Practice by city · November 2026
Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago: lateral monitor
Lawyers who changed firm in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago over the last 12 months, set against the practice and the city as a whole.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 27
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +26.1%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 25.9%
- Partner share of moves
- 75
- Lateral moves, three yearsThree years to October 2026
What the data show
Sartori & Partners data show 27 lateral moves in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago from November 2025 to October 2026, 4.6% of the practice's moves. On settled windows the count went from 23 to 29 (+26.1%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Technology, Data & Privacy | Chicago | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 25.9% | 33.2% | 26.8% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 8.0% | 11.9% | 10.0% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 63.0% | 51.2% | 61.6% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level (three years) | 12.0% | 13.6% | 9.5% | 12.3% |
| Changed city (three years) | 17.2% | 19.4% | 17.9% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 37.0% | 58.4% | 51.2% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+26.1%) | rose (+32.6%) | flat (+9.7%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 Technology, Data & Privacy practice as a whole, the widest gap is the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers, which is lower here: 37.0% against 58.4%. Set against all moves in Chicago, the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers stands out most: 37.0% here against 51.2%, below it. Year on year it held flat while the Technology, Data & Privacy practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 75 lawyers moved in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago, 23 of them partners (30.7%). They joined 45 different firms. 12.0% stepped up a level on the move and 17.2% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 67.7% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner25.9%
- Associate63.0%
Partners account for 25.9% of movers, near the market's 27.7%.
- 1,000+ lawyers37.0%
- 400-999 lawyers33.3%
- 150-399 lawyers18.5%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. Lateral hires in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago were spread across 45 firms. Ten firms account for 48.0% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: concentrated. McDonald Hopkins ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers67.7%
- 400-999 lawyers10.8%
- 150-399 lawyers10.8%
- under 150 lawyers10.8%
The practice accounts for 4.5% of all lateral moves in Chicago. Over the three years to October 2026, 64.0% of movers came from another firm in Chicago itself.
There were 28 open roles in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
For a firm planning a hire in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago, 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 | McDonald Hopkins | 6-10 |
| 2 | Mayer Brown | 3-5 |
| 3 | Blank Rome | 3-5 |
| 4 | Bass, Berry & Sims | 3-5 |
| 5 | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates | 3-5 |
| 6 | Reed Smith | 3-5 |
| 7 | Kirkland & Ellis | 3-5 |
Deals in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago
Sartori & Partners data count 20 dated deals in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago in the 12 months to October 2026 and 52 over the three years to October 2026.
Disputes & investigations work is involved in 61.5% of them.
Loeb & Loeb ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 6-10 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loeb & Loeb | 6-10 |
| 2 | Kirkland & Ellis | 6-10 |
| 3 | Taft Stettinius & Hollister | 3-5 |
| 4 | Latham & Watkins | 3-5 |
| 5 | Baker & Hostetler | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago
42 lawyers were promoted to partner in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 9.5 years, with the middle half between 8.0 years and 12.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 82.5% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 40 promotions.
Specialities in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago
Over the three years to October 2026, Cybersecurity & Data Breach was involved in 57.3% of moves in Technology, Data & Privacy in Chicago, then Privacy & Data Protection with 44.0%.
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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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