Practice monitor · November 2026
Product Liability & Torts: lateral market monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Product Liability & Torts over the last 12 months: how many, at what level, where they went and which firms hired them.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 960
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +2.3%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 27.3%
- Partner share of moves
- 305
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 960 lateral moves in Product Liability & Torts, 6.8% of all lateral moves we tracked. On settled 12-month windows the count showed no clear change: 981 against 959 (+2.3%). The market as a whole moved +9.0%, so this flow lagged it.
The level mix sits close to the market: partners are 27.3% of arrivals, against 27.7% market-wide. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 282 to 268 (-5.0%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. 15.7% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
Latest: 53 in Oct 26
Show the numbers
| Month | Value |
|---|---|
| Nov 24 | 46 |
| Dec 24 | 43 |
| Jan 25 | 115 |
| Feb 25 | 93 |
| Mar 25 | 95 |
| Apr 25 | 62 |
| May 25 | 73 |
| Jun 25 | 73 |
| Jul 25 | 85 |
| Aug 25 | 91 |
| Sep 25 | 101 |
| Oct 25 | 74 |
| Nov 25 | 60 |
| Dec 25 | 39 |
| Jan 26 | 93 |
| Feb 26 | 83 |
| Mar 26 | 109 |
| Apr 26 | 88 |
| May 26 | 91 |
| Jun 26 | 100 |
| Jul 26 | 85 |
| Aug 26 | 82 |
| Sep 26 | 77 |
| Oct 26 | 53 |
The newest months read low: start dates are confirmed with a delay.
Lateral hires in Product Liability & Torts were spread across 305 firms. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 30.0% of arrivals (12.9% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. First on the hiring table is Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, with arrivals in the 41-60 band.
- Partner27.3%
- Counsel16.8%
- Associate55.8%
By city, New York comes first (10.8% of arrivals), then Los Angeles (8.6%). 19.7% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.
0.6% of moves came as part of a group, against 1.5% market-wide. Over the last 6 months, 39 lawyers left for an in-house role: 8 for every 100 lateral moves, against 13.1 market-wide.
With volume in Product Liability & Torts 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 | Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker | 41-60 |
| 2 | Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani | 41-60 |
| 3 | Morgan & Morgan | 21-40 |
| 4 | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith | 21-40 |
| 5 | Quintairos Prieto Wood & Boyer | 21-40 |
| 6 | Clyde & Co | 21-40 |
| 7 | Kennedys Law | 21-40 |
| 8 | Freeman Mathis & Gary | 21-40 |
| 9 | Shook, Hardy & Bacon | 11-20 |
| 10 | Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman | 11-20 |
| Rank | Firm | Moves (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani | 11-20 |
| 2 | Quintairos Prieto Wood & Boyer | 11-20 |
| 3 | Morrison & Foerster | 6-10 |
| 4 | Kirkland & Ellis | 6-10 |
| 5 | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith | 6-10 |
| 6 | Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby | 6-10 |
| 7 | Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman | 6-10 |
| 8 | Tyson & Mendes | 3-5 |
| 9 | The Chartwell Law Offices | 3-5 |
| 10 | Wicker Smith | 3-5 |
Related monitors and reports
Product Liability & Torts by city
- New York104 moves
- Los Angeles83 moves
- Chicago60 moves
- Miami60 moves
- Philadelphia38 moves
- San Francisco38 moves
- Atlanta32 moves
- Houston30 moves
- Dallas24 moves
- Boston21 moves
- Seattle21 moves
- Orlando20 moves
Specialities in Product Liability & Torts
Related monitors
Other practices
- Litigation & Disputes
- Corporate & M&A
- Banking & Finance
- Employment & Labor
- Real Estate
- Private Equity
- Intellectual Property
- Construction
- Tax
- Restructuring & Insolvency
- Insurance & Reinsurance
- Capital Markets
- Funds & Investment Management
- Technology, Data & Privacy
- Projects & Infrastructure
- White Collar, Investigations & Criminal
- Health Care
- Antitrust & Competition
- Regulatory & Compliance
- Environment & Sustainability
- Private Client & Estates
- Public Law & Government
- Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation
- Financial Services Regulatory
- International Arbitration & Public International Law
- Immigration
- Commercial Contracts
- International Trade & National Security
- Shipping & Maritime
- Family
Overlapping practices
- Litigation & Disputes73.1% overlap
- Construction14.8% overlap
- Insurance & Reinsurance11.2% overlap
- Employment & Labor6.5% overlap
- Environment & Sustainability4.2% overlap
- Health Care2.1% overlap
Hiring in this market
Reports
- Chicago Product Liability Hiring Runs Heavy on Partners
Partners took 35.0% of Chicago product liability lateral moves over 12 months, a larger share than across the practice or across Chicago. The city's index on product liability partners stands at 195, against 146 for the practice at all levels.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Los Angeles Product Liability Hiring: The Same Firms Keep Buying
The ten most active firms took 46.3% of Los Angeles product liability hires over 12 months and 45.6% over 3 years, against 16.7% and 14.9% for the city, and most of the same names top both lists. Firms of 1,000+ lawyers took 38.2% of the group's hires, against 47.0% across Los Angeles.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Miami Product Liability Takes 19.9% of the City's Lateral Moves
Product liability and torts weighs far more in Miami than market-wide: the city's index in the practice is 289. Over the settled 12 months Miami product liability moves rose 44.2%, while the practice held flat (+2.3%).
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - New York Product Liability Laterals Rarely Step Up a Title
A smaller share of New York product liability laterals join at a higher title than across the practice. Over the settled 12 months the cell fell 27.3%, while the practice held flat (+2.3%) and New York rose 11.9%.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Product Liability Lateral Moves in 2026: A Counsel Market
Product liability hiring runs through the counsel tier: counsel are 16.8% of moves against 12.7% market-wide, and 15.7% of movers join at a higher title, while volume stayed flat as the market grew.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Product Liability Matters in 2026: 5.9 per Client
Product liability work runs through repeat clients: 5.9 recorded matters per client in 12 months, nearly all of them disputes. Individuals and healthcare providers are the largest client sectors, and both matters and hiring held flat.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Product Liability Path to Partner in 2026: A Fast Lane and a Slow Lane
Product liability partners reach the title on two clocks. More make it within 8 years than in the market, 25.4% against 23.2%, yet fewer within 12 years, 72.4% against 75.4%.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026
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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