2006 Law Firm Rankings

Methodology

This ranking factors in objective prestige measurements similar to those used by Vault. In addition, it seeks to balance prestige with an enjoyable work environment where enjoyable is defined roughly as liking one's work, getting enough training, billing a reasonable number of hours and where associates are likely to stay two more years. Enjoyable work versus prestige is weighted approximately 75:25.

The calculations are based in part on survey responses of 5,600 Midlevel associates (3rd, 4th & 5th year). Only firms with 10 or more survey responses are shown. Some of the data comes from The American Lawyer's 2005 Midlevel Associates Survey.

1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-86

Rank	Law Firm	Main Office	Participating Offices	Total Midlevels	Respondents	Response Rate	Prestige	Enjoyable Place to Work	Score (0-100)
50	Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman	San Francisco	Century City, CA; Los Angeles; McLean, VA; New York; Palo Alto; Sacramento; San Diego; San Francisco; Washington, DC	140	56	40%	3.2	3.8	71.4
50	Shearman & Sterling	New York	Beijing; Hong Kong; London; Menlo Park, CA; New York; Paris; San Francisco; Toronto, Ontario; Washington, DC	185	61	33%	3.9	3.6	71.1
50	Venable	Washington, DC	Baltimore; Vienna, VA	59	32	54%	2.4	4.1	71.1
50	Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld	National	Austin, TX; Dallas; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; Philadelphia; San Antonio; Washington, DC	127	98	77%	3.4	3.7	71.0
50	Troutman Sanders	Atlanta	Atlanta; New York; Richmond; Washington, DC	93	25	27%	2.4	4.1	70.9
50	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison	New York	New York	124	47	38%	3.8	3.6	70.8
50	DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary	National	Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Dallas; New York; Palo Alto; Philadelphia; Raleigh; San Diego; San Francisco; Washington, DC	220	44	20%	2.9	3.9	70.7
50	Howrey	Washington, DC	Chicago; Houston; Irvine, CA; Los Angeles; Menlo Park, CA; San Francisco; Washington, DC	79	30	38%	2.9	3.9	70.6
50	Hughes Hubbard & Reed	New York	Jersey City; Los Angeles; Miami; New York; Paris; Washington, DC	51	29	57%	2.5	4.0	70.5
59	Patton Boggs	Washington, DC	Dallas; Washington, DC	59	13	22%	2.8	3.9	70.3
59	Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw	National	Chicago; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; Washington, DC	161	90	56%	3.5	3.6	70.2
59	Reed Smith	Pittsburgh	Century City, CA; Falls Church, VA; London; Los Angeles; Midlands, England; Munich; New York; Newark; Oakland; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Princeton; Richmond; San Francisco; Washington, DC	137	67	49%	2.6	4.0	70.2
59	Thelen Reid & Priest	San Francisco	Los Angeles; New York; San Francisco; San Jose; Washington, DC	44	20	45%	2.6	4.0	70.2
59	King & Spalding	Atlanta	Atlanta; Houston; New York; Washington, DC	147	75	51%	3.4	3.7	70.1
59	Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson	New York	New York; Washington, DC	112	38	34%	3.5	3.6	69.8
59	Goodwin Procter	Boston	Boston; New York; Washington, DC	123	37	30%	3.1	3.8	69.8
59	Schulte Roth & Zabel	New York	New York	69	22	32%	2.6	3.9	69.5