White Collar, Investigations & Criminal · speciality monitor
AML & Financial Crime: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on AML & Financial Crime and who changed firm over the last 12 months, set against the White Collar, Investigations & Criminal practice and the market.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 64
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +21.8%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 62.5%
- Partner share of moves
- 46
- Firms that hired
What the data show
In the Sartori & Partners lateral record, 64 lawyers joined a new firm in AML & Financial Crime from November 2025 to October 2026. On settled windows the count went from 55 to 67 (+21.8%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | White Collar, Investigations & Criminal | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 62.5% | 41.6% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 12.5% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 23.4% | 45.2% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 21.9% | 13.4% | 12.9% |
| Changed city (three years) | 14.8% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 54.7% | 55.5% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+21.8%) | flat (+8.2%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 White Collar, Investigations & Criminal practice as a whole, the associate share stands out most: 23.4% here against 45.2%, below it. Year on year it moved with the White Collar, Investigations & Criminal practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 182 lawyers moved in AML & Financial Crime, 104 of them partners (57.1%). They joined 99 different firms. 20.9% stepped up a level on the move and 14.8% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 53.7% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner62.5%
- Counsel12.5%
- Associate23.4%
Partners make up 62.5% of arrivals, against 27.7% across the market: a partner-heavy flow. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 31 to 39 (+25.8%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. A step up in title came with 21.9% of moves (market 12.9%).
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. 99 firms hired at least one lateral in AML & Financial Crime in the window. Ten firms account for 27.5% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: moderately concentrated. First on the hiring table is Greenberg Traurig, with arrivals in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers53.7%
- 400-999 lawyers19.1%
- 150-399 lawyers14.0%
- under 150 lawyers13.2%
City figures here cover the three years to October 2026. London ranks first among destination cities with 20.9% of arrivals, followed by Washington, DC (15.4%).
With volume in AML & Financial Crime 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 | Greenberg Traurig | 6-10 |
| 2 | DLA Piper | 6-10 |
| 3 | Hogan Lovells Cadwalader | 6-10 |
| 4 | Buchalter | 3-5 |
| 5 | White & Case | 3-5 |
| 6 | Barnes & Thornburg | 3-5 |
| 7 | Eversheds Sutherland | 3-5 |
| 8 | McGuireWoods | 3-5 |
| 9 | Clyde & Co | 3-5 |
| 10 | Ashurst Perkins Coie | 3-5 |
Deals in AML & Financial Crime
Sartori & Partners data count 21 over the three years to October 2026.
Disputes & investigations work is involved in 100.0% of them.
Time to partner in AML & Financial Crime
66 lawyers were promoted to partner in AML & Financial Crime 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 10.0 years and 13.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 66.0% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 53 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other specialities in White Collar, Investigations & Criminal
Hiring in this market
Reports
- AML and Financial Crime Hiring Starts in London
Over 3 years London drew 20.9% of AML and financial crime lateral moves, 2.9 times its share of white collar hiring. Volume held flat, and most of it is partner hiring.
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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