Practice monitor · November 2026
Public Law & Government: lateral market monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Public Law & Government 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
- 296
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- -4.9%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 34.1%
- Partner share of moves
- 163
- Firms that hired
What the data show
In the Sartori & Partners lateral record, 296 lawyers joined a new firm in Public Law & Government from November 2025 to October 2026, 2.1% of all lateral moves we tracked. On settled 12-month windows the count showed no clear change: 308 against 324 (-4.9%). It fell behind the market's own change of +9.0%.
Partners make up 34.1% of arrivals, against 27.7% across the market: a partner-heavy flow. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 105 to 104 (-1.0%), which we read as flat. 13.2% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
Latest: 30 in Sep 26
Show the numbers
| Month | Value |
|---|---|
| Nov 24 | 20 |
| Jan 25 | 36 |
| Feb 25 | 32 |
| Mar 25 | 30 |
| Apr 25 | 24 |
| May 25 | 29 |
| Jun 25 | 31 |
| Jul 25 | 34 |
| Aug 25 | 25 |
| Sep 25 | 27 |
| Oct 25 | 24 |
| Jan 26 | 42 |
| Feb 26 | 25 |
| Mar 26 | 21 |
| Apr 26 | 42 |
| May 26 | 23 |
| Jun 26 | 22 |
| Jul 26 | 22 |
| Aug 26 | 26 |
| Sep 26 | 30 |
The newest months read low: start dates are confirmed with a delay.
163 firms hired at least one lateral in Public Law & Government in the window. Ten firms account for 22.0% of arrivals, against 12.9% across the market: moderately concentrated. Holland & Knight ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.
- Partner34.1%
- Counsel15.5%
- Associate48.0%
Washington, DC ranks first among destination cities with 26.0% of arrivals. 22.8% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.
1.7% of moves came as part of a group, against 1.5% market-wide.
For a firm planning a hire in Public Law & Government, 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 | Holland & Knight | 6-10 |
| 2 | Greenberg Traurig | 6-10 |
| 3 | McNees Wallace & Nurick | 6-10 |
| 4 | DLA Piper | 6-10 |
| 5 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | 6-10 |
| 6 | Taft Stettinius & Hollister | 6-10 |
| 7 | Kirkland & Ellis | 6-10 |
| 8 | Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo | 6-10 |
| 9 | Moore & Van Allen | 3-5 |
| 10 | TLT | 3-5 |
| Rank | Firm | Moves (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greenberg Traurig | 6-10 |
| 2 | Taft Stettinius & Hollister | 6-10 |
| 3 | DLA Piper | 6-10 |
| 4 | Steptoe | 6-10 |
| 5 | Holland & Knight | 6-10 |
| 6 | Burr & Forman | 6-10 |
| 7 | Dentons | 6-10 |
| 8 | Fox Rothschild | 3-5 |
| 9 | Morrison & Foerster | 3-5 |
| 10 | Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath | 3-5 |
Related monitors and reports
Public Law & Government by city
- Washington, DC77 moves
Specialities in Public Law & Government
Related monitors
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Overlapping practices
- Litigation & Disputes46.3% overlap
- Regulatory & Compliance16.2% overlap
- White Collar, Investigations & Criminal15.2% overlap
- Employment & Labor12.5% overlap
- Construction11.1% overlap
- Environment & Sustainability10.1% overlap
- Projects & Infrastructure7.8% overlap
- Health Care7.8% overlap
Hiring in this market
Reports
- Public Law Lateral Hiring in 2026: A Washington Market
Public law hiring is a Washington market: 26.0% of lateral moves land in the capital, an index of 464 against the market. Volume held flat (-4.9%) while the market rose 9.0%.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Public Law Matters in 2026: Clients Are Institutions, Not Companies
Public law work is bought by governments, nonprofits and schools, and 80.6% of it is contested. Matters rose 8.8% on settled windows while lateral hiring in the practice held flat (-4.9%).
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Public Law Path to Partner 2026: No Rush to Buy Partners
Public law lateral partner hiring held flat (-1.0%) while partner moves across the market rose 8.4%. Firms make partners at the market's own ratio, and the median new partner gets there in 10.0 years, though a long tail lifts the average.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Washington Public Law Hiring Stays Local: 7.4% Changed City
Washington public law is hired from inside Washington: 7.4% of laterals changed city, against 22.8% for the practice and 15.7% for the city, and 77.8% of 3-year arrivals came from Washington firms.
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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