Practice by city · November 2026
Real Estate in Washington, DC: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Real Estate in Washington, DC over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 33
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- -19.0%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 18.2%
- Partner share of moves
- 22
- Firms that hired
What the data show
Sartori & Partners data show 33 lateral moves in Real Estate in Washington, DC from November 2025 to October 2026, 2.2% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 42 to 34 (-19.0%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Real Estate | Washington, DC | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 18.2% | 28.9% | 37.7% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 16.2% | 13.5% | 13.2% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 69.7% | 56.4% | 49.9% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level (three years) | 14.3% | 14.2% | 12.1% | 12.3% |
| Changed city | 25.9% | 20.4% | 15.7% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 48.5% | 44.0% | 67.1% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (-19.0%) | rose (+7.9%) | rose (+12.4%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 associate share stands out most: 69.7% here against 56.4%, above it. Set against all moves in Washington, DC, the associate share stands out most: 69.7% here against 49.9%, above it. Year on year it held flat while the Real Estate practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 105 lawyers moved in Real Estate in Washington, DC, 28 of them partners (26.7%). They joined 45 different firms. 14.3% stepped up a level on the move and 26.7% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 41.8% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner18.2%
- Associate69.7%
Associates carry this flow: partners are 18.2% of arrivals, against 27.7% market-wide.
- 1,000+ lawyers48.5%
- 400-999 lawyers24.2%
- under 150 lawyers15.2%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. Lateral hires in Real Estate in Washington, DC were spread across 45 firms. Ten firms account for 54.0% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: concentrated. Nixon Peabody ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers41.8%
- 400-999 lawyers39.2%
- 150-399 lawyers8.9%
- under 150 lawyers10.1%
The practice accounts for 4.2% of all lateral moves in Washington, DC. Over the three years to October 2026, 60.0% of movers came from another firm in Washington, DC itself. A change of city came with 25.9% of moves (market 20.5%).
There were 35 open roles in Real Estate in Washington, DC on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
For a firm planning a hire in Real Estate in Washington, DC, 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 | Nixon Peabody | 6-10 |
| 2 | DLA Piper | 6-10 |
| 3 | ArentFox Schiff | 3-5 |
| 4 | Paul Hastings | 3-5 |
| 5 | Venable | 3-5 |
| 6 | Mayer Brown | 3-5 |
| 7 | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough | 3-5 |
| 8 | Troutman Pepper Locke | 3-5 |
| 9 | Kirkland & Ellis | 3-5 |
| 10 | Dentons | 3-5 |
Deals in Real Estate in Washington, DC
Sartori & Partners data count 54 dated deals in Real Estate in Washington, DC in the 12 months to October 2026 and 131 over the three years to October 2026.
Real estate work is involved in 69.5% of them.
By client industry, Real Estate comes first with 45.8%.
Kirkland & Ellis ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 11-20 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirkland & Ellis | 11-20 |
| 2 | Ballard Spahr | 6-10 |
| 3 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | 6-10 |
| 4 | Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson | 6-10 |
| 5 | Jones Day | 6-10 |
| 6 | Hogan Lovells Cadwalader | 6-10 |
| 7 | DLA Piper | 3-5 |
| 8 | Paul Hastings | 3-5 |
| 9 | Morrison & Foerster | 3-5 |
| 10 | Latham & Watkins | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Real Estate in Washington, DC
23 lawyers were promoted to partner in Real Estate in Washington, DC over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 11.0 years, with the middle half between 9.0 years and 15.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 70.0% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 20 promotions.
Specialities in Real Estate in Washington, DC
Over the three years to October 2026, Commercial Real Estate Transactions was involved in 43.8% of moves in Real Estate in Washington, DC, then Real Estate Finance with 41.9%.
Related monitors and reports
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- International Trade & National Security
- Antitrust & Competition
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- Tax
- Private Equity
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Real Estate 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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