Projects & Infrastructure · speciality monitor
Public-Private Partnerships: lateral monitor
Lawyers whose work centers on Public-Private Partnerships and who changed firm over the last 12 months, set against the Projects & Infrastructure practice and the market.
The last 12 months: November 2025 to October 2026
- 56
- Lateral moves, 12 monthsNovember 2025 to October 2026
- +6.8%
- Year on yearSettled 12-month windows
- 64.3%
- Partner share of moves
- 41
- Firms that hired
What the data show
From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 56 lateral moves in Public-Private Partnerships. On settled windows the count went from 59 to 63 (+6.8%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.
| Measure | Here | Projects & Infrastructure | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner share of moves | 64.3% | 38.6% | 27.7% |
| Counsel share of moves (three years) | 11.0% | 11.2% | 12.1% |
| Associate share of moves | 28.6% | 48.4% | 58.5% |
| Moved up a level | 8.9% | 15.1% | 12.9% |
| Changed city | 13.0% | 22.3% | 20.5% |
| Hired by firms of 1,000+ lawyers | 58.2% | 71.1% | 53.6% |
| Year on year | flat (+6.8%) | flat (+1.3%) | 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 A dash is a value we do not publish.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 Projects & Infrastructure practice as a whole, the widest gap is the partner share, which is higher here: 64.3% against 38.6%. Year on year it moved with the Projects & Infrastructure practice as a whole: both flat.
Over the three years to October 2026, 172 lawyers moved in Public-Private Partnerships, 89 of them partners (51.7%). They joined 90 different firms. 16.9% stepped up a level on the move and 22.4% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 65.4% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.
- Partner64.3%
- Associate28.6%
At 64.3%, the partner share of arrivals sits above the market's 27.7%. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 29 to 41 (+41.4%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. 8.9% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.
- 1,000+ lawyers58.2%
- 400-999 lawyers30.9%
- 150-399 lawyers10.9%
The 12-month firm table is below our naming threshold, so this part reads the three years to October 2026. 90 firms hired at least one lateral in Public-Private Partnerships in the window. Ten firms account for 31.4% of arrivals, against 12.2% across the market: concentrated. Dentons ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 11-20 band.
- 1,000+ lawyers65.4%
- 400-999 lawyers19.2%
- 150-399 lawyers7.7%
- under 150 lawyers7.7%
City figures here cover the three years to October 2026. Paris ranks first among destination cities with 12.8% of arrivals. A change of city came with 13.0% of moves (market 20.5%).
There were 36 open roles in Public-Private Partnerships on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.
With volume in Public-Private Partnerships 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 | Dentons | 11-20 |
| 2 | Norton Rose Fulbright | 6-10 |
| 3 | Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld | 6-10 |
| 4 | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe | 3-5 |
| 5 | Clifford Chance | 3-5 |
| 6 | Baker Botts | 3-5 |
| 7 | Eversheds Sutherland | 3-5 |
| 8 | King & Spalding | 3-5 |
| 9 | Latham & Watkins | 3-5 |
| 10 | A&O Shearman | 3-5 |
| Rank | Firm | Moves (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dentons | 6-10 |
| 2 | Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld | 3-5 |
| 3 | Eversheds Sutherland | 3-5 |
| 4 | Taft Stettinius & Hollister | 3-5 |
| 5 | Addleshaw Goddard | 3-5 |
Deals in Public-Private Partnerships
Sartori & Partners data count 74 dated deals in Public-Private Partnerships in the 12 months to October 2026 and 184 over the three years to October 2026.
Project & infrastructure finance work is involved in 86.4% of them.
By client industry, Infrastructure comes first with 28.3%.
Clifford Chance ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 11-20 band.
| Rank | Firm | Deals (band) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clifford Chance | 11-20 |
| 2 | DLA Piper | 6-10 |
| 3 | White & Case | 6-10 |
| 4 | Mayer Brown | 6-10 |
| 5 | Fasken Martineau DuMoulin | 6-10 |
| 6 | Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer | 6-10 |
| 7 | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe | 6-10 |
| 8 | Linklaters | 6-10 |
| 9 | Jones Day | 6-10 |
| 10 | Allens | 6-10 |
Time to partner in Public-Private Partnerships
20 lawyers were promoted to partner in Public-Private Partnerships in the 12 months to May 2026, 105 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. 60.7% made partner within 12 years.
These figures rest on 61 promotions.
Related monitors and reports
Other specialities in Projects & Infrastructure
Hiring in this market
Reports
- PPP Lawyers: Paris and the Partner Bench
Public-private partnership hiring leans on Paris and on partners: Paris took 12.8% of moves over 3 years against 4.5% for projects and infrastructure, and partners made up 64.3% of the last 12 months' moves against 38.6%.
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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