The dog days of summer are here, and while the weather is hot, there’s nothing hotter than a new set of law firm rankings. Luckily for us, the National Law Journal just named its Elite Trial Lawyers for 2024, a top prize for the best plaintiffs attorneys in the country. Plaintiff-side work provides incredibly rewarding opportunities that we sometimes overlook in favor of Biglaw coverage, and the NLJ’s award is the perfect time for us to show our appreciation for the members of the plaintiffs bar.
So, which firms made the cut?
Before we get to that, we’ll discuss the NLJ’s methodology, which pored through hundreds of entries from plaintiffs firms across the country:
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The awards recognize law firms’ outstanding plaintiffs work in a high-stakes bench or jury trial or in a major settlement. The winners must have scored a significant win during the contest period and must also be able to show an impressive track record of wins over the last three to five years. Firms must have devoted at least 50% of their litigation resources to plaintiffs work and shown innovative approaches to case resolution.
Without further ado, here are this year’s winners:
Antitrust — Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro
Business Torts — Clare Locke
Catastrophic Injury — Panish | Shea | Ravipudi
Civil Rights — DiCello Levitt
Class Action — Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check
Consumer Protection — Motley Rice
Discrimination — Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein
Employment Rights — Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein
Environmental Protection — Seeger Weiss
Governmental Representation — Baird Mandalas Brockstedt & Federico
Insurance — Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna
Mass Torts — Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll
Medical Malpractice — Morgan & Morgan
Pharmaceutical Litigation — Baron & Budd
Privacy/Data Breach — Hausfeld
Products Liability — Sauder Schelkopf
Securities Litigation — Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll
Technology — Susman Godfrey
Transportation (including Aviation) — Kreindler & Kreindler
***
Plaintiffs Law Firm of the Year — McKool Smith
Plaintiff Attorney of the Year — Chris Seeger, Seeger Weiss
Diversity Initiative — Sauder Schelkopf
Lifetime Achievement Award Winners — Robert Bennett, Robins Kaplan; Russell Budd, Baron & Budd; Robert A. Clifford, Clifford Law Offices; Parker Folse, Susman Godfrey; Agnieszka M. Fryszman, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll; Keith R. Mitnik, Morgan & Morgan
Trial Strategy Innovation — Edelson
Congratulations to all of the firms that made the list — and an even bigger congratulations for making a positive impact on their clients’ lives. Well done!
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The 2024 National Law Journal Elite Trial Lawyers [National Law Journal]
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 X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.