If you or your business have ever been involved in an accident, it’s important to know who to call and what kinds of legal options you have available to you. Though there are many law firms in the United States, these are the top 10 biggest law firms based on revenue from the most recent years of information available. If your situation calls for big-time representation, these are the law firms you should be looking into first.
1) O’Melveny & Myers
O’Melveny & Myers (sometimes called OMM) is a law firm based in Los Angeles, California. The firm traces its roots to 1885 when attorneys Francis O’Melveny and Charles H. Moore formed a partnership called O’Melveny & Moore. Along with other partners and associates, O’Melveny & Myers, today employs over 1500 people and has expanded to include offices throughout the world. OMM has been involved in some of the most prestigious cases of our time, such as AT&T Inc. v. Portland General Electric Co., 1984’s California Term Limits decision; Microsoft Corp. v.
2) Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis is one of the largest law firms in the world with more than 2400 lawyers across nine offices. With a long history of corporate transactions, capital markets and business services, M&A and litigation, insurance coverage, and governmental consulting among other areas of expertise, it’s no wonder Kirkland ranks as one of the largest law firms.
Named for a former partner who spearheaded its efforts to expand internationally, Kirkland has long been at the forefront of international legal work. Furthermore, many legal scholars consider Kirkland to be at or near the top when it comes to mergers and acquisitions. In recent years they have seen an increase in demand for their M&A work due to American companies seeking investments from abroad.
3) Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
1. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom: With a 2016 revenue of $2.7 billion and 1,871 attorneys, Skadden is ranked number one among the top ten largest law firms in the U.S.
2. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati: The fourth-largest law firm by attorney headcount with 526 lawyers and $1.3 billion revenue for 2016, Wison Sonsini was founded by Dennis Wilson and Eugene Goodrich Jr., both Stanford University graduates.
4) Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (f/k/a Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett) is an international law firm with over 1,000 lawyers and other professionals at offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; London; Paris; Chicago; Palo Alto, California; San Francisco and Hong Kong. Founded in 1884, it is the second-oldest law firm in the United States. The firm’s current logo features a Stemma consisting of two six-pointed stars of differing sizes.
5) Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins is a law firm that has an international reach, with over 3000 lawyers and offices on six continents. They are headquartered in New York City, with offices elsewhere in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America. They also boast of having some of the top lawyers around including partners Thomas Kalaris, Charles Elson, and Marcia Goldstein who were all named as 2016’s most powerful women attorneys by The National Law Journal. Latham & Watkins has more than five hundred associates from diverse backgrounds representing industries such as media and telecommunications, banking and financial services energy companies to food retailers like Walmart.
6) Mayer Brown
Mayer Brown has been named among the top ten biggest law firms in the United States by Chambers USA and is also included on lists published by American Lawyer and Global Consultancy. Their major practice areas include energy, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, and many more. One of their notable successes to date was suing Sears for negligence following a severe fire that took place at one of their warehouses. Having successfully negotiated a settlement from them totaling $80 million, they continue to work on similar cases on behalf of their clients. With all these successful cases under their belt and many more yet to come, it’s no wonder that Mayer Brown is so high up on this list of big law firms across America.
7) WilmerHale
WilmerHale is one of the top 10 biggest law firms in the U.S. The firm’s clients include numerous corporations, banks, financial institutions, public universities, and a wide range of government agencies. The firm offers a full range of legal services with specialists in antitrust, banking and finance law, litigation, commercial law, and intellectual property. WilmerHale’s alumni include six former CEOs or chairmen of major American corporations; four U.S. senators; three secretaries of state; two Supreme Court justices; the past five U.S.
8) Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher is one of the top law firms in America, with over 500 attorneys and a leading position as one of the nation’s largest law firms. It has offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington DC. Gibson Dunn is ranked sixth among law firms worldwide by revenue; and eighth among American law firms by revenue.
9) Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Akin Gump is one of the oldest law firms in America, with its headquarters in Dallas, Texas. It was established in 1945 by Robert D. Akin and John Gump to take advantage of opportunities created by World War II. The firm today has offices all over the world and boasts more than 900 attorneys specializing in different areas of law. They’ve been referred to as a merchant banks for lawyers due to their ability to connect other professionals with clients seeking their particular skillset or expertise. In 2016 they were ranked 12th among national law firms based on revenue per lawyer and 7th by total revenue among large national law firms.
10) Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is one of the most respected law firms in the world. The firm’s clients span international borders and include industry leaders, governments, financial institutions, and Fortune 500 companies. The law firm handles projects as varied as antitrust litigation for Microsoft Corporation to negotiating a bilateral investment treaty between China and Panama.
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a member of Lex Mundi, an organization of independent law firms from around the world that share a commitment to access to justice; multidisciplinary expertise; professional integrity; and an uncompromising dedication to quality and excellence. The firm has 474 lawyers on staff from 57 countries who have chosen not only Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP as their employer but also their profession.
