Financial Services Regulatory · speciality monitor
AML Compliance: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on AML Compliance and who changed firm over the last 12 months, set against the Financial Services Regulatory practice and the market.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 46
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +63.3%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 52.2%
- Partner share of moves
- 40
- Firms that hired
What the data show
Sartori & Partners data show 46 lateral moves in AML Compliance from November 2025 to October 2026. Year on year, on windows that end a month early, the count grew 63.3% (30 to 49). That runs ahead of the wider market, which moved +9.0%.
| Measure | Here | Financial Services Regulatory | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 52.2% | 47.9% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 19.6% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 28.3% | 37.6% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 23.9% | 13.7% | 12.9% |
| Changed city (three years) | 14.0% | 18.3% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 78.3% | 66.7% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | rose (+63.3%) | rose (+19.6%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 Financial Services Regulatory practice as a whole, the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers stands out most: 78.3% here against 66.7%, above it. Year on year it moved with the Financial Services Regulatory practice as a whole: both rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 119 lawyers moved in AML Compliance, 57 of them partners (47.9%). They joined 78 different firms. 20.2% stepped up a level on the move and 14.0% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 66.4% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner52.2%
- Counsel19.6%
- Associate28.3%
This is a partner market: 52.2% of movers were partners, against 27.7% market-wide. A step up in title came with 23.9% of moves (market 12.9%).
- 1,000+ lawyers78.3%
- 400-999 lawyers15.2%
40 firms hired at least one lateral in AML Compliance in the window. Firms in the 1,000+ lawyers class took 78.3% of arrivals, against 53.6% across the market.
- 1,000+ lawyers66.4%
- 400-999 lawyers15.9%
- 150-399 lawyers6.5%
- under 150 lawyers11.2%
City figures here cover the three years to October 2026. Washington, DC ranks first among destination cities with 17.6% of arrivals.
There were 30 open roles in AML Compliance on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
For a firm hiring in AML Compliance, the pool is moving and partners are part of it: expect competing offers and budget time for a contested process.
Time to partner in AML Compliance
53 lawyers were promoted to partner in AML Compliance over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
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, against a market median of 10.0 years. 78.9% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 38 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other specialities in Financial Services Regulatory
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].
For law firm leaders
Planning a partner hire in this market?
We run retained partner searches using the same data behind this page.