This law firm is ranked No. 1 after posting $8.8B in gross revenue; which other firms are 'category leaders'?
Kirkland & Ellis is once again ranked No. 1 for gross revenue in 2024, according to the American Lawyer’s Am Law 100. (Image from Shutterstock)
Kirkland & Ellis is once again ranked No. 1 for gross revenue in 2024, according to the American Lawyer’s Am Law 100.
Kirkland & Ellis had $8.8 billion in gross revenue, “almost jumping straight into $9 billion territory,” Law.com reports in a story that is one of several reports on the findings.
Other “category leaders” are Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which had the highest revenue per lawyer, at $4.47 million, and Kirkland & Ellis, which had the highest profits per equity partner, at $9.25 million.
Law firms “crushed it” based on financial performance in 2024, the article reports. The nation’s 100 top-grossing firms increased revenue by 13.3% last year, increased lawyer head count by 7.7%, and increased revenue per lawyer by 5.2%.
While revenue increased an average of 13.3% for the top 100 firms, only 20 firms gained that amount or more, according to firm consultants Bruce MacEwan and Janet Stanton, who spoke with Law.com. The other 80 were below that level. MacEwan is the president of Adam Smith Esq., and Stanton is a partner in the organization.
The top five firms for gross revenue are:
Kirkland & Ellis, $8.8 billion, up about 22% from 2023
Latham & Watkins, $7 billion, up about 23% from 2023
DLA Piper, $4.2 billion, up nearly 11% from 2023
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, $3.6 billion, up about 12% from 2023
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, $3.5 billion, up nearly 16% from 2023
The top firms for revenue per lawyer are:
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, $4.47 million
Susman Godfrey, $2.38 million
Sullivan & Cromwell, $2.33 million
Ropes & Gray, $2.33 million
Kirkland & Ellis, $2.29 million
The top firms for profits per equity partner are:
Kirkland & Ellis, $9.25 million
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, $9.03 million
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, $8.64 million
Davis Polk & Wardwell, $7.8 million
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, $7.66 million
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