Practice by city · November 2026

Real Estate in Houston: lateral monitor

Lawyers who changed firm in Real Estate in Houston over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.

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01 The numbers

The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026

26
Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
26.9%
Partner share of moves
20
Firms that hired
62
Lateral moves, three yearsThree years to October 2026
02 Reading the data

What the data show

From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 26 lateral moves in Real Estate in Houston, 1.7% of the practice's moves.

Real Estate in Houston against Real Estate, Houston and the market
MeasureHereReal EstateHoustonMarket
Partner share of moves26.9%28.9%29.6%27.7%
Counsel share of moves (three years)14.5%13.5%13.8%12.1%
Associate share of moves57.7%56.4%59.5%58.5%
Moved up a level (three years)12.9%14.2%11.5%12.3%
Changed city-20.4%16.8%20.5%
Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers43.5%44.0%58.9%53.6%
Year on year-rose (+7.9%)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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 Real Estate practice as a whole, the partner share stands out most: 26.9% here against 28.9%, below it. Against all moves in Houston, the widest gap is the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers, which is lower here: 43.5% against 58.9%.

Real Estate in Houston: lateral moves by year

2026 runs to October.

Over the three years to October 2026, 62 lawyers moved in Real Estate in Houston, 21 of them partners (33.9%). They joined 38 different firms. 32.0% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.

The level mix sits close to the market: partners are 26.9% of arrivals, against 27.7% market-wide.

20 firms hired at least one lateral in Real Estate in Houston in the window. 43.5% of arrivals went to firms with 1,000+ lawyers, against 53.6% market-wide.

The practice accounts for 7.9% of all lateral moves in Houston. Over the three years to October 2026, 62.9% of movers came from another firm in Houston itself.

03 Demand

Deals in Real Estate in Houston

Sartori & Partners data count 28 dated deals in Real Estate in Houston in the 12 months to October 2026 and 92 over the three years to October 2026.

M&A work is involved in 35.9% of them and Real estate in 34.8%.

By client industry, Oil & Gas comes first with 44.6%.

Kirkland & Ellis ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 21-40 band.

Share of deals involving each deal type, three years to October 2026
Share of deals involving each client industry, three years to October 2026
Advising firms ranked by deals, three years to October 2026
RankFirmDeals (band)
1Kirkland & Ellis21-40
2Jackson Walker11-20
3Vinson & Elkins6-10
4Bracewell3-5
5Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld3-5
6Latham & Watkins3-5
7Hunton Andrews Kurth3-5
8Holland & Knight3-5
9Haynes and Boone3-5
10Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani3-5
04 Promotions

Time to partner in Real Estate in Houston

20 lawyers were promoted to partner in Real Estate in Houston over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.

05 Specialities

Specialities in Real Estate in Houston

Over the three years to October 2026, Commercial Real Estate Transactions was involved in 38.7% of moves in Real Estate in Houston.

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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