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- Insurance Lawyer Moves Fell 9.5% in 2026: Miami, Atlanta Over-Index
Fewer insurance-focused lawyers changed firms in the latest 12 months, even as the wider lateral market grew. The bench they come from is litigation-led, over-indexed in Miami, Atlanta and Philadelphia, and drawn from small firms far more often than the market.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Insurance M&A Counsel in 2026: Two Top-10 Lists, One Shared Firm
The firms with the most insurance deals and the firms with the most corporate and M&A deals share one name across two top-10 lists. Corporate lawyers worked on 25.2% of insurance deals, the third bench behind insurance specialists and capital markets.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Insurance Path to Partner 2026: Made and Bought Near the Market's Rate
Insurance and reinsurance groups promote 0.82 partners for every lateral partner they hire, close to the market's 0.79, and 76.3% reach partner within 12 years against 75.4%. With the track on the benchmark, the hiring firm decides an insurance partner search.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Insurer Capital Markets Counsel in 2026: The Specialist Barely Leads
Insurers give their deal work almost equally to the sector specialist and the generalist: insurance and reinsurance lawyers sit on 29.9% of the sector's deals, capital markets lawyers on 27.1%. The specialist leads by only 2.8 points.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Insurer Counsel in 2026: Four Firms on Both Insurance Deal Lists
Rank firms by all insurer deals, then by insurance and reinsurance practice deals in every sector, and the same four names appear on both lists. The practice depends on insurers far more than insurers depend on it, and its matters rose while the sector's deals held flat.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Intellectual Property in London: 4.1% of Moves, Led by Brands
Intellectual property is 4.1% of London's lateral moves, an index of 55 against the market. The London bench that does move leans to trademarks and copyright, is mostly associates, and has almost no counsel in motion.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Intellectual Property Partner Track 2026: Firms Buy Finished Partners
IP firms buy finished partners: partners were 34.4% of IP lateral moves against 27.7% market-wide, and firms promoted only 0.65 IP lawyers per lateral partner hired, against 0.79. The track itself is a little quicker than the market's, at a mean of 10.7 years against 11.1 years.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - International Arbitration Laterals 2026: London, Then the Seats
London takes 28.4% of arbitration lateral moves, at an index of 307. Over three years the rest of the hiring sits in Paris, Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong more than in the US cities that dominate the wider market.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - International Arbitration Lawyers: London, the Gulf and Asian Seats
Arbitration hiring runs through London, at an index of 282, and then through New York, Dubai and Singapore, which each took 7.1%, 6.9% and 6.8% of moves over 3 years. The pool travels: 24.8% of movers changed city.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - International Trade Lateral Hiring 2026: 49.1% Land in Washington
International trade lateral hiring centers on Washington: 49.1% of moves land there, an index of 876 and the largest single-city share of any practice. Partners are 40.6% of moves, against 27.7% market-wide.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Investment Management Regulatory: Partner Hiring Rose, Total Held
Investment management regulatory partner hiring rose 46.2% year on year, while hiring at all levels held flat (+8.1%). Partners are 54.4% of the speciality's lateral moves, against 36.7% in funds and investment management.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Investment Treaty Arbitration in 2026: States as the Client
In investment treaty arbitration the state is the largest client group, on 38.6% of matters over three years. Hiring rose 43.5% while the parent practice held flat (+12.8%).
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - IP Lateral Hiring in 2026: Lawyers Move as Teams and Stay in Town
IP lawyers change firms in groups and rarely change cities: 5.1% of IP moves were team moves against 1.5% market-wide, and only 15.9% changed city against 20.5%.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - IP Licensing Lawyers in 2026: A Market for Mid-Size Firms
Firms of 400-999 lawyers took 40.3% of IP licensing lateral moves, level with firms of 1,000+ lawyers and well above their 24.2% share across intellectual property. The work behind the moves is life sciences, and hiring is flat.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - IP Matters in 2026: Up 20.9% While the Lateral Bench Held Flat
IP matters rose 20.9% on settled windows, 2.0 times the growth rate of all dated deals, while IP lateral hiring held flat (+7.2%). The work is growing, the bench is not, and brand owners rather than technology or pharma companies supply the largest share of it.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - IP Partner Track by US City: Boston Runs Fastest, New York Slowest
Among IP partners promoted over 5 years, 42.3% in Boston got there within 8 years, against 16.5% in New York. The quick clocks run in mid-sized benches such as Boston, Dallas and Chicago, not in the two largest.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - IPO Lawyers and the Life Sciences Issuer: 22.5% of Equity Offerings
Pharma and biotech companies are 22.5% of the equity offerings law firms advised over 3 years, 2.4 times the share of banks. The lawyers who run those deals are hired in New York, at an index of 181 against the market, and their number has not grown.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Joint venture lawyers in 2026: energy work, partner hires
Joint venture work follows energy: power and renewables is its first client industry and Houston hires at an index of 272 against the market. The bench is bought at partner level, 54.9% of laterals against 29.9% in corporate and M&A.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Labor Relations Lawyer Hiring Fell 19.8% While the Market Grew
Fewer labor and union relations lawyers changed firms: 134 moves in the settled 12 months against 167 a year earlier, so hiring fell 19.8%. Employment and labor rose 6.9% and the whole market rose 9.0%.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Land Use and Zoning Lawyers in 2026: A Market Split Three Ways
Over 3 years, firms of 1,000+ lawyers, 400-999 lawyers and 150-399 lawyers each hired close to a third of land use and zoning laterals (29.6%, 29.1%, 29.3%), while the largest firms took 52.5% market-wide. Hiring held flat, and counsel are an unusually large share of it.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Largest Law Firms and Lateral Hiring in 2026: Size Wins, Not Names
The biggest size class takes 53.6% of all lateral moves, but no small group of firms controls the market: the ten busiest hirers take 12.9%, spread across 1,291 firms that hired.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lateral Counsel Hiring in 2026: Defense and Employment Firms Lead
Counsel are 12.7% of lateral moves market-wide. At five large firms they are about 25% to 30% of lateral hires, and the practices behind those firms, insurance and employment, carry counsel shares above the market.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lateral Hiring 2026 Year to Date: Up 10.1%, Built From April
The 2026 year to date ran level with 2025 through March and only pulled ahead from April. By September lateral moves were up 10.1%, a gain made in the spring and summer.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lateral Hiring by City: New York Has the Volume, Houston the Growth
New York and London still take the most lateral hires, 14.8% and 9.2% of all moves. The growth sits in Houston, Miami and San Francisco, while London was flat and Paris fell 20.5%.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lateral Hiring by Month: January Peaks, December Goes Quiet
Lateral moves follow a fixed calendar: January is the peak, December the trough, and September a second window carried by associates. January 2026 counted 1,560 moves, 2.4 times December 2025.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lateral Hiring Concentration by City: Nashville's Top 10 Take 73.3%
In Nashville, Toronto and Charlotte the top 10 hiring firms took 73.3%, 62.0% and 54.5% of individual lateral hires, against 21.5% in New York and 12.9% market-wide. Where few firms hire, a candidate's realistic options are few, and so are a hiring firm's rivals.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lateral Hiring Over 3 Years: 1,886 Firms, Only 1,291 in 12 Months
Over three years 1,886 law firms made at least one lateral hire, but only 68.5% of them also hired in the latest 12 months. The longer window lowers the top 10 share, trims the partner weight and shows firms under 150 lawyers supplying more lateral talent, against what they take back, than any other size class.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lateral Level Mix by Practice: Regulatory Teams Hire Partners
Partners make up 47.9% of lateral moves in financial services regulatory and 42.5% in regulatory and compliance, against 27.7% market-wide. Employment runs the other way, with associates at 61.6%: the level mix of a practice decides what kind of search it needs.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lateral Moves Rose in the Third Quarter of 2026, Carried by Summer
July to September 2026 counted 3,789 lateral moves against 3,427 a year earlier. July and August carried the gain, September fell short of an unusually heavy September 2025, and partner moves rose with the market.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lateral Partner Hirers vs Volume Hirers in 2026: Mix Decides the List
Eight firms sit on both top 10 lists. The other places go to firms whose hires lean on associates or on partners: the level mix, not size, decides which list a firm reaches.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lateral Partner Meaning: Partner Moves Tilt Toward Private Equity
A lateral partner is a partner hired from another firm. Partner moves rose 8.4% year on year, in line with the market, and their practice mix tilts toward private equity and restructuring, not litigation.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Attrition Rate 2026: 13.2% of Lawyers Leave Each Year
A typical law firm loses about one lawyer in eight each year, a median leaving rate of 13.2%. The largest firms lose the most, and 86.1% of leavers go to another firm, not to a company.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Attrition Rate by Size: Firms of 1,000+ Lawyers Lose 14.8%
Across 525 firms, the median leaving rate is 13.2% a year. The largest firms lose the most, 14.8%, and firms of 150-399 lawyers the least, 11.9%.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Attrition: Above 18.7% Is High for the Largest Firms
Sartori & Partners data put the typical yearly leaving rate at 13.2%, with a middle band of 10.2% to 16.6%. Each size class draws its own line for high, and among the busiest hirers a high rate often sits beside partner gains.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Award Season: Ranking News Peaks in June and August
Ranking and award news runs in a season: 1,705 items in June 2026 and 1,665 in August, against 850 in January. Hire and client-work news holds its usual pace in those months and disappears under the volume.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Client Work Announcements Rise While Case Wins Stay Flat
Client-work announcements rose 7.4% to 3,631 in 12 months while case-win announcements held flat (-0.7%) at 1,107, and dated deals rose 10.6%. Firms publicize transactions far more than wins: about one client-work announcement for every 13.3 dated deals.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Counsel Hiring 2026: Counsel Now 55.1% of Partner Classes
Firms named counsel at 46.8% of the partner class in 2022 and 55.1% in 2025, and counsel now make 12.7% of lateral moves. Counsel has become a level of its own, with a lateral market and an in-house exit to match.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Hierarchy in 2026: Who Changes Firms, and Who Moves Up
The lateral market has the same shape as the firm itself: associates make up 58.5% of movers, partners 27.7%, and only 12.9% of lawyers win a higher title by moving.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Hire News vs Partner Moves: January Gap, Autumn Match
Over 12 months, hire news equaled 93.5% of lateral partner moves. In January partners change firms faster than firms announce them; from July to December the announcements catch up and often pass the partner count.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Job Postings vs Lateral Hires: The West Posts, London Hires
Career pages put the weight of demand in San Francisco, Boston and the western US. Lateral moves put it in New York and London, where London firms fill 3.2 seats for each opening they advertise.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Lateral Hiring 2026: Up 9.0%, Well Clear of the 2023 Dip
Lateral moves rose 9.0% on the settled year, to 14,305. Against five years of history, 2023 was the dip, 2024 climbed back above 2022, 2025 was the largest full year, and the latest 12 months sit above every full year.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Leadership Changes Cluster in January: 2026 Data
January 2026 brought 115 leadership announcements, 17.1% of the 12-month total, against 30 in August. The same month carries the partner classes and the year's high in lateral partner moves.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Office Openings in 2026 Held Flat as Lateral Hiring Rose
Firms announced 123 office openings in the 12 months to October 2026, while lateral moves rose 9.0%. The rise in lateral hiring came without a matching rise in new offices.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Open Roles by Practice: Torts Advertise, Restructuring Hires
Product liability, technology and pensions list more openings on one day than they record lateral hires in a year. Restructuring and litigation record 4.7 and 4.6 lateral hires in 12 months for each opening listed on the data date.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firm Team Moves Come in Bursts: 6 of 32 in One Quarter
Announced team moves do not arrive as a steady flow. One quarter, the second of 2025, held 6 of the 32 on record, while every other quarter held 3 or fewer.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firms by Size: The Ends Buy Partners, the Middle Makes Them
Firms of 1,000+ lawyers and firms under 150 lawyers take a larger share of lateral hires than of new partners, while firms of 400-999 lawyers make 29.5% of new partners on 23.4% of hires. One benchmark line per size class: hiring, promotion, supply and turnover.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firms for Insurers in 2026: A Specialist Bar Staffs the Deals
Insurer work runs through a specialist bar: insurance and reinsurance lawyers appear on 29.9% of insurance deals, far above their 0.7% share of the whole deal market. London is the second city for the work, ahead of its share for banks and asset managers.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firms Promoted 0.79 Partners per Lateral Partner Hired
Firms promoted 2,955 lawyers to partner and hired 3,749 lateral partners over the same 12 months, close to the 2025 ratio of 0.8. Among the larger practices, restructuring makes the fewest of its own partners and employment the most.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Law Firms That Promote and Hire Partners: Only Three Do Both
Only Kirkland & Ellis, DLA Piper and Dentons rank in the top 10 both for partners promoted and for lateral partners hired. The other names on each list lean toward buying partners or toward making them.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lawyer Moves Between City Pairs: The Busiest Route Runs Both Ways
New York and Washington exchange more lawyers than any other pair we measured, 54 one way and 48 the other. San Francisco to Los Angeles, New York to Los Angeles and New York to Miami all lean one way.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Lawyers Changing City: 20.5% of Lateral Moves Cross a City Line
Most lateral moves stay in one city, and New York draws only 10.9% of its hires from elsewhere. The growth markets import: Miami at 28.7%, Charlotte at 30.9%, Nashville at 28.6%.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Leeds Lateral Partners 2026: A Larger Share Than Manchester or London
More than a third of Leeds lateral moves were partner moves over 12 months, 35.3% against 27.7% across the market, while overall volume held flat. Firms of 400-999 lawyers took the largest share of the hiring.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Legal Department Structure: Companies Staff Corporate, Buy Trial Work
Companies build their legal teams around corporate work: corporate lawyers were 33.2% of hires from law firms, against 20.7% of moves between firms. Litigators are hired too, but mostly to manage cases that law firms then run.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Legal Specialties 2026: Insurance Litigation Shrinks, Fund Work Grows
Insurance-side litigation shrank while the lateral market grew: coverage, professional liability and defense all fell. The clear rises are smaller, in fund work, private wealth and artificial intelligence.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Leverage for Consumer and Retail Buyers: One Firm Leads a Level Field
One firm stands a band clear of the rest, and only four of the sector's top 10 advisers also sit in the market's top 10. For a company buying outside counsel in consumer goods and retail, that level field is leverage on price, staffing and the choice of firm.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Leveraged Finance Hiring: London Ahead of New York
Banking and finance hires more lawyers into New York than into London, but its acquisition and leveraged finance specialty runs the other way: London took 23.3% of moves, at an index of 252, and New York 22.4%.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Leveraged Finance in 2026: Repeat Borrowers, 2.4 Deals per Client
Leveraged and acquisition finance runs on clients who come back: 776 deals for 327 clients, or 2.4 each, against 1.8 in M&A and 2.1 in bank lending. Sponsors are the largest client sector, and the work rose 18.8% (653 to 776 deals) while banking partner hiring rose 10.6% (546 to 604 partners).
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Life Sciences Patent Hiring in 2026: Boston Over-Indexes
Boston drew 21.4% of life sciences and chemistry patent moves, an index of 826 against the market, and 13.7% came as teams. Hiring held flat (-9.0%).
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Litigation Laterals in 2026: Midsize Firms Take a Bigger Share
Litigation laterals land below the largest firms: firms of 1,000+ lawyers take 43.3% of moves against 53.6% market-wide, and with 928 hiring firms the top 10 take only 12.0%.
November 11, 2026 · November 2026 - Litigation Law Firms in Paris: An Associate-Heavy Lateral Market
Paris litigation hires associates first: 73.2% of its lateral moves, against 57.7% across the practice. Volume fell 32.2% while all Paris practices fell 20.5%, and firms of 1,000+ lawyers took 76.4% of the hires.
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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