The Top 8 Big law Firms In New York City (2023)

Despite the current climate of the legal industry, big law firms are still prominent in large cities like New York. With that said, we thought it would be interesting to look at which big law firms will be in the top 10 years from now based on their current rankings and where they stand in terms of their employment outlook and technological investment. So here’s our list of the top 8 big law firms in New York City (2023).

1) Latham & Watkins

Latham & Watkins is a multinational law firm based in the United States with its main office located in New York City. Founded in 1865, Latham specializes in a broad range of legal practices, as well as large transactions, public policy development, and advocacy.

Latham employs over 1800 attorneys throughout 40 offices on six continents, who serve clients ranging from multinational corporations to individual consumers. Latham is one of the top-grossing law firms in the world measured by annual revenue per lawyer.

2) Sullivan & Cromwell

Sullivan & Cromwell has been around since 1879 and was one of the first law firms to represent a railway company in court. Today, it is a full-service firm that handles disputes on a wide range of topics including intellectual property and private equity. The firm’s clients include financial institutions like Bank of America, pharmaceutical companies like Merck & Co., and over 60% of Fortune 500 companies.

In 2017, Sullivan & Cromwell had revenues amounting to 2 billion dollars. It employs 1,500 attorneys in 15 offices throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.

3) Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, or CGSH for short, has been ranked as the second-best law firm in the United States. The firm’s earnings exceeded $1 billion in revenue and its profits averaged $757 million annually. Their client base includes Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and multinational corporations. CGSH is well known for being one of the most prestigious firms in the world.

4) Davis Polk & Wardwell

Davis Polk & Wardwell is one of the oldest law firms in the United States. Founded in 1843, it has helped shape legal precedents for businesses and governments around the world. It is ranked by Legal 500 as a top 20 law firm in America with more than 500 lawyers in offices on three continents.

The Firm’s Global Financial Services Practice Group provides world-class legal services to international banks, hedge funds, investment advisers, and institutional investors; Davis Polk has played a central role in many of these clients’ transactions.

5) Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP has grown in popularity with a wide range of clients. For example, they represent the Chicago Transit Authority and their $1.3 billion tunnel project as well as Pfizer on patent infringement lawsuits, and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. on several securities transactions.

They were founded in 1948 and now employs more than 1,000 attorneys throughout offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, and Moscow. Their success is due to the use of innovative strategies that help them deliver favorable outcomes for their clients.

6) Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Established in 1884, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is one of the oldest law firms in the world. Headquartered in New York, the firm has offices throughout the United States and Asia. They have an impressive client list that includes Fortune 500 companies, emerging and established businesses, and not-for-profit organizations across a wide range of industries such as technology, financial services, communications, and healthcare.

In March 2018, they announced 100 new partner hires. To this day they maintain a low partner-to-associate ratio meaning that there are more associates per partner than at many other firms which provides a balance between clients and business development while minimizing distractions.

7) Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is one of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the United States. The firm is a pioneer in so-called Wall Street law and has broad experience representing some of the world’s biggest banks, investment houses, insurance companies, and other major financial institutions. It was founded in 1948 by Myer J. Wachtell, Abe Lipton, Charles A. Rosen and Herbert S.

Kaufman was a general partnership that became a limited liability company on January 1st, 1975.

8) Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP

Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP is a law firm headquartered in New York, NY. We are also one of the founding firms of Wasserstein, Perella & Co., a global investment bank and brokerage company. For that reason, our lawyers have an extra-special opportunity to use cutting-edge financing techniques.

Additionally, the diversity of their clients enables attorneys to stay abreast with domestic and international legal trends. It has some of the most respected attorneys in various fields such as securities and investment management law, mergers and acquisitions law, and regulatory matters (among many others). Due to its broad range of expertise, it is ranked as one of The Am Law 100’s Most Prestigious Law Firms.

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