Environment & Sustainability · speciality monitor
ESG & Sustainability: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on ESG & Sustainability 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
- 22
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- -16.7%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 27.3%
- Partner share of moves
- 20
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 22 lateral moves in ESG & Sustainability. On settled windows the count went from 30 to 25 (-16.7%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Environment & Sustainability | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 27.3% | 32.9% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 11.8% | 15.5% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 59.1% | 46.4% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level (three years) | 16.1% | 15.3% | 12.3% |
| Changed city (three years) | 15.9% | 21.7% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 54.5% | 44.0% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (-16.7%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 associate share, which is higher here: 59.1% against 46.4%. Year on year it moved with the Environment & Sustainability practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 93 lawyers moved in ESG & Sustainability, 35 of them partners (37.6%). They joined 60 different firms. 16.1% stepped up a level on the move and 15.9% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 73.5% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner27.3%
- Associate59.1%
The level mix sits close to the market: partners are 27.3% of arrivals, against 27.7% market-wide.
- 1,000+ lawyers54.5%
- 400-999 lawyers27.3%
20 firms hired at least one lateral in ESG & Sustainability in the window. 54.5% of arrivals went to firms with 1,000+ lawyers, against 53.6% market-wide.
- 1,000+ lawyers73.5%
- 400-999 lawyers18.1%
City figures here cover the three years to October 2026. London ranks first among destination cities with 35.5% of arrivals.
For a firm planning a hire in ESG & Sustainability, a flat market means candidates are not being pulled by a wave: the case for a move has to come from the platform.
Deals in ESG & Sustainability
Sartori & Partners data count 20 over the three years to October 2026.
Paul Hastings ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 6-10 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Hastings | 6-10 |
| 2 | Slaughter and May | 3-5 |
Time to partner in ESG & Sustainability
66 lawyers were promoted to partner in ESG & Sustainability 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. 54.3% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 35 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].
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