The Best Brand In Biglaw Isn't Skadden Anymore

Who's the new top dog in the world of Biglaw?

questionheadThe Acritas U.S. Law Firm Brand Index measures the best brand in law with a six-factor test — top of mind awareness, favorability, consideration for top-level deals and litigation, overall usage among U.S.-based clients and inbound usage among international clients — that historically reminds us that Skadden is Coca-Cola and McDonald’s all rolled into one. But this year’s survey threw us a curveball when Skadden fell to number two on the list. Who took over?

Congratulations to Donald Trump’s pet law firm, Jones Day, which took over the top spot in the survey after spending a number of years relegated to the runner-up slot.

Look, perhaps it’s unfair to attribute Jones Day’s reputation bump to its role as Wormtongue to Trump’s Saruman (it’s a Lord of the Rings joke… not that Jones Day will get it). After all, there are two Jones Days, and securing this brand promotion required hard work from both Jones Days — including the firm that filed an amicus brief and short-circuited the government’s Ninth Circuit’s argument last week.

On the other hand, let’s not pretend the firm wasn’t riding Trump to expand its visibility throughout 2016. One would hope that in-house counsel don’t make decisions based on CNN hits, but it’s naïve to think that doesn’t boost the “top of mind awareness” to have senior lawyers providing high-profile opinions every day on cable news.

Jones Day had traditionally scored well in three categories Acritas measures: “Top of mind awareness,” “favorability,” and “top of mind for litigation.” This year, the firm increased in two more components of the survey: “Consideration for major M&A deals” and “inbound use of the firm by international clients.”

I would say Jones Day really stepped up their M&A practice, but as they’re quick to point out, they’ve been #1 in M&A for roughly as long as UConn’s remained undefeated, so it’s not clear what they did to earn that extra nudge this time.

Congratulations Jones Day, you’ve made yourselves great again!

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Oh, and in case you were wondering, the full top 20 list according to Acritas is available on the next page….

Big Law Brand Survey Shows Client-Led Shakeup [Law.com]

Earlier: Will The Real Jones Day Please Stand Up?
Jones Day Does Not Have A Sense Of Humor
The Best Law Firms In America According To In-House Counsel


HeadshotJoe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.

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