The Best Biglaw Firms In The World According To Corporate Clients (2021)

Biglaw attorneys should care about these rankings, since firm survival depends on branding.

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 was quite the troublesome year for Biglaw firms. With salary cuts, layoffs, and furloughs galore, some firms stumbled while others sauntered into their next deal, and some firms suffered while others soared into success. Through their highs and lows, these firms attempted to maintain their brands — the image they want clients to see when making hiring decisions and their overall reputations in the marketplace.

But which Biglaw firm has the best brand in the world? Today, Acritas (part of Thomson Reuters) published its 2021 Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index, so you’re about to find out.

Acritas ranks Biglaw firms based on feedback from their most important clients, general counsel at companies across the globe with revenue of at least $1 billion. Here’s how the survey was conducted:

The Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index is determined through four open-ended questions from the full Sharplegal survey to find out from senior legal buyers:

– The first law firms to come to mind (Awareness)
– The firms they feel most favorable towards (Favorability)
– The firms most considered for multi-jurisdictional deals across three or more countries (Consideration)
– The firms most considered for multi-jurisdictional litigation across three or more countries (Consideration).

Because 2020 was such a complicated year, corporate clients tended to stand by Biglaw firms they’ve known and worked with for years. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for improvement.

[Elizabeth Duffy, senior director, Global Client Services at Thomson Reuters,] noted that the survey results emphasize firms must continue to adapt to survive and grow. In particular, firms should embrace flexibility for remote working, more inclusive working practices and an improved work-life balance to strengthen their brand as well as to demonstrate how they value and respect their lawyers.

‘Firms have always known their lawyers represent the firm’s brand, but this last year has put a spotlight on how everyone within a firm is a brand ambassador,’ added Duffy. ‘When lawyers feel support from their leadership and are proud to work at the firm, clients recognize that, and it often leads to stronger relationships, both within the firm and with clients.’

So, which firm is tops when it comes to its global brand? That would be Baker McKenzie, which has kept its lock in the #1 spot for the eleventh year in a row. Here’s the full Top 10 (with three ties):

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1. Baker McKenzie (no change)
2. DLA Piper (no change)
3. Dentons (+8)
4. Linklaters (+4)
5. Clifford Chance (-2)
5. Hogan Lovells (no change)
7. Allen & Overy (-2)
7. Norton Rose Fulbright (no change)
9. Freshfields (-1)
9. Jones Day (-5)

Would you look at that! Jones Day, the only U.S.-based firm in the Top 10, lost face on a global scale, presumably due to its association with Donald Trump. This can only spell trouble for the firm when the U.S. rankings are published.

Click here to access the complete ranking of the Top 20.

Once again, this ranking speaks volumes as to which Biglaw firms are on top when it comes to client loyalty, but there are just a few U.S.-based firms among the Acritas Global Elite (with Jones Day almost sinking out of the Top 10 entirely). What does this say about our lawyers? Our Biglaw firms might be doing something right, but surely there’s a way to do things differently to propel additional firms to success.

Baker McKenzie, DLA Piper, and Dentons top the 2021 Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index [Thomson Reuters]

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Staci ZaretskyStaci 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.