U.S. News to Rank Law Firms: Will Give Legal Prestige Whores ‘Cradle-to-Grave’ Service
If you enjoyed making crucial decisions on where to receive your undergraduate and post graduate education based on a list in a magazine, you are going to love what is coming next. The WSJ Law Blog reports that U.S. News & World Report will be getting into the business of ranking law firms.
US News & World Report, in connection with the folks who bring you the Best Lawyers survey, have announced that they’ll soon be, yes, ranking the best law firms….We checked in with a spokesperson at Best Lawyers, who told us that it’s actually going to be two surveys — the best law firms and the best law firms to work for. The best law firms survey, at least, will be based partly on a survey sent to lawyers, general counsel and others, and partly on hard data. They’re still apparently working on nailing down the criteria they plan to use.
Will these new rankings be useful? Will they provide critical information to law school graduates trying to make the best choice about where to start their career? Who cares!
My milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,
and they’re like, its better than yours,
damn right its better than yours.
More details on how U.S. News intends to make sure lawyers carry a huge chips on their shoulders for all their livelong days, after the jump.
So, how expansive will the U.S. News list be? It looks pretty inclusive:
The U.S. News/Best Lawyers Law Firm rankings will evaluate more than 3,000 law firms across the United States using a wide range of objective data as well as individual assessments from more than 40,000 private practice lawyers, 20,000 clients, and thousands of law firm employees. The results of this evaluation, as well as articles about legal careers and the law, will be featured in a variety of print and online products focused on both consumers and legal professionals.
Again, it is hard to know just how useful these rankings will be without getting a look at the methodology U.S. News will be using. But what if the new U.S. News rankings differ significantly from the Vault rankings? Will industry professionals still trust Vault, while clients are star struck by U.S. News? Or vice-versa? Or will U.S. News end up as a late entry into a field that Vault already dominates?
Questions abound. But there won’t be any solid answers until the fall of 2010.
We can’t wait.
Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! U.S. News to Rank the Law Firms [WSJ Law Blog]
(92) 
Comments
I can make a booger talk
As long as you care about such rankings, you are a slave.
Cooley should get in on this.
first to ask when Cooley is going to release law firm rankings.
I have absolutely NO idea what Elie tries to say when he's trying to be funny. TTTT.
U.S. News needs to start ranking individual people.
Elie:
"Milk shake??!!"
Do you really want to feed all of the "moobs" idiots who troll the comment boards?
Ignore rankings and liberate yourself from bondage
Finally we can make it official - K&L GaTTTes is a third tier sham of an operation.
oh i really hope it uses tiers so we can officially have ttt firms
Any shithole that's conducted stealth layoffs = TTT.
Any shithole for which "2000 billables" = "2400 if you want to stick around" also = TTT.
Somehow I'm guessing it will be nearly the opposite.
Mystal's moobs are filled with milkshakes!
Latham will be Number One, followed closely by Thompson Hine.
Mystal is a fat turd.
Subtlety not necessary.
Yawn.
Suffolk Law is the Trade School for lawyers in south boston
Elie's rank=6,999,999,999
This is a great idea. I believe virtually everything I read, and I think that is what makes me more of a selective human than someone who doesn't believe anything.
18 - Selective human?! Go suck on some Mystal
I'm surprised USNWR isn't out of business yet.
Elie, were you trying to impersonate Michael J. Fox on Fox Business yesterday?
JK-you were pretty good.
great title to the story
Mystal is the Harvard of law firms.
First!
First!
Ohio State Football = #1. Terrelle Pryor baby! Are we going to start getting excited about new lawyers graduating from law school? Will firms make draft picks based on LSAT scores? After my 2L year can I leave early if I'm good enough?
Fish & Richardson is fucked when this happens.
Elie, I *dare* you to go one week--one stinking week--without citing to, copying from or otherwise being scooped by the WSJ Law Blog. Seriously.
if this is not a joke, it's a tragedy. How about rating once allegedly credible news magazines. If this gains traction with the public, with law students, law firms or others, it's just another indication that the end is not only near - the end is upon us. Any predictions for how long it will take for a law firm to tout its US news rating?
Someone should stop letting ignorant New England law students post on here. Suffolk law will kick your ass anyday - so get over it.
USNews rankings are a joke - and I wouldnt be surprised if BigLaw paid USNews to rank them higher. It already happens with the school rankings.
Say goodbye to 10 more associates to make room for USNews payments
Someone should stop letting ignorant New England law students post on here. Suffolk law will kick your ass anyday - so get over it.
USNews rankings are a joke - and I wouldnt be surprised if BigLaw paid USNews to rank them higher. It already happens with the school rankings.
Say goodbye to 10 more associates to make room for USNews payments
Racial stereotype
Elie you fat fucking turd, when are you going to run the story about the summer associate whose been involved in all the shenanigans. I've heard atleast 10 people talking about this kid. I guess bringing a bottle of gin to a firm event and getting shit faced isn't newsworthy anymore. We want a run down on everything this kid has done so take the donut out of you mouth and report!!!!!!
Btw, nice job on Fox news.
what should we do regarding New England law students?
I <3 David St. Hubbins.
21, no, he was just doing a clothed version of the Truffle Shuffle.
This will make the legal system look like a joke if law firms take this ranking seriously.
US News & World Report should consider changing its name to "U.S. Rankings and Dubious Reports."
Doing so might give the publication a bit more credibility in the rankings business.
A little sodomy never hurt anyone in Texas.
Huh, ranking law firms by someone outside the fraternity. How novel.
I love the reactions of absolute terror by so many on here when they sense that the light of the business world will be shined on the "prestigious" legal industry.
Welcome to reality. Now shut op, go do some real work and get your hours in.
Headline made me LOL.
Wow - what a circle-jerk.
I love how 40 equates arbitrary rankings with reality. Moron.
Locke Lord Houston will finally get the credit it deserves.
You associates complain bitterly these days when the free coffee service is scaled back or secretarial support is limited.
From 1967 to 1972, PE was waterboarded as an associate on a routine basis. He did not complain for fear that the local draft board would send him to Vietnam. He dodged the draft by admitting his rather odd proclivities.
Haynes and Boone > Locke Lord Houston
The truth hurts
BC Law is the Rolls Royce of Eastern Mass law schools
USNews should rank the various ATL comment memes/alt profiles.
layoffs today at CWT, 1st and 2nd years.
this won't do anything more than fuel dick measuring contests. firm rankings, unlike law school rankings, will have little actual impact on attorneys.
David Saint Hubbins = Worst ATL Character
Period
David Saint Hubbins = Best ATL Character
Period
I wish that I could say that this is the height of stupidity, but I'm sure it's just a prelude of dumber things to come.
Burger & King > HayBoo > Unemployed > Locke Lord Houston.
51=52=Texas forehead slapper
Elie is the Yale of moobs.
What is with all the Locke Lord Houston hate? I know their office smells like sour milk, but that shouldn't be a reason to hate them.
57 - the office smells because the associates smell. It's simple cause and effect.
30-31: Bragging about Suffolk being better than New England School of Law is like saying your NFL team is better than the Lions. Yes, that's true, but it's not necessarily saying much more than just that. 1-15 or 2-14 beats 0-16, but that doesn't mean you're anywhere near being a contender.
Locke Lord Houston smells like sour milk b/c it is filled with sweaty SMUs.
What a joke. Still, curious to see what their methodology and criteria are. Are they just going to survey the attorneys working for the firms they intend to rank or can any attorney participate (some of us no longer work for certain firms, but would love to give our opinions about them)? How does one get to participate?
This is a great idea. We definitely need yet another list to confirm that DLA is a toilet firm.
Heh, looks like the survey will only question around 40,000 or so attorneys (the press release says 35,000). That's a real drop in the bucket when CA probably has 100,000 attorneys by itself.
We need a list to rank which firms have the nicest offices.
"But there won't be any solid answers until the fall of 2010."
So true
Associate deferred "until January"
43 - Ah yes, but the "official" rankings of AmLaw, now, that's reality. You're the moron, you self-delusional, megalomaniacal, ass boil.
It is not at all uncommon for someone outside of an industry to provide a ranking. You consider it arbitrary because it doesn't conform to your narrow view.
I would say you are ignorant, but the truth is you're just plain stupid because you simply want to pretend that only lawyers can evaluate lawyers. You are, by your attitude, a huge part of what is wrong with the legal profession today.
Those who don't like David St. Hubbins are probably all like 19 and don't realize he's always *quoting* Spinal Tap.
Which *could* be quite lame, but I am consistently impressed at his ability to select (and sometimes alter) dialogue from the movie that is plausibly relevant to the post's topic.
"What's wrong with being racy" remains my favorite. Brilliant.
No doubt the methodology will rely heavily on reputation, based on surveys of people with no connection whatsoever (past or present) to the firms they rank.
16- Well played.
30- Both schools have terrible stats. On average, the nesl grad is more attractive than the suffolk grad, sorry dude.
To all the Locke Lord Houston haters, Fuck Off.
16, Suffolk is not in South Boston. It is basically across the street from the capital in Beacon Hill.
Northeastern School of Law is the MassBay Community College of Boston.
Unemployed Northeastern '07 (still)
70- I look up to you.
-Ignorant Nesl student.
Who the hell cares about Boston?
UVA3L
I wonder if US News will actually give firms in D.C., L.A., Wilmington, Philly, Boston, etc. or if this will just turn into another New York ass kissing compilation. I guess we'll find out.
Blarf.........BLARRRF!
74: Will undoubtedly be the latter with a few token shakeups to make things interesting. Much like the College and Law School versions of USNews, if the rankings are too far off from conventional prestige, then no one will take them seriously. In other words, expect to see Wachtell, Cravath, and all the usual NYC players on top with the first real sights of non-NYC firms in the 20s.
My guess is that the only valuable thing from these ratings will be the city / regional rankings. I would hope USNews has the sense to focus more on them than the overall rankings (beyond very broad tiers, too large to be useful) if it wants to produce, I dunno, an actually useful guide for someone looking to work in a non-NYC market.
Could be useful if they avoid Vault's overobsession with M&A and NYC.
6: if not individual, at least categorized lives, e.g.:
1 lottery winner, high school, model/actress wife, residence(s) costa rica & park city, hobbies - surfing
...
627 ivy league ba, t-20 jd, mindnumbing legal job at big firm, residence(s) overpolluted american city, hobbies - antidepressants, ladder-climbing
can these c*cksuckers please leave us all alone.
6 - very, very nice.
No one reads the Vault rankings anymore - they will have to compete with Chambers, which is a much better rankings service.
What's with all the complaints? You people should be happy about this. After all, most of you have your entire sense of self-worth defined by your LSAT score, educational pedigree, and the Vault ranking of the firm at which you work. You spend your whole day looking down on everyone else, and these rankings will likely continue the pathetic yuppie pissing-contest that is your life. That is, until you get laid off or no-offered.
Remember, folks: if you win the rat race, you're still a rat.
Top News Magazines:
First Tier -- Foreign Affairs, The Economist, National Review
Second Tier -- Time, Business Week, The Nation
TTT -- U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, US Weekly
US News should rank old folks homes
The flea is wagging the dog in undergrad/grad schools
I can not imagine the critical mass of lawyers interested in this will be the big boon to circulation that some
marketing moron hopes it will.
Unless they have blind clients a la blind shoppers that
have the same work done at different firms and than rank them--with congeniality and hygeine most heavily weighted
Great, this is just what we need! A listing of the biggest scum bags in the U.S.
Hey what's next? Why don't they make a listing of the 100 best places to your a$$ cherry busted? Or how about a Top 50 places to catch crabs? Probably the same places on this list they're making, in order.
This is STUPID. This profession that used to be based purely on prestige is now down to survival mode. These rankings are so typical of whats wrong with this system.
I think the Weekly World News is a better source of information than U.S. News.
I think the Weekly World News is a better source of information than U.S. News.
This is pathetic. I swear, when this comes out if I see some douche mention it, I'm gonna punch him in the nuts. The only people who will care about this are the law students who were prestige whores to begin with.
How the F are they gonna rank it? Like the law schools with "what others think in the profession think of the place?" What lawschools the kids attended (and magically base this ranking on a prior ranking they did) what a joke.
Unless its based on actual billables, salary, and job security then its a joke.
I hate the prestige whoring which is the legal community. To have our self worth based on what lawschool/firm we work at is pathetic.
And yes, I work for Biglaw. But I dont think that makes me any more prestigious than my colleagues who make great salaries and work less at smaller firms.
The fact that USNWR can't even foresee that combining full time and part time student scores for a law school's ranking, when not every law school has night students... shows that nothing they put out can be trusted.
Their statisticians are inept to be blunt about it.
The fact that USNWR can't even foresee that combining full time and part time student scores for a law school's ranking will skew results when not every law school has night students... shows that nothing they put out can be trusted.
Their statisticians are inept to be blunt about it.