Last week, Vault released the 2025 edition of its closely watched law firm rankings, proving that money — in the form of Cravath’s perennially competitive pay scale — can buy prestige.
But can that money buy happiness?
In a companion ranking to the Vault 100, associates were asked to rank their own law firms based on categories most relevant to their overall quality of life, including satisfaction; firm culture; hours; compensation; quality of work; business outlook; career outlook; associate/partner relations; transparency; formal and informal training; pro bono; and overall inclusion.
Fifty firms were ranked for Vault’s 2026 Best Law Firms to Work For survey, which was conducted from January 2025 through March 2025, so we’re getting a bird’s eye view of life at many of these firms after the latest round of bonuses and special bonuses were first seen in paychecks (and just before Trump’s revenge tour against Biglaw and lawyers writ large). This may be surprising for some, but none of the firms that made the Top 10 list for being the most prestigious made the Top 10 list for being a best firm to work for.
There was a huge amount of movement in the Top 10 this year. Which firms made the cut? Without any further ado, here are the Top 10 Best Law Firms to Work For based on Vault’s Annual Associate Survey for 2026:
1. O’Melveny & Myers (no change)
2. Morgan Lewis & Bockius (no change)
3. Clifford Chance US (no change)
4. McDermott Will & Emery (no change)
5. Eversheds Sutherland (up from #13)
6. Gunster (up from #12)
7. Sheppard Mullin (up from #11)
8. Mayer Brown (up from #37)
9. Fried Frank (down from #6)
10. Warner Norcross + Judd (down from #8)
In happy news for associate quality of life, O’Melveny and Morgan Lewis duked it out this year, competing to really impress their associates. As noted by Eric Stutzke, SVP and General Manager of Vault, “We saw a close race for the Best Overall Law Firm to Work For title between O’Melveny and Morgan Lewis, two firms that always perform well in this ranking.” O’Melveny took the No. 1 spot in the overall ranking for two major categories (Overall Best Law Firm to Work For and Overall Best Summer Associate Program), while Morgan Lewis too the No. 1 spot in the final major category (Overall Inclusion). Both of the firms placed in the top 10 for every quality of life category, with each snagging the No. 1 or No. 2 spot in nearly every other ranking.
Congratulations to each of the Biglaw firms that made the latest edition of the Vault Best Firms to Work For rankings, and a huge congratulations to O’Melveny and Morgan Lewis for scoring incredibly well. How did your firm do? Email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog to let us know how you feel.
Best Law Firms to Work For (2026) [Vault]
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 Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.