Antitrust & Competition · speciality monitor
Abuse of Dominance: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on Abuse of Dominance and who changed firm over the last 12 months, set against the Antitrust & Competition practice and the market.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 62
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- -19.7%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 33.9%
- Partner share of moves
- 36
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 62 lateral moves in Abuse of Dominance. On settled windows the count went from 76 to 61 (-19.7%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Antitrust & Competition | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 33.9% | 32.4% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 12.9% | 11.8% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 53.2% | 55.0% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 14.5% | 13.3% | 12.9% |
| Changed city | 25.0% | 19.3% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 87.1% | 66.1% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (-19.7%) | flat (+7.7%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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.
Set against the Antitrust & Competition practice as a whole, the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers stands out most: 87.1% here against 66.1%, above it. Year on year it moved with the Antitrust & Competition practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 209 lawyers moved in Abuse of Dominance, 65 of them partners (31.1%). They joined 86 different firms. 13.4% stepped up a level on the move and 25.0% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 77.1% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner33.9%
- Counsel12.9%
- Associate53.2%
At 33.9%, the partner share of arrivals sits above the market's 27.7%. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 27 to 20 (-25.9%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. 14.5% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
36 firms hired at least one lateral in Abuse of Dominance in the window. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 55.2% of arrivals (12.9% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. Latham & Watkins ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers77.1%
- 400-999 lawyers13.0%
- 150-399 lawyers2.6%
- under 150 lawyers7.3%
City figures here cover the three years to October 2026. Brussels ranks first among destination cities with 22.5% of arrivals, followed by London (17.7%). A change of city came with 25.0% of moves (market 20.5%).
With volume in Abuse of Dominance holding level, a hire depends on a specific reason to move, which a firm has to put in front of the candidate.
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 | Latham & Watkins | 6-10 |
| 2 | Hogan Lovells Cadwalader | 3-5 |
| 3 | Weil Gotshal & Manges | 3-5 |
| 4 | Sidley Austin | 3-5 |
| 5 | Paul Hastings | 3-5 |
Deals in Abuse of Dominance
Sartori & Partners data count 32 dated deals in Abuse of Dominance in the 12 months to October 2026 and 93 over the three years to October 2026.
Disputes & investigations work is involved in 69.9% of them and Regulatory & antitrust in 26.9%.
By client industry, Technology & Software comes first with 28.0%.
Latham & Watkins ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 6-10 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latham & Watkins | 6-10 |
| 2 | Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro | 6-10 |
| 3 | Cravath, Swaine & Moore | 6-10 |
| 4 | Berger Montague | 6-10 |
| 5 | Jones Day | 3-5 |
| 6 | Clifford Chance | 3-5 |
| 7 | Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton | 3-5 |
| 8 | Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I | 3-5 |
| 9 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | 3-5 |
| 10 | Davis Polk & Wardwell | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Abuse of Dominance
25 lawyers were promoted to partner in Abuse of Dominance in the 12 months to May 2026, 112 over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 10.5 years, with the middle half between 9.0 years and 12.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 76.4% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 72 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other specialities in Antitrust & Competition
Hiring in this market
Reports
- Abuse of Dominance Lawyers: Technology Cases, Large-Firm Hiring
Abuse of dominance is contested work with technology companies at its center: disputes and investigations are 69.9% of the specialty's matters over 3 years, technology and software clients 28.0%. Year on year, lateral hiring held flat (-19.7%).
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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