International Trade & National Security · speciality monitor
Export Controls & Sanctions: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on Export Controls & Sanctions and who changed firm over the last 12 months, set against the International Trade & National Security practice and the market.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 86
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +29.2%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 46.5%
- Partner share of moves
- 45
- Firms that hired
What the data show
Sartori & Partners data show 86 lateral moves in Export Controls & Sanctions from November 2025 to October 2026. On settled windows the count went from 72 to 93 (+29.2%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | International Trade & National Security | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 46.5% | 40.6% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 10.5% | 10.4% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 40.7% | 48.1% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 16.3% | 13.2% | 12.9% |
| Changed city | 11.3% | 13.1% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 67.4% | 66.0% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+29.2%) | flat (+6.2%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 International Trade & National Security practice as a whole, the associate share stands out most: 40.7% here against 48.1%, below it. Year on year it moved with the International Trade & National Security practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 232 lawyers moved in Export Controls & Sanctions, 90 of them partners (38.8%). They joined 108 different firms. 13.8% stepped up a level on the move and 15.6% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 66.3% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner46.5%
- Counsel10.5%
- Associate40.7%
Partners make up 46.5% of arrivals, against 27.7% across the market: a partner-heavy flow. Year on year, on windows that end a month early, partner moves alone grew 64.0% (25 to 41). A step up in title came with 16.3% of moves (market 12.9%).
- 1,000+ lawyers67.4%
- 400-999 lawyers19.8%
- 150-399 lawyers11.6%
45 firms hired at least one lateral in Export Controls & Sanctions in the window. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 43.0% of arrivals (12.9% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. Greenberg Traurig ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers66.3%
- 400-999 lawyers17.6%
- 150-399 lawyers13.1%
- under 150 lawyers3.0%
Washington, DC ranks first among destination cities with 50.0% of arrivals. 11.3% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.
There were 33 open roles in Export Controls & Sanctions on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
For a firm planning a hire in Export Controls & Sanctions, a flat market means candidates are not being pulled by a wave: the case for a move has to come from the platform.
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 | Greenberg Traurig | 6-10 |
| 2 | Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati | 6-10 |
| 3 | Steptoe | 3-5 |
| 4 | Paul Hastings | 3-5 |
| 5 | Clyde & Co | 3-5 |
| 6 | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius | 3-5 |
| 7 | Brown Rudnick | 3-5 |
| 8 | Baker McKenzie | 3-5 |
Deals in Export Controls & Sanctions
Sartori & Partners data count 33 over the three years to October 2026.
Time to partner in Export Controls & Sanctions
105 lawyers were promoted to partner in Export Controls & Sanctions over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 11.0 years, with the middle half between 9.0 years and 14.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 63.2% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 76 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other specialities in International Trade & National Security
Hiring in this market
Reports
- Export Controls and Sanctions: The Core of Trade Hiring
Sanctions and export controls lawyers made 69.8% of the trade practice's lateral moves. Washington, DC took 50.0% of them, and partner hiring rose 64.0% while hiring at all levels held flat (+29.2%).
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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