Wage & Hour: lateral monitor

From November 2025 to October 2026, Sartori & Partners recorded 427 lateral moves in Wage & Hour. On settled 12-month windows the count showed no clear change: 444 against 445 (-0.2%). That trails the wider market, which moved +9.0%.

Over the three years to October 2026, 1,345 lawyers moved in Wage & Hour, 333 of them partners (24.8%). They joined 285 different firms. 13.2% stepped up a level on the move and 19.1% changed city, against 12.3% and 21.6% across the market over the same three years. 48.9% came from firms with 1,000+ lawyers.

The level mix sits close to the market: partners are 25.8% of arrivals, against 27.7% market-wide. On settled windows partner moves alone went from 117 to 108 (-7.7%), a change inside the noise of the two counts, so we read it as flat. 14.3% of movers stepped up a level when they changed firm, against 12.9% for the market.

Lateral hires in Wage & Hour were spread across 135 firms. Ten firms account for 42.2% of arrivals, against 12.9% across the market: concentrated. First on the hiring table is Littler Mendelson, with arrivals in the 21-40 band.

Los Angeles ranks first among destination cities with 23.0% of arrivals, followed by New York (12.2%). A change of city came with 18.3% of moves (market 20.5%).

There were 154 open roles in Wage & Hour on law-firm career pages on November 11, 2026.

For a firm planning a hire in Wage & Hour, 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 48 dated deals in Wage & Hour in the 12 months to October 2026 and 119 over the three years to October 2026.

Disputes & investigations work is involved in 98.3% of them.

O'Melveny & Myers ranks first among advising firms over the period, in the 6-10 band.