The 20 Most Prestigious Law Firms In America

1,900 employees New York City headquarters Uppers “International work and opportunities” “People don't get worked to death” “Good relationships with senior associates and partners” Downers “Lack of transparency” “Unpredictable hours” “Slim partnership prospects” The Buzz “Great international practice” “Good work product” “Slightly impersonal” “Too big” Read the full report at Vault.The third largest law firm in the world, boasting offices in 19 countries on five continents. 2,400 employees Washington, D.C. headquarters Uppers Team atmosphere Stability of the firm and its client base Attempt at work/life balance Downers It's sometimes difficult to navigate the red tape at such a large firm No transparency regarding compensation The firm can be cheap in certain ways The Buzz Huge International Opaque Fratty Read the full report at Vault.1,693 employees Chicago headquarters Uppers Extremely pleasant place to work Reasonable hours requirements Commitment to diversity Downers Work flow can be unpredictable and a little unevenly distributed Lack of transparency in bonus system Biglaw is Biglaw The Buzz Obama worked there! Great in Chicago Hard-working Conservative Read the full report at Vault.A young, laid-back firm where partners wear flip-flops. Quinn Emanuel goes to trial often and wins 90% of the time. 595 employees Los Angeles headquarters Uppers You will get trial experience Security in the financial outlook/success of the firm Casual dress code Downers Extremely long hours and 24/7 availability expectation can be grinding Skimpy perks Unrelenting focus on the bottom line The Buzz Litigation powerhouse Fun environment Arrogant Crazy hours Read the full report at Vault.Litigation all day, every day for politicians, celebrities, athletes, and other really famous people. 270 employees Washington, D.C. headquarters Uppers The people are exceedingly smart, decent, and good to work with Substantive work while still maintaining a reasonable lifestyle We actually go to trial Downers No system of work assignment Hours are too long Could use more women and minorities in leadership roles The Buzz DC powerhouse Litigation's pinnacle Law review editors only Aggressive Read the full report at Vault.Up 5 spots from last year. 284 employees New York City headquarters Uppers The paycheck No face-time Working with the best and the brightest Downers Lack of transparency Brutal hours Few training opportunities The Buzz Astronomical bonuses Outstanding litigation practice Reputation mostly rests on famous name partner Crazy hours Read the full report at Vault.Paul Weiss's Roberta Kaplan successfully argued the case against the Defense of Marriage Act in the Supreme Court. 803 employees New York City headquarters Uppers A case that is not in The New York Times is the exception rather than the rule Being part of such a strong legacy of commitment to pro bono work and civil rights Very strong economic outlook Downers Everyone is very intense Too many hours More document review than promised as a first-year The Buzz Top in litigation Corporate practice is catching up to litigation Crazy hours but interesting work Aggressive Read the full report at Vault.675 employees New York City headquarters Uppers Culture is very supportive and diverse Work is challenging and high-profile Compensation is lockstep with no billable requirements Downers Lack of transparency The technology is antiquated Passive-aggressiveness The Buzz Great people Smart and hardworking Boring Nerdy Read the full report at Vault.The firm is known for its work on famous Supreme Court cases including the game-changing campaign finance case Citizens United and the challenge to California's gay marriage ban. 1,081 employees Los Angeles headquarters Uppers Free market assignment system lets associates chart their own course Flexible work environment with great people who are happy with what they are doing Relentless focus on doing the best work possible Downers Lack of professional development structure Hours, hours, and more hours Share offices [in New York] The Buzz At the cutting edge of litigation Highly respected Buttoned-up Tough work schedule Read the full report at Vault.890 employees Washington, D.C. headquarters Uppers Intellectually stimulating environment Reasonable hours expectations Ability to do lots of interesting pro bono work Downers Lack of transparency on certain issues Too-reserved atmosphere Slightly lower bonuses The Buzz Intellectual Best in DC Snobby Political Read the full report at Vault.One of the world's largest law firms with 30 offices in the U.S., Middle East, Europe, and Asia and also regular work in Latina America and Africa. 2,000 employees New York City headquarters Uppers It's all about the people — they're fantastic Involvement of associates in management of the firm Unassigned program allows young associates to try a great deal of different things Downers Billiable hours requirement Have to be available 24/7 The sheer size of the firm makes some things very inflexible The Buzz Increasing energy presence Relaxed for a big firm Fratty Overworked associates Fun fact: The only firm in the top 20 that doesn't offer automatic pay raises. Read the full report at Vault.1,660 employees New York City headquarters Uppers Run your own practice Cash money, baby Training is excellent Downers No transparency Hours can be brutal Lack of mentorship The Buzz Excellent training Best in Chicago Crazy hours but huge bonuses Arrogant Read the full report at Vault.Cleary represented Greece in the largest ever sovereign debt restructuring and bond exchange. 1,200 employees New York City headquarters Uppers Incredible culture of collegiality No face-time requirement Transparent management Downers Hours can be unpredictable People can be passive-aggressive Unclear expectations The Buzz Good at everything Incredible for international law Nerdy Brutal hours Read the full report at Vault. 845 employees New York City headquarters Uppers Extremely collegial atmosphere Wide exposure to a lot of impressive deals Complex work and real responsibility at an early level Downers Firm governance is a little opaque to associates Modest partnership potential Unpredictable and long hours The Buzz Best M&A and private equity lawyers Thanks for $160K! Smug Crazy hours Read the full report at Vault.The go-to bankruptcy firm recently made headlines when it had mass layoffs for the first time in its history. 1,200 employees New York City headquarters Uppers Exposure to complex, varied and interesting transactions Laid-back culture Brilliant colleagues Downers Always being on call Unclear future opportunities Lack of transparency The Buzz Elite restructuring group Underrated Fratty Highly competitive Read the full report at Vault.One of the nation's most comprehensive corporate departments, with a top-notch, white-collar defense team. 809 employees New York City headquarters Uppers Respectful culture The work is cutting-edge Opportunity to learn from the top people in the field Downers Hours and stress Unpredictable workflow Formal mentoring system has limited utility The Buzz Classy Excellent work, even better people Stuffy Conservative Read the full report at Vault.Skadden was the first law firm to report $1 billion in annual revenue. 1,700 employees New York City headquarters Uppers Endless training resources The work is top-notch Global presence of the firm Downers Hours tend to be long Too few counsel and partner positions available for associates An intense place to work The Buzz King of M&A Top dog Workaholics Cutthroat Read the full report at Vault.S&C has tasked its Diversity Committee with attracting and retaining female and minority lawyers. As of January 2012, of the 44 partners elected worldwide in the past six years, fifteen are women, eleven are minorities, and two are openly gay. 816 employees New York City headquarters Uppers Commitment to excellence Headline-grabbing cases Early responsibility Downers Hierarchical structure There is always more work to be done Always being on call The Buzz Amazingly smart people Goldman's lawyers Interviews are difficult Pretentious but good at what they do Read the full report at Vault.Every Monday at 1:00 p.m., Cravath's entire New York partnership sits down for lunch together, a tradition dating back to the 1920s. 434 employees New York City headquarters Uppers Early responsibility Top-tier work Amazing exit opportunities Downers Lack of transparency Uneven mentoring Endlessly on call The Buzz Corporate powerhouse Market leader Annoyingly prestigious Among the most demanding Read the full report at Vault.This is the smallest firm in the top 20, but it handles a major portion of the world's mergers and acquisitions. Martin Lipton, one of the firm's founders, created the poison pill, a popular strategy to prevent hostile takeovers in publicly traded companies. 244 employees New York City headquarters Uppers We get the best work Every single day, I learn something new Excellent compensation Downers On-call 24/7 More pressure than you would find at a lot of other firms It's life-consuming The Buzz The gold standard Huge bonuses Bring a sleeping bag Intense Read the full report at Vault.The Sexiest Lawyers In America!

The 20 Most Prestigious Law Firms In America

#20 White & Case

1,900 employees

New York City headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#19 Jones Day

2,400 employees

Washington, D.C. headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#18 Sidley Austin LLP

1,693 employees

Chicago headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#17 Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP

595 employees

Los Angeles headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#16 Williams & Connolly LLP

270 employees

Washington, D.C. headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#15 Boies, Schiller, & Flexner LLP

284 employees

New York City headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#14 Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

803 employees

New York City headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#13 Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

675 employees

New York City headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#12 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

1,081 employees

Los Angeles headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#11 Covington & Burling LLP

890 employees

Washington, D.C. headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#10 Latham & Watkins LLP

2,000 employees

New York City headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#9 Kirkland & Ellis

1,660 employees

New York City headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#8 Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LPP

New York City headquarters

Uppers

Downers

The Buzz

#7 Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

845 employees