | 11-20 |
| 6 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | 11-20 |
| 7 | McDermott Will & Schulte | 11-20 |
| 8 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher | 6-10 |
| 9 | Greenberg Traurig | 6-10 |
| 10 | Foley & Lardner | 6-10 |
Time to partner in Private Equity in Los Angeles
26 lawyers were promoted to partner in Private Equity in Los Angeles over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 10.0 years, with the middle half between 8.0 years and 11.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 95.7% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 23 promotions.
Specialities in Private Equity in Los Angeles
Over the three years to October 2026, Buyouts was involved in 30.1% of moves in Private Equity in Los Angeles, then Growth & Minority Investments with 20.4%.
Related monitors and reports
Other practices in Los Angeles
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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