Asset Finance: lateral monitor

In the Sartori & Partners lateral record, 72 lawyers joined a new firm in Asset Finance from November 2025 to October 2026. On settled windows the count went from 55 to 79, up 43.6% year on year. The market as a whole moved +9.0%, so this flow outpaced it.

Over the three years to October 2026, 208 lawyers moved in Asset Finance, 71 of them partners (34.1%). They joined 69 different firms. 14.9% stepped up a level on the move and 22.2% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 54.2% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.

This is a partner market: 36.1% of movers were partners, against 27.7% market-wide. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 22 to 28 (+27.3%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. A step up in title came with 12.5% of moves (market 12.9%).

34 firms hired at least one lateral in Asset Finance in the window. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 61.1% of arrivals (12.9% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. Stephenson Harwood ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.

London ranks first among destination cities with 33.3% of arrivals. 13.7% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.

There were 22 open roles in Asset Finance on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.

For a firm hiring in Asset Finance, the pool is moving and partners are part of it: expect competing offers and budget time for a contested process.

Sartori & Partners data count 68 dated deals in Asset Finance in the 12 months to October 2026 and 214 over the three years to October 2026.

Banking & lending work is involved in 51.4% of them and Project & infrastructure finance in 13.1%.

By client industry, Banks & Financial Institutions comes first with 30.4%.

Watson Farley & Williams ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 41-60 band.