International Trade & National Security · speciality monitor
Foreign Investment Review: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on Foreign Investment Review 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
- 51
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +14.0%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 45.1%
- Partner share of moves
- 39
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 51 lateral moves in Foreign Investment Review. On settled windows the count went from 50 to 57 (+14.0%), 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 | 45.1% | 40.6% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 9.8% | 10.4% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 45.1% | 48.1% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 13.7% | 13.2% | 12.9% |
| Changed city | 11.6% | 13.1% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 64.7% | 66.0% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+14.0%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 partner share stands out most: 45.1% here against 40.6%, above 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, 149 lawyers moved in Foreign Investment Review, 57 of them partners (38.3%). They joined 77 different firms. 13.4% stepped up a level on the move and 13.4% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 73.1% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner45.1%
- Counsel9.8%
- Associate45.1%
At 45.1%, the partner share of arrivals sits above the market's 27.7%. 13.7% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
- 1,000+ lawyers64.7%
- 400-999 lawyers23.5%
- 150-399 lawyers11.8%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. 77 firms hired at least one lateral in Foreign Investment Review in the window. The ten firms at the head of the hiring table took 33.8% of arrivals (12.2% market-wide), so hiring here is concentrated. Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers73.1%
- 400-999 lawyers16.4%
- 150-399 lawyers6.7%
- under 150 lawyers3.7%
Washington, DC ranks first among destination cities with 56.9% of arrivals. 11.6% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.
There were 28 open roles in Foreign Investment Review on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
With volume in Foreign Investment Review 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 | Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld | 6-10 |
| 2 | Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman | 6-10 |
| 3 | Covington & Burling | 6-10 |
| 4 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | 6-10 |
| 5 | Baker McKenzie | 3-5 |
| 6 | Steptoe | 3-5 |
| 7 | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates | 3-5 |
| 8 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | 3-5 |
| 9 | Foley Hoag | 3-5 |
| 10 | DLA Piper | 3-5 |
Deals in Foreign Investment Review
Sartori & Partners data count 44 over the three years to October 2026.
Regulatory & antitrust work is involved in 63.6% of them.
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 | Bass, Berry & Sims | 6-10 |
Time to partner in Foreign Investment Review
74 lawyers were promoted to partner in Foreign Investment Review 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 13.8 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 66.7% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 54 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other specialities in International Trade & National Security
Hiring in this market
Reports
- Foreign Investment Review Lawyers: Index 1,015 in Washington
Washington, DC took 56.9% of foreign investment review lateral moves, an index of 1,015 against the market and above the trade practice's 876. Hiring held flat (+14.0%) year on year, so every hire comes out of the same small Washington pool.
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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