Another day, another ranking for lawyers to ogle in a search for meaning as they attempt to get through the day’s billables. Such is the life of a Biglaw attorney, always on the hunt for confirmation that their firm is the best firm, the one that’s hitting all of its essential metrics year after year. If that sounds like you (and you might as well admit it, it probably does), then you should check out the latest offering from the American Lawyer, the annual A-List ranking.
Are you somehow unfamiliar with this ranking? Here are all of the metrics that it measures to determine which Biglaw firms are the best of the best:
On this list, profits don’t reign supreme, nor does size. Since its inception, the A-List has recognized firms based on a combination of factors, both financial and cultural: revenue per lawyer, pro bono commitment, associate satisfaction and racial diversity, with RPL and pro bono given double weight. And now, for the second year in a row, we also include a score for gender diversity—more specifically, the percentage of women equity partners.
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As my colleague Joe Patrice mentioned last year, we’re still left to wonder why pro bono has been given double weight over significant stats like associate satisfaction, racial diversity, and gender diversity. Yes, pro bono work is very important, but if we’re ranking a firm’s culture — a measure where associate satisfaction and diversity are key — these metrics ought to be given their due in this ranking.
With that said, the full top 20 firms and their scores are listed at the American Lawyer. Without further ado, here are the top 10 to satiate your rankings cravings:
- Ropes & Gray (National)
- Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (National)
- Munger, Tolles & Olson (Los Angeles)
- Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (National)
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (New York)
- Debevoise & Plimpton (New York)
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (National)
- Covington & Burling (Washington, D.C.)
- O’Melveny & Myers (Los Angeles)
- Paul Hastings (National)
Congratulations to all of the firms that made this year’s Am Law A-List.
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The American Lawyer’s 2018 A-List [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.