Corporate Lending: lateral monitor

From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 292 lateral moves in Corporate Lending. On settled 12-month windows the count showed no clear change: 309 against 313 (-1.3%). It fell behind the market's own change of +9.0%.

Over the three years to October 2026, 905 lawyers moved in Corporate Lending, 309 of them partners (34.1%). They joined 224 different firms. 12.5% 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. 66.2% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.

At 34.2%, the partner share of arrivals sits above the market's 27.7%. On settled 12-month windows partner moves alone showed no clear change: 100 against 103 (-2.9%). A step up in title came with 12.7% of moves (market 12.9%).

Lateral hires in Corporate Lending were spread across 129 firms. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 25.3% of arrivals (12.9% market-wide), so hiring here is moderately concentrated. Sidley Austin ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.

By city, New York comes first (22.3% of arrivals), then London (15.8%). A change of city came with 18.6% of moves (market 20.5%).

There were 218 open roles in Corporate Lending on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.

For a firm planning a hire in Corporate Lending, a flat market means candidates are not being pulled by a wave: the case for a move has to come from the platform.

Sartori & Partners data count 2,010 dated deals in Corporate Lending in the 12 months to October 2026 and 5,328 over the three years to October 2026.

Banking & lending work is involved in 54.5% of them and Leveraged & acquisition finance in 25.3%.

By client industry, Banks & Financial Institutions comes first with 16.5%.

Cahill Gordon & Reindel ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 401-700 band.