Above The Law Power 100 Firms

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Above The Law Power 100 Firms

What It Is: This ranking keeps track of the top market players today. These are the firms that set the pace on lawyer pay and compete for the wealthiest clients. These are the market leaders.

Why It Matters to You: An updated methodology for looking at market leaders beyond revenue. Firms are rewarded for maintaining low leverage, or for offering a better chance for incoming associates to eventually ascend to partnership.

Considerations: This ranking most heavily looks at reputation and compensation ratings in determining overall scores. Reputation is measured by both the reputed strength and quality of a firm’s practice and the perceived desirability of the firm as a potential employer.


Created By: Above The Law

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Above The Law Top Regional Offices

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Above The Law Top Regional Offices

What It Is: This is a ranking that provides a targeted look at the top firms in 9 major markets: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC.

Why It Matters To You: Most legal careers are dependent on personal and professional connections in a particular community, each with its own courthouse culture and folkways. This might be less true for those practicing in a more “globalized” large law firm context, yet a firm’s practice and culture in one market do not necessarily translate everywhere.

Considerations: Included in this ranking are market-specific questions, inquiring about both the reputation of firms in each survey participant's city as well as each firm's desirability as a potential employer. City-specific firm choices are limited to offices with at least 50 lawyers.


Created By: Above The Law

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Chambers Rankings Guides

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Chambers Rankings Guides

What It Is: Industry-leading ranking of law firms and lawyers around the world.

Why It Matters To You: Highly searchable directory allows you to find the highest ranking law firms and individuals lawyers, by practice area and jurisdiction, anywhere in world.

Considerations: Extensive, well-documented, and well-respected methodology earns Chambers a global reputation for accuracy and reliability. A must-see if you’re considering law practice outside the U.S. Importantly, the rankings consider small law firms, boutique law firms, individual lawyers, as well as BigLaw. 

Created By: Chambers & Partners

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Diversity Scorecard

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Diversity Scorecard

What It Is: Annual law firm survey to measure the number of minority lawyers at the nation’s law firms.

Why It Matters To You: This survey lets you know what progress law firms are making in terms of hiring.

Considerations: Retention and satisfaction of these minority attorneys might not be reflected in the sheer numbers.

Created By: The American Lawyer

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Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality

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Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality

What It Is: This is a list of all the companies and law firms that earned 100% on HRC's Corporate Equality Index (CEI) sorted by industry.

Why It Matters To You: The CEI rates companies and top law firms on detailed criteria falling under five broad categories non-discrimination policies, employment benefits, demonstrated organizational competency and accountability around LGBTQ diversity and inclusion, public commitment to LGBTQ equality, responsible citizenship. Both publicly available and self-reported data is evaluated.

Considerations: Participation in the index is voluntary. Companies and law firms evaluated are gathered through Fortune magazine's 1000 largest publicly traded businesses and American Lawyer magazine's top 200 revenue-grossing law firms. In addition, any private-sector for-profit employer with 500 or more full-time employees can request to participate. It is important to note that law firms have only been included in the ranking since 2006.

Created By: Human Rights Campaign

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Law360 Glass Ceiling Report

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Law360 Glass Ceiling Report

What It Is: These rankings highlight the ways women's representation has advanced (or not) among the nation's top law firms.

Why It Matters To You: Rankings are available for best firms for female attorneys and female equity partners as well as analysis of trends within the world of law firms.

Considerations:  There is not an overall ranking for women's representation, but rather specific rankings for certain markers such as headcount. Rankings also don't measure other measures of diversity, which may provide a fuller picture. Firms are grouped within the rankings by headcount.

Created By: Law360

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Law360 Law Firm Diversity Snapshot

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Law360 Law Firm Diversity Snapshot

What It Is: These rankings highlight the ways diversity has advanced (or not) among the nation's top law firms.

Why It Matters To You: Rankings are available for best firms for minority attorneys and minority equity partners as well as analysis of trends within the world of law firms.

Considerations:  There is not an overall ranking for diversity, but rather specific rankings for certain markers such as headcount. Rankings also don't measure other measures of diversity, which may provide a fuller picture. Firms are grouped within the rankings by headcount.

Created By: Law360

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Mid-Level Associates Survey

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Mid-Level Associates Survey

What It Is: Annual survey of thousands of 3rd, 4th, and 5th year associates at 100-150 law firms nationwide.

Why It Matters To You: This survey gives a good sense of what it’s really like at these law firms, including quality of work, firm culture, and training. You’ll learn about whether these firms will help you develop critical skills necessary to advance your career, whether there are opportunities for advancement, and much more.

Considerations: The survey is an opportunity to vent anonymously. Dissatisfied associates might be more likely to complete these surveys than satisfied associates.

Created By: The American Lawyer

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The A-List

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The A-List

What It Is: Annual law firm survey promoted as the “decathlon for law firms.”

Why It Matters To You: Unlike other listings, the A-List is intended as a more all-around measure, that takes into account financial performance, but also associate satisfaction, diversity, pro bono efforts, and more.

Considerations: Because of the large number of factors considered, it may be more difficult for law firms to deliberately influence their rankings.

Created By: The American Lawyer

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The Am Law 100

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The Am Law 100

What It Is: Top 100 performers from annual survey of law firms nationwide, with focus on key financial metrics: gross revenue, revenue per lawyer, and profits per partner. Separate rankings are available for each metric, as well as an overall performer ranking.

Why It Matters To You: In addition to showing individual firms’ rise and fall, the Am Law 100 reveals many trends in law firm performance that have direct and indirect impact on legal hiring, compensation, and opportunities for advancement.

Considerations: Law firms are very aware of this ranking, and do what they can to influence their data. Some industry insiders have questioned whether such focus on these four financial metrics (which have changed the business of law) is healthy for law firms or for the legal industry.

Created By: American Lawyer

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The Am Law 200

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The Am Law 200

What It Is: The second tier of top performers from annual survey of law firms nationwide, with focus on key financial metrics: gross revenue, revenue per lawyer, and profits per partner. Separate rankings are available for each metric, as well as an overall performance ranking.

Why It Matters To You: While the Am Law 100 focuses on nationwide firms, the Am Law 200 gives numbers on many regional powerhouses. These are often up-and-coming law firms that may reach the Am Law 100, become merger or acquisition targets, or remain regional players. In addition to showing individual firms’ rise and fall, the Am Law 200 reveals many trends in law firm performance that have direct and indirect impact on legal hiring, compensation, and opportunities for advancement.

Considerations: Again, law firms are very aware of this ranking, and do what they can to influence their data. Some industry insiders have questioned whether such focus on these four financial metrics (which have changed the business of law) is healthy for law firms or for the legal industry.

Created By: The American Lawyer

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The NLJ 500

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The NLJ 500

What It Is: Annual survey of the nation’s largest law firms.

Why It Matters To You: In addition to showing individual firms’ rise and fall, the ranking reveals many trends in law firm performance that have direct and indirect impact on legal hiring, compensation, and opportunities for advancement.

Considerations: This survey only considers size, measured by average number of full-time equivalent attorneys.

Created By: The American Lawyer

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Vault Best Law Firms for Diversity

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Vault Best Law Firms for Diversity

What It Is: This ranking is based on each firm associates’ ranking of how the firm does at creating, maintaining, and fostering a diverse workforce.

Why It Matters To You: Associates rate their own firms on how effective they are at fostering a diverse working environment.

Considerations: The ranking includes separate categories for diversity as it relates to minorities, women, LGBT individuals, individuals with disabilities, and military veterans. The formula weighs the five categories evenly for their overall ranking.


Created By: Vault

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Vault Best Law Firms in Each Practice Area

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Vault Best Law Firms in Each Practice Area

What It Is: Yearly rankings of firms by practice areas ranging from Antitrust to Environmental Law to IP Boutiques and everything in between.

Why It Matters To You: These firms were voted strongest in each practice area by associates working in that area at peer firms.

Considerations: To reach their rankings, associates are invited to vote for up to three firms in their practice area, but can’t nominate their own. It is important to consider that this is the only criteria considered in the ranking. It is also useful to note there is a significant backlog of years and it is easy to look at compare which have firms have risen and fallen over the years.

Created By: Vault

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Vault Best Law Firms in Each U.S. Region

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Vault Best Law Firms in Each U.S. Region

What It Is: Yearly ranking of firms by regions, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain States, New York, Pacific Northwest, Southern California, Texas, and Washington, D.C.

Why It Matters To You: Associates rate the reputations of peer firms in their own region. These rankings reveal the most prestigious law firms by region across the U.S.

Considerations: Each regional ranking is based on associates who actually work in that region. There is a significant backlog of years in order to easily trace the rise and fall of various regional law firms and includes more specific regions than a lot of the other rankings that either focus solely on metropolises or combine large swaths of the country into neat categories.


Created by: Vault

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Vault Best Law Firms to Work For

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Vault Best Law Firms to Work For

What It Is: Annual ranking of U.S. law firms, rated on lawyer experience by law firm associates worldwide.

Why It Matters To You: Rankings are calculated for overall quality of life, weighing factors like satisfaction; firm culture; hours; compensation; substantive work; business outlook; career outlook; associate/partner relations; transparency; formal and informal training; pro bono; and overall diversity. The ranking is also easily sortable by these factors so you can choose which qualities matter most.

Considerations: Potential a great overview and apples-to-apples comparison of what’s it’s actually like to work there.

Created By: The Vault

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Vault Best Midsize Law Firms to Work For

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Vault Best Midsize Law Firms to Work For

What It Is: This is a ranking of the leading midsize firms based on what associates say their work life is really like.

Why It Matters To You: Easily sortable by a variety of factors ranging from an overall ranking to rankings based on compensation, diversity, firm culture, hours, quality of work, and satisfaction.

Considerations: Associates are asked to rank their own firm on a 1-to-10 scale for each of several quality of life categories. Since these rankings are based on perceptions of attorneys who work at each for each firm, it is important to note that some of them may be biased in favor (or against) their firms.


Created by: Vault

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Vault Best Summer Associate Programs

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Vault Best Summer Associate Programs

What It Is: This is a ranking of best summer associate programs based on the associates’ experiences.

Why It Matters To You: Junior lawyers look back on their experiences as summer associates to rate how much fun the programs were and how effectively they prepared them for life as practicing attorneys. Decide which values matter most to you in a summer associate program.

Considerations: Junior associates are asked to provide rankings on a 1-10 scale for how well the summer program prepared the associate for life at the firm and how fun the summer associate program was. Junior associates often have limited experiences beyond their current firms and thus may not have as strong a basis for comparison.

Created By: Vault

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Vault Law 100

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Vault Law 100

What It Is: Annual ranking of U.S. law firms, rated on prestige by some 18,000 (give or take) associates worldwide.

Why It Matters To You: In addition to revealing the changing fortunes of law firms, the Vault Law 100 shows trends in what law firm associates think of BigLaw firms.

Considerations: This survey focuses on the opinions of law firm associates—not law firm partners or clients—who may not have sufficient information to make judgments about firms prestige in the marketplace. 

Created By: Vault

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