Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation · speciality monitor
Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs and who changed firm over the last 12 months, set against the Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation practice and the market.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 71
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +19.0%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 40.8%
- Partner share of moves
- 48
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 71 lateral moves in Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs. On settled windows the count went from 63 to 75 (+19.0%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 40.8% | 30.2% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 12.7% | 19.8% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 46.5% | 48.8% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 12.7% | 17.5% | 12.9% |
| Changed city | 23.4% | 17.3% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 64.8% | 61.9% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+19.0%) | rose (+16.6%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation practice as a whole, the partner share stands out most: 40.8% here against 30.2%, above it. Year on year it held flat while the Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation practice as a whole rose.
Over the three years to October 2026, 209 lawyers moved in Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs, 86 of them partners (41.1%). They joined 122 different firms. 12.4% stepped up a level on the move and 22.5% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 63.2% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner40.8%
- Counsel12.7%
- Associate46.5%
At 40.8%, the partner share of arrivals sits above the market's 27.7%. On settled 12-month windows partner moves alone showed no clear change: 30 against 29 (+3.4%). 12.7% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. 122 firms hired at least one lateral in Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs in the window. Ten firms account for 23.3% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: moderately concentrated. First on the hiring table is Latham & Watkins, with arrivals in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers63.2%
- 400-999 lawyers21.6%
- 150-399 lawyers9.5%
- under 150 lawyers5.8%
City figures here cover the three years to October 2026. New York ranks first among destination cities with 19.6% of arrivals, followed by London (13.4%). A change of city came with 23.4% of moves (market 20.5%).
There were 172 open roles in Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
With volume in Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs 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 | Latham & Watkins | 6-10 |
| 2 | Kirkland & Ellis | 6-10 |
| 3 | Greenberg Traurig | 6-10 |
| 4 | Bird & Bird | 3-5 |
| 5 | Foley & Lardner | 3-5 |
| 6 | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates | 3-5 |
| 7 | Cooley | 3-5 |
| 8 | Eversheds Sutherland | 3-5 |
| 9 | McDermott Will & Schulte | 3-5 |
| 10 | Paul Hastings | 3-5 |
Deals in Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs
Sartori & Partners data count 26 over the three years to October 2026.
Time to partner in Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs
96 lawyers were promoted to partner in Equity Incentive Plans & ESOPs 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 12.5 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 74.7% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 79 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other specialities in Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation
Hiring in this market
Reports
- Equity Incentive Plan Lawyers Cross Cities to Move in 2026
Equity incentive plan lawyers changed city in 23.4% of lateral moves over 12 months, against 17.3% in the benefits practice and 20.5% across the market. Over three years the share was 22.5%, still above the practice at 19.6%.
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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