Summary: The Acritas Index placed a new firm in the top spot after one firm held the spot for the past five years.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom claimed the top spot on the Acritas U.S. Law Firm Brand Index survey ranking the top BigLaw brands for the first time in five years. The new leader became Jones Day, a firm known for the number of their lawyers taking positions with the Trump administration.
Vice President of Acritas US, Inc, Lizzy Duffy said, “Jones Day hit all the high marks in the areas that matter most – they can offer clients breadth and international reach alongside a consistent performance in terms of quality and service. The firm has been narrowing the gap between first and second place for several years, and this year their efforts really resonated with clients and others in the industry.”
The top five spots are comprised of Jones Day, Skadden, Baker McKenzie, Latham & Watkins, and DLA Piper tied with Hogan Lovells. Skadden only fell one spot down to take over the No. 2 position.
Some of the biggest jumps into the top 20 were done by Ropes & Gray, jumping from 26th to tie for 13th place. Dentons also moved up 11 spots to be in the top 20. Firms that made notable improvements were Nixon Peabody, Perkins Coie, and Barnes & Thornburg to land spots in the top 50.
Duffy explained, “We’ve seen quite a bit of movement in the rankings, which we believe is positive for U.S. firms and for their clients. The Index does not just reflect technical competence – it also shows which firms are upper-most in clients’ minds, which ultimately translates into the firms that are more likely to win new business.”
Acritas is a leading legal industry research firm that provides business intelligence to the legal marketplace globally. The survey, launched in 2012, surveys 765 senior in-house counsel members by phone. They collect data on top-of-mind awareness, consideration for top-level deals and litigation, favorability, usage among international clients, and overall usage among U.S.-based clients.
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- Law Firms of Skadden and Simpson Top Lists of First Quarter M&A Rankings
- Ryan and Ryan Recognized by U.S. News & World Report ‘Best Lawyers’ and ‘Best Law Firms’ Rankings
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