Public Law & Government · speciality monitor
Municipal & Local Government: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on Municipal & Local Government and who changed firm over the last 12 months, set against the Public Law & Government practice and the market.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 83
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +7.3%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 43.4%
- Partner share of moves
- 59
- Firms that hired
What the data show
Sartori & Partners data show 83 lateral moves in Municipal & Local Government from November 2025 to October 2026. On settled windows the count went from 82 to 88 (+7.3%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Public Law & Government | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 43.4% | 34.1% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves | 21.7% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| Associate share of moves | 34.9% | 48.0% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 19.3% | 13.2% | 12.9% |
| Changed city | 22.8% | 22.8% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 22.9% | 38.5% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+7.3%) | flat (-4.9%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 Public Law & Government practice as a whole, the widest gap is the share hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers, which is lower here: 22.9% against 38.5%. Year on year it moved with the Public Law & Government practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 252 lawyers moved in Municipal & Local Government, 91 of them partners (36.1%). They joined 138 different firms. 16.3% stepped up a level on the move and 21.3% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 32.0% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner43.4%
- Counsel21.7%
- Associate34.9%
This is a partner market: 43.4% of movers were partners, against 27.7% market-wide. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 28 to 37 (+32.1%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. 19.3% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
- 1,000+ lawyers22.9%
- 400-999 lawyers28.9%
- 150-399 lawyers32.5%
- under 150 lawyers15.7%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. 138 firms hired at least one lateral in Municipal & Local Government in the window. Ten firms account for 27.6% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: moderately concentrated. First on the hiring table is Best Best & Krieger, with arrivals in the 11-20 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers32.0%
- 400-999 lawyers30.4%
- 150-399 lawyers16.8%
- under 150 lawyers20.8%
City figures here cover the three years to October 2026. Los Angeles ranks first among destination cities with 9.1% of arrivals. 22.8% of movers also changed city, against 20.5% market-wide.
6.0% of moves came as part of a group, against 1.5% market-wide.
With volume in Municipal & Local Government 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 | Best Best & Krieger | 11-20 |
| 2 | Taft Stettinius & Hollister | 6-10 |
| 3 | Dentons | 6-10 |
| 4 | TLT | 6-10 |
| 5 | Borden Ladner Gervais | 3-5 |
| 6 | DLA Piper | 3-5 |
| 7 | Spencer Fane | 3-5 |
| 8 | Marshall Dennehey | 3-5 |
| 9 | Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein | 3-5 |
| 10 | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe | 3-5 |
| Rank | Firm | Moves (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taft Stettinius & Hollister | 6-10 |
| 2 | TLT | 3-5 |
| 3 | DLA Piper | 3-5 |
Deals in Municipal & Local Government
Sartori & Partners data count 97 dated deals in Municipal & Local Government in the 12 months to October 2026 and 287 over the three years to October 2026.
Disputes & investigations work is involved in 76.3% of them.
By client industry, Government & Public Sector comes first with 71.1%.
Browne Jacobson ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 6-10 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Browne Jacobson | 6-10 |
| 2 | Freeman Mathis & Gary | 6-10 |
| 3 | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith | 6-10 |
| 4 | Bass, Berry & Sims | 6-10 |
| 5 | GÖRG | 6-10 |
| 6 | Taft Stettinius & Hollister | 3-5 |
| 7 | Marshall Dennehey | 3-5 |
| 8 | Keker Van Nest & Peters | 3-5 |
| 9 | DLA Piper | 3-5 |
| 10 | Birketts | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Municipal & Local Government
31 lawyers were promoted to partner in Municipal & Local Government in the 12 months to May 2026, 162 over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 10.5 years, with the middle half between 9.0 years and 13.8 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 67.5% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 114 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other specialities in Public Law & Government
Hiring in this market
Reports
- Municipal Lawyers in 2026: A Smaller-Firm Market
Municipal and local government lawyers who change firms mostly join mid-sized platforms: firms of 1,000+ lawyers took 22.9% of their moves in 12 months, against 38.5% across public law and 53.6% in the whole 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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