Environment & Sustainability · speciality monitor
Climate Change: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on Climate Change and who changed firm over the last 12 months, set against the Environment & Sustainability practice and the market.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 26
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- -3.4%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 65.4%
- Partner share of moves
- 22
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 26 lateral moves in Climate Change. On settled 12-month windows the count showed no clear change: 28 against 29 (-3.4%). The market as a whole moved +9.0%, so this flow lagged it.
| Measure | Here | Environment & Sustainability | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 65.4% | 32.9% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 19.2% | 19.5% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves (three years) | 24.4% | 48.4% | 59.2% |
| Moved up a level | 19.2% | 16.8% | 12.9% |
| Changed city (three years) | 20.3% | 21.7% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 57.7% | 44.0% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (-3.4%) | flat (+7.1%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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.
Against the Environment & Sustainability practice as a whole, the widest gap is the partner share, which is higher here: 65.4% against 32.9%. Year on year it moved with the Environment & Sustainability practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 86 lawyers moved in Climate Change, 49 of them partners (57.0%). They joined 58 different firms. 17.4% stepped up a level on the move and 20.3% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 57.3% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner65.4%
- Counsel19.2%
At 65.4%, the partner share of arrivals sits above the market's 27.7%. A step up in title came with 19.2% of moves (market 12.9%).
- 1,000+ lawyers57.7%
- 400-999 lawyers26.9%
Lateral hires in Climate Change were spread across 22 firms. Firms in the 1,000+ lawyers class took 57.7% of arrivals, against 53.6% across the market.
- 1,000+ lawyers57.3%
- 400-999 lawyers24.0%
- 150-399 lawyers12.0%
- under 150 lawyers6.7%
With volume in Climate Change holding level, a hire depends on a specific reason to move, which a firm has to put in front of the candidate.
Deals in Climate Change
Sartori & Partners data count 69 over the three years to October 2026.
Latham & Watkins ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 11-20 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latham & Watkins | 11-20 |
| 2 | Slaughter and May | 3-5 |
| 3 | Paul Hastings | 3-5 |
| 4 | Kirkland & Ellis | 3-5 |
| 5 | CMS | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Climate Change
66 lawyers were promoted to partner in Climate Change over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 12.0 years, with the middle half between 10.0 years and 15.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 55.8% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 43 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other specialities in Environment & Sustainability
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.