Trademarks & Brands: lateral monitor

Sartori & Partners data show 237 lateral moves in Trademarks & Brands from November 2025 to October 2026. On settled windows the count went from 262 to 246 (-6.1%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat.

Over the three years to October 2026, 768 lawyers moved in Trademarks & Brands, 316 of them partners (41.1%). They joined 274 different firms. 12.0% stepped up a level on the move and 18.1% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 43.2% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.

This is a partner market: 44.3% of movers were partners, against 27.7% market-wide. Year on year partner moves alone held level (102 to 106 on settled windows, +3.9%). A step up in title came with 11.8% of moves (market 12.9%).

Lateral hires in Trademarks & Brands were spread across 138 firms. Ten firms account for 19.7% of arrivals, against 12.9% across the market: moderately concentrated. Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton ranks first by lateral arrivals, in the 6-10 band.

New York ranks first among destination cities with 15.6% of arrivals, followed by San Francisco (9.3%). A change of city came with 15.1% of moves (market 20.5%).

Group moves were 3.4% of the total (market 1.5%).

There were 147 open roles in Trademarks & Brands on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.

For a firm planning a hire in Trademarks & Brands, a flat market means candidates are not being pulled by a wave: the case for a move has to come from the platform.

Sartori & Partners data count 4,707 dated deals in Trademarks & Brands in the 12 months to October 2026 and 11,836 over the three years to October 2026.

Disputes & investigations work is involved in 99.7% of them.

By client industry, Consumer Goods & Retail comes first with 10.1%.

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 401-700 band.