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The Best Legal Brands In The World (2017)

Are there any surprises on this Top 10 list?

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ranking prize ribbon rankEver wonder what the best legal brand in the whole world really is? While measuring the impact of a brand may seem ephemeral, consulting firm Acritas conducts a survey of in-house counsel to measure the brands of global law firms. American Lawyer notes exactly how they go about their task:

Its criteria include name recognition, favorability, and the likelihood that the respondent would hire a firm for a cross-border matter.

Before we get into the nitty gritty of the ranking, one trend to note — big-name U.S. firms seem to be on a downswing:

Several big U.S. firms, including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Latham & Watkins and Sidley Austin, saw their brands drop in this year’s index.

Skadden fell one place to tie at 12th with Herbert Smith Freehills, while Latham went down one rung to 16th place, tied with Eversheds. Sidley Austin sank by three spots to No. 19.

Skadden might be the strongest brand in the United States, but that doesn’t mean they crack the Global Top 10.

“Some of the U.S. elite seem to be losing ground,” says [Lisa Hart Shepherd, chief executive officer of Acritas], noting that firms in the top 10 have a “very deep global spread.”

The very top of the Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index is much as it’s always been — Baker & McKenzie has topped the list since the inception of the ranking in 2010. There’s movement in the rest of the Top 10, though the firms remained the same.

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1. Baker & McKenzie
2. Clifford Chance
3. Freshfields
4. Linklaters
5. Allen & Overy
6. Jones Day
7. DLA Piper
8. Hogan Lovells
9. White & Case
10. Norton Rose Fulbright

Congratulations  to all the firms on the list.

Survey Reveals the World’s Best Legal Brands [American Lawyer]

Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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