Los Angeles: promotions and time to partner

Sartori & Partners data record 93 partner promotions in Los Angeles from June 2025 to May 2026. Promotions are confirmed about five months late, so this window ends earlier than the lateral figures. Over the same 12 months that is 0.49 promotions for every lateral partner hired, against 0.79 across the market: more of the partner bench here is bought than made.

Across five years of promotions, the median time from first year of practice to partner is 10.0 years, with the middle half between 9.0 years and 12.0 years. The market median is also 10.0 years. The median rests on 388 promotions.

On settled windows lateral partner moves in Los Angeles went from 162 to 191 (+17.9%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.

Firms in Los Angeles buy partners more often than the market does; a lateral partner hire here competes with that habit.