Public Law & Government · speciality monitor
Political Law & Lobbying: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on Political Law & Lobbying 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
- 22
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- -8.3%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 68.2%
- Partner share of moves
- 73
- Lateral moves, three yearsThree years to October 2026
What the data show
Sartori & Partners data show 22 lateral moves in Political Law & Lobbying from November 2025 to October 2026. On settled windows the count went from 24 to 22 (-8.3%), 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 | 68.2% | 34.1% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 16.4% | 15.8% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 27.3% | 48.0% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level (three years) | 16.4% | 13.1% | 12.3% |
| Changed city (three years) | 15.4% | 20.1% | 21.6% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 68.2% | 38.5% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (-8.3%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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.
Set against the Public Law & Government practice as a whole, the partner share stands out most: 68.2% here against 34.1%, above it. Year on year it moved with the Public Law & Government practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 73 lawyers moved in Political Law & Lobbying, 41 of them partners (56.2%). They joined 49 different firms. 16.4% stepped up a level on the move and 15.4% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 52.0% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner68.2%
- Associate27.3%
Partners make up 68.2% of arrivals, against 27.7% across the market: a partner-heavy flow.
- 1,000+ lawyers68.2%
- 150-399 lawyers22.7%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. 49 firms hired at least one lateral in Political Law & Lobbying in the window. Ten firms account for 44.3% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: concentrated. First on the hiring table is Taft Stettinius & Hollister, with arrivals in the 6-10 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers52.0%
- 400-999 lawyers22.0%
- under 150 lawyers18.0%
With volume in Political Law & Lobbying 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 | Taft Stettinius & Hollister | 6-10 |
| 2 | Greenberg Traurig | 3-5 |
| 3 | Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck | 3-5 |
| 4 | Clark Hill | 3-5 |
| 5 | Barnes & Thornburg | 3-5 |
| 6 | K & L Gates | 3-5 |
Deals in Political Law & Lobbying
Sartori & Partners data count 52 dated deals in Political Law & Lobbying in the 12 months to October 2026 and 157 over the three years to October 2026.
Disputes & investigations work is involved in 82.2% of them.
By client industry, Government & Public Sector comes first with 29.3%.
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 | WilmerHale | 6-10 |
| 3 | Dentons | 6-10 |
| 4 | Clark Hill | 6-10 |
| 5 | Troutman Pepper Locke | 6-10 |
| 6 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | 3-5 |
| 7 | Greenberg Traurig | 3-5 |
| 8 | Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath | 3-5 |
| 9 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | 3-5 |
| 10 | Munger, Tolles & Olson | 3-5 |
Time to partner in Political Law & Lobbying
50 lawyers were promoted to partner in Political Law & Lobbying over five years, according to Sartori & Partners data.
The median time from first year of practice to partner is 10.0 years, with the middle half between 8.0 years and 16.5 years, against a market median of 10.0 years. 67.4% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 43 promotions.
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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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