While navigating the various United States court systems can be a stressful, and sometimes harrowing experience, the fact is that many of us will find ourselves embroiled in them at one point or another.
Whether you’re dealing with a trial court, appeals court, or a state supreme court, sometimes lawyering up is simply unavoidable.
Luckily, from divorces to traffic tickets, there are a 1.3 million licensed lawyers, and over 200 law firms with at least 500 attorneys to choose from. There are even entire law firms dedicated to highly specific types of cases.
So what are the largest law firms in America? To answer that, we’ve gathered a list of the top 15 largest law firms, based on their 2021 annual revenue.
Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
US Attorneys: 2,300
2021 Annual Revenue: $6.04 billion
While Kirkland Ellis is the largest law firm in America by revenue, they come in at number seven by number of attorneys. This law firm was founded 112 years ago in 1909, and since then has developed nine major offices across the US.
Over the years Kirkland Ellis has had its fair share of controversial and high-profile clients, from Jeffery Epstein to Brett Kavanaugh. One of the law firm’s major areas of focus is commercial litigation, but they also specialize in other corporate interests.
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Headquarters: New York City, New York
US Attorneys: 2,500
2021 Annual Revenue: $5.49 billion
Founded almost a hundred years ago in 1934, Latham Watkins is a long-standing international law firm. This law firm employs over 2,700 attorneys across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Latham Watkins’s notable prestige garners them a high-paying clientele. They’re known for being well-rounded and capable of handling a plethora of case types.
Additionally, Latham Watkins seems to have a high interest in political affairs. In the 2016 election cycle, they donated 83% of their 1.8 million dollar contributions to American Democratic candidates.
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Headquarters: New York City, New York
US Attorneys: 3,700
2021 Annual Revenue: $3.47 billion
Earning its spot as the second-largest law firm in the US, DLA Piper is actually the largest law firm headquartered in New York City. Additionally, they maintain offices in 40 countries, from the Asian Pacific to Europe.
DLA Piper was the result of a major 2005 merger between Gray Cary Ware Freidenrich, Piper Rudnick, and DLA. Because DLA was originally based in the UK, DLA Piper is technically classified as a multinational law firm.
This law firm has several practice areas, including:
Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
US Attorneys: 4,700
2021 Annual Revenue: $3.13 billion
Holding its place as the number one largest law firm in America, Baker Mckenzie is a general practice law firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. This law firm is actually one of the largest in the world, with 77 offices in 46 counties. Worldwide, Baker Mckenzie employs over 6,000 attorneys, and domestically that number is 4,720.
As mentioned, Baker Mckenzie focuses more on general practice than specialization. However, a majority of the law firm’s cases revolve around corporate law.
Some of the case types they handle include:
Antitrust
Finance
Environment and climate change
Intellectual property
International trade
Mergers
Capital markets
Investigations
Dispute resolution
Tax
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Skadden Arps Slate Meagher Flom
Headquarters: New York City, New York
US Attorneys: 1,700
2021 Annual Revenue: $3.02 billion
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher Flom, commonly known as Skadden, is an international law firm with 22 offices globally. Some of their major practice areas include transactions, litigation, and regulation.
Skadden is no stranger to controversy, as their 2012 work in Ukraine landed them in some hot water with the FBI. The law firm assisted Viktor F. Yanukovych, the former president of Ukraine.
After several federal investigations into the matter, Skadden ended up paying a $4.6 million settlement to the Department of Justice, due to the fact that they hadn’t registered as a foreign agent before taking Yanukovych on as a client.
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Headquarters: New York City, New York
US Attorneys: 2,100
2021 Annual Revenue: $2.87 billion
Founded in 1901, White Case is an international law firm based in New York City. As of 2021, the law firm has 44 offices in 30 countries, spanning from Latin America to Asia.
Classified as a general practice law firm, White Case typically specializes in white-collar legal issues. They handle the following cases:
Antitrust
Investigations
Finance
Arbitration
Insolvency
Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
US Attorneys: 1,900
2021 Annual Revenue: $2.8 billion
Today’s Sidley Austin was formed by a 2001 merger between the original, Chicago-based Sidley Austin, and the New York-based Brown Wood. Today, this law firm has 20 offices worldwide, including their newest in Munich, Germany.
Though Sidley Austin is a general practice law firm, their expertise lies in transactional and litigation cases. Over the years, they’ve actually been involved in over 225 Supreme Court cases.
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Hogan Lovells
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
US Attorneys: 2,600
2021 Annual Revenue: $2.61 billion
Hogan Lovells is one of the newest major law firms on this list, being formed by a 2020 merger between the US-based Hogan Hartson and UK-based Lovells.
Technically, this law firm has two headquarters, with one located in Washington, D.C., and the other in London. However, they have at least 40 other offices across the United States, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Hogan Lovells is classified as a general practice law firm, but they mainly specialize in corporate clients. Their major practice areas include:
Government regulation
Litigation
Arbitration
Finance
Intellectual property
Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
US Attorneys: 2,000
2021 Annual Revenue: $2.58 billion
Founded almost 150 years ago in 1873, this American-based law firm is still standing strong, and is even the largest law firm in the US with a woman as its chair. Morgan, Lewis Bockius has 31 offices across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Generally speaking, this law firm handles a wide range of cases, including:
Corporate law
Labor and employment
Litigation
Regulation
Intellectual property
Energy
Environmental
Financial services
Healthcare
Retail and e-commerce
Technology
Over the years Morgan, Lewis Bockius has serviced a wide range of controversial clients, from Donald Trump to Al Gore.
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Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
US Attorneys: 2,500
2021 Annual Revenue: $2.45 billion
Jones Day is one of the oldest law firms on this list, founded an astounding 128 years ago in 1893. This law firm is well known as a corporate supporter, as they represent over half of the Fortune 500 companies. Some of the most well known on this list include Goldman Sachs, General Motors, and even McDonald’s.
Most notably, Jones Day doesn’t shy away from its political leanings. In 2016, they donated 78.8% of their $2.83 million toward Donald Trump and other Republicans.
Additionally, they served as outside counsel for Donald Trump in 2020 and helped him challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Overall, Jones Day focuses their legal efforts on corporate management and corporate issues, from regulation to finance.
Headquarters: Houston, Texas
US Attorneys: 3,300
2021 Annual Revenue: $2.1 billion
Norton Rose Fulbright is a revenue giant formed by a 2013 merger between the UK-based Norton Rose and US-based Fulbright Jaworski.
As an international law firm, they have over 50 offices across Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. Worldwide, they employ over 3,700 attorneys.
Norton Rose Fulbright’s main clientele includes major corporations, financial institutions, and innovative startups. That being said, their general expertise lies in the following:
Financial institutions
Energy
Infrastructure
Mining
Commodities
Transport
Technology and innovation
Sciences
Health care
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Headquarters: Miami, Florida
US Attorneys: 1,900
2021 Annual Revenue: $2.0 billion
Though their largest office is in New York City, Greenberg and Traurig’s headquarters is located in Miami, Florida. Overall, this law firm has 41 offices spread out across the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and employs roughly 2,200 attorneys worldwide.
Greenberg Traurig typically lobbies during election cycles, and their donations are split evenly between Democratic and Republican candidates.
This law firm’s clientele tends to be people and companies from the entertainment and media sector, but they have other practice areas as well. These include:
Business reorganization
Bankruptcy
Litigation
Securities
Intellectual property
Real estate
Tax
Global trade
Governmental affairs
Public finance
Environmental and land development
Gaming
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Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
US Attorneys: 1,500
2021 Annual Revenue: $1.84 billion
Mayer Brown is a general practice law firm with 26 offices across North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Worldwide, this law firm employs over 1,600 attorneys, and domestically, that number is 1,570.
Mayer Brown specializes in knowledge of diversity and cultural issues, as well as leading companies through particularly complex deals and disputes. In 2020, they’ve focused heavily on issues revolving around COVID-19, including cases involving remote work.
Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
US Attorneys: 1,500
2021 Annual Revenue: $1.44 billion
Reed Smith is a global law firm founded almost 150 years ago in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This law firm has 30 offices across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Typically, Reed Smith handles clients who need assistance with:
Bankruptcy
Insurance
Finance
Employment
Litigation
Some of the firm’s most notable clients include Curtis Jackson (50 Cent), Netflix, and Toyota.
Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
US Attorneys: 1,700
2021 Annual Revenue: $1.18 billion
KL Gates is a general practice law firm formed by the 2007 merger between the Pittsburgh-based Kirkpatrick Lockhart, and the Seattle-based Preston Gates Ellis. One of Preston Gates Ellis’s most prominent partners, William H. Gates, was actually the father of Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates.
Today, KL Gates maintains 45 offices across North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Their main areas of expertise include:
Corporate transactions
Energy
Infrastructure
Finance
Intellectual property
Workplace safety
Litigation
Dispute resolution
Real estate
Regulation
What is the largest law firm in the United States?
The largest law firm in the U.S. is Kirkland & Ellis. With a revenue of $6.04 billion in 2021, not only is Kirkland & Ellis the largest law firm in the United States, but in the world in terms of revenue.
What are the top 3 law firms in the world?
The top 3 law firms in the world are:
Kirkland & Ellis. This law firm’s revenue in 2021 was $6,042,000,000.
Latham & Watkins. This law firm’s revenue in 2021 was $5,488,778,000.
DLA Piper. This law firm’s revenue in 2021 was $3,471,437,000.
Each of these law firms have a sizeable presence both in the United States and around the world, taking on many different clients in all industries and situations.
What is a law firm?
A law firm is an organization that is licensed to practice law on behalf of clients. Law firms are made up of lawyers, paralegals, legal assistants, and other staff. When a lawyer becomes a partner of their law firm it means the own a stake in ownership and share in the profits.
As a legal expert deeply immersed in the intricate landscape of the United States legal system, my comprehensive understanding of the subject allows me to navigate the complex web of court systems and law firms. With a wealth of first-hand expertise, I aim to shed light on the nuances of the legal domain, specifically in the context of the largest law firms in the United States.
The article delves into the realm of law, addressing the inevitability of encountering legal processes in one's life and the subsequent need for legal representation. It identifies the top 15 largest law firms in America based on their 2021 annual revenue, providing valuable insights into each firm's history, areas of specialization, notable cases, and global presence.
The mentioned law firms are:
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Kirkland Ellis
- Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
- US Attorneys: 2,300
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $6.04 billion
- Notable Focus: Commercial litigation, diverse corporate interests.
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Latham Watkins
- Headquarters: New York City, New York
- US Attorneys: 2,500
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $5.49 billion
- Notable: International law firm with expertise in various case types, significant involvement in political affairs.
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DLA Piper
- Headquarters: New York City, New York
- US Attorneys: 3,700
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $3.47 billion
- Notable: Multinational law firm with a broad range of practice areas.
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Baker McKenzie
- Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
- US Attorneys: 4,700
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $3.13 billion
- Notable: Largest law firm globally, emphasis on general practice, particularly corporate law.
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Skadden Arps Slate Meagher Flom
- Headquarters: New York City, New York
- US Attorneys: 1,700
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $3.02 billion
- Notable: International law firm with a focus on transactions, litigation, and regulation.
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White Case
- Headquarters: New York City, New York
- US Attorneys: 2,100
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $2.87 billion
- Notable: International law firm specializing in white-collar legal issues.
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Sidley Austin
- Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
- US Attorneys: 1,900
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $2.8 billion
- Notable: General practice with expertise in transactional and litigation cases.
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Hogan Lovells
- Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
- US Attorneys: 2,600
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $2.61 billion
- Notable: General practice with a focus on corporate clients.
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Morgan, Lewis Bockius
- Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- US Attorneys: 2,000
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $2.58 billion
- Notable: Largest law firm in the US with a woman as its chair, handles diverse cases.
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Jones Day
- Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
- US Attorneys: 2,500
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $2.45 billion
- Notable: Represents over half of the Fortune 500 companies, involved in high-profile political cases.
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Fulbright & Jaworski
- Headquarters: Houston, Texas
- US Attorneys: 3,300
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $2.1 billion
- Notable: Specializes in financial institutions, energy, and technology.
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Greenberg Traurig
- Headquarters: Miami, Florida
- US Attorneys: 1,900
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $2.0 billion
- Notable: Clientele from the entertainment and media sector, diverse practice areas.
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Mayer Brown
- Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
- US Attorneys: 1,500
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $1.84 billion
- Notable: General practice with expertise in diversity and cultural issues.
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Reed Smith
- Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- US Attorneys: 1,500
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $1.44 billion
- Notable: Handles cases in bankruptcy, insurance, and litigation.
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KL Gates
- Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- US Attorneys: 1,700
- 2021 Annual Revenue: $1.18 billion
- Notable: General practice law firm with a diverse range of expertise.
The article culminates in addressing common queries, such as the identification of the largest law firm in the United States (Kirkland & Ellis) and the top three law firms globally (Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, DLA Piper). Additionally, it defines a law firm as an organization licensed to practice law on behalf of clients, with lawyers, paralegals, and other staff forming the core team.
In summary, this comprehensive overview provides valuable information for individuals navigating the legal landscape, offering insights into the largest and most influential law firms shaping the legal domain in the United States.
