White Collar, Investigations & Criminal · speciality monitor
Government & Internal Investigations: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on Government & Internal Investigations and who changed firm over the last 12 months, set against the White Collar, Investigations & Criminal practice and the market.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 424
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +12.0%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 47.6%
- Partner share of moves
- 170
- Firms that hired
What the data show
Sartori & Partners data show 424 lateral moves in Government & Internal Investigations from November 2025 to October 2026. On settled windows the count went from 383 to 429 (+12.0%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | White Collar, Investigations & Criminal | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 47.6% | 41.6% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 10.8% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 41.3% | 45.2% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 13.7% | 13.4% | 12.9% |
| Changed city | 12.5% | 15.6% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 56.8% | 55.5% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+12.0%) | flat (+8.2%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 White Collar, Investigations & Criminal practice as a whole, the partner share stands out most: 47.6% here against 41.6%, above it. Year on year it moved with the White Collar, Investigations & Criminal practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 1,227 lawyers moved in Government & Internal Investigations, 555 of them partners (45.2%). They joined 290 different firms. 14.8% stepped up a level on the move and 16.9% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 62.8% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
Latest: 23 in Oct 26
Show the numbers
| Month | Value |
|---|---|
| Nov 24 | 22 |
| Jan 25 | 44 |
| Feb 25 | 42 |
| Mar 25 | 35 |
| Apr 25 | 32 |
| May 25 | 39 |
| Jun 25 | 36 |
| Jul 25 | 27 |
| Aug 25 | 28 |
| Sep 25 | 38 |
| Oct 25 | 28 |
| Nov 25 | 22 |
| Jan 26 | 57 |
| Feb 26 | 33 |
| Mar 26 | 40 |
| Apr 26 | 30 |
| May 26 | 46 |
| Jun 26 | 43 |
| Jul 26 | 34 |
| Aug 26 | 47 |
| Sep 26 | 32 |
| Oct 26 | 23 |
The newest months read low: start dates are confirmed with a delay.
This is a partner market: 47.6% of movers were partners, against 27.7% market-wide. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 179 to 198 (+10.6%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. 13.7% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
- Partner47.6%
- Counsel10.8%
- Associate41.3%
Lateral hires in Government & Internal Investigations were spread across 170 firms. Ten firms account for 21.8% of arrivals, against 12.9% across the market: moderately concentrated. First on the hiring table is Greenberg Traurig, with arrivals in the 11-20 band.
Washington, DC ranks first among destination cities with 24.1% of arrivals, followed by New York (17.7%). A change of city came with 12.5% of moves (market 20.5%).
- 1,000+ lawyers62.8%
- 400-999 lawyers16.9%
- 150-399 lawyers10.4%
- under 150 lawyers9.8%
Group moves were 1.7% of the total (market 1.5%).
There were 104 open roles in Government & Internal Investigations on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
For a firm planning a hire in Government & Internal Investigations, 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 | 11-20 |
| 2 | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius | 11-20 |
| 3 | Barnes & Thornburg | 11-20 |
| 4 | Paul Hastings | 6-10 |
| 5 | Winston Taylor | 6-10 |
| 6 | Eversheds Sutherland | 6-10 |
| 7 | Freshfields | 6-10 |
| 8 | Sidley Austin | 6-10 |
| 9 | Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati | 6-10 |
| 10 | Steptoe | 6-10 |
| Rank | Firm | Moves (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnes & Thornburg | 6-10 |
| 2 | Greenberg Traurig | 6-10 |
| 3 | Paul Hastings | 6-10 |
| 4 | DLA Piper | 3-5 |
| 5 | Epstein Becker & Green | 3-5 |
| 6 | King & Spalding | 3-5 |
| 7 | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius | 3-5 |
| 8 | White & Case | 3-5 |
| 9 | Eversheds Sutherland | 3-5 |
| 10 | Dentons | 3-5 |
Deals in Government & Internal Investigations
Sartori & Partners data count 36 dated deals in Government & Internal Investigations in the 12 months to October 2026 and 114 over the three years to October 2026.
Disputes & investigations work is involved in 98.2% of them.
Jones Day ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 11-20 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jones Day | 11-20 |
| 2 | Bass, Berry & Sims | 6-10 |
| 3 | Withers Worldwide | 6-10 |
| 4 | King & Spalding | 3-5 |
| 5 | Simmons & Simmons | 3-5 |
| 6 | Reed Smith | 3-5 |
| 7 | Nixon Peabody | 3-5 |
| 8 | DLA Piper | 3-5 |
| 9 | Covington & Burling | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Government & Internal Investigations
112 lawyers were promoted to partner in Government & Internal Investigations in the 12 months to May 2026, 643 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 13.0 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 73.1% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 542 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other specialities in White Collar, Investigations & Criminal
Hiring in this market
Reports
- Government and Internal Investigations Hiring: A Washington Market
Government and internal investigations hiring is anchored in Washington, DC: 24.1% of moves land there, an index of 430, and only 12.5% of movers change city, against 20.5% across the market.
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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