NY BigLaw Dominates, Wachtell Remains at Profession's Pinnacle in Annual Vault 100 Survey
Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz remains at the “pinnacle of the profession,” atop of list of major New York-based BigLaw firms on the latest Vault.com survey of the nation’s top 100 law firms.
Wachtell is followed by Cravath Swaine & Moore; Sullivan & Cromwell; and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 slots, respectively.
But a number of up-and-coming litigation boutiques are rapidly rising to potentially challenge major corporate firms, reports the online evaluator and information source in a press release (PDF) today. It ranks the top 100 law firms based on responses from some 15,000 associates surveyed annually.
Among these litigation leaders are Quinn Emmanuel, which skyrocketed from 43rd place in 2008 to 19th this year, and Boies Schiller & Flexner, which soared from 46th place in 2009 to 23rd this year..
“As the Great Recession is well into its litigation phase, litigation boutiques are increasingly competing with the large full-service firms for the top law student talent,” says Brian Dalton, the managing editor of vault.com, in the release. “Quinn Emmanuel’s meteoric rise through our rankings reflects the growing success and impact of the boutique model industry-wide.”
