Law firm rankings

The Types of Clients that Firms Work for Depending on Firm Ranking

The Types of Clients that Firms Work for Depending on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Ability of Clients to Open Spiggot and Pay Endless Legal Bills	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Sophistication of Clients	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Moderate	Highest
Probability Client is a Middle Market Company	Lowest	Low	Highest	Moderate	Low
Likelihood Firm Has Major Institutional Clients	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Clients Will Leave Reviews Online About Your Work	Highest	High	Moderate	High	Lowest
Likelihood Your Work Will be Reviewed by Outside General Counsel	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Clients Will Not Pay or Negotiate Bills	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Clients Care More About Attorney Quality than Cost	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Clients Will Be Concerned with Your Educational Pedigree	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Clients Will be Concerned About How You Did in Law School	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Clients Will Care About Your Former Employers Prestige	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm has One Client that is More than 5% of its Business	Lowest	Low	High	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Clients Can Be Bullied and Ripped Off by Firm	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Advertise Online and/or Have Billboards	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Do No Advertising	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest

How Clients Pay Firms Depending on Firm Ranking

How Clients Pay Firms Depending on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Likelihood All Work Will be Done on Billable Hour	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Work Will Be Done on Flat Fee Basis	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Litigation Work Will be Done on Contingency Basis	Highest	High	Moderate	Lowest	Lowest
Billable Hour Rate if Attorneys Charge by Hour	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Attorneys Will be Able to Scare and Intimidate Own Clients	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Does Defense Work	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Does Plaintiffs Work	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Send Detailed Hourly Bill	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	High

How and What the Firm Pays Attorneys Depending on Firm Ranking

How and What the Firm Pays Attorneys Depending on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Salary of Entry-Level Associate Attorneys	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Salary of 3-10 Year Associate Attorneys	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likely Income of Partner Attorneys	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood More than 50% of Partners Make Over $1-Million	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood More than 50% of Capital Partners Make Over $2-Million	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood More than 50% of Associates Make More than Starting Salary at One of the Top 100 Largest Us Law Firms	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Some Individual Partners in Firm Make Over $5,000,000	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Some Individual Partners in the Firm $30-million+ Books	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Have Salaried Summer Associates	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Pay Clerkship Bonuses	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Pay Annual Bonuses	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood the Firm Will Pay Bonuses for Exceeding Hourly Requirements	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Have Great Benefits	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Pays Attorneys in Same Class Years Different Amounts	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Low	Lowest

How Law Firms Are Managed Depending on Firm Ranking

How Law Firms Are Managed Depending on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Likelihood Firm Has an Executive Committee	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Has Professional Management that Only Manages	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Has Formal Attorney Promotion/Evaluation Systems	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Decisions Will Be Irrational and Unpredictable	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will be Poorly Managed	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will be Owned by One or a Few Individuals	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Go Out of Business in the Future	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Money will Flow Primarily to a Few People	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest

The Employment Security Depending on Firm Ranking

The Employment Security Depending on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Likelihood the Firm Will Let You Go if Business Slows Down	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Has Significant Cash Reserves or Line of Credit	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Experience Financial Issues in the Future	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Delay Your Paycheck	Highest	High	Low	Lowest	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Go Out of Business in the Future	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Fire You if Someone Cheaper Comes Along	Highest	High	Low	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Push You Out if You Are Not Going to Be a Partner	Lowest	Low	Moderate-High	High	Highest
Likelihood You Will Be Replaced by a Younger/Hungrier Version	Low	Low	High	High	Highest
Difficulty Firm Will Have Replacing You	Lowest	Low	Low	High	High
Likelihood Firm Will Merge/Change Name	High	High	Highest	Moderate	Lowest

The Support and Resources Depending on Firm Ranking

The Support and Resources Depending on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Likelihood You Will Have a Well-Trained Secretary	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Have Dedicated Librarians, IT Staff and More	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Clients Will Pay for Dinner and Cars Home if You Work Late	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood You Will Have a Client Development Budget	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	High
Likelihood Firm is Will Cut Resources/Benefits Instead of Add them	High	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Give You Billable Hours Credit for Pro Bono	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	High
Likelihood Firm Offer Retreat and Other Activites	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Reimburse for Cell Phone, Laptop, etc.	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Clients Willing to Pay for Lexis, Westlaw, etc.	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	Highest

How to Get Hired at Firms of Different Rankings

How to Get Hired at Firms of Different Rankings	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Importance of Law School and Academics	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Does Majority of Hiring from Local Law Schools	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Has Grade Cutoffs from Certain Schools	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Searches Nationally to Fill Jobs	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Competitiveness of Getting a Job	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Importance of Experience When Getting Hired Laterally	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Importance of Lateral Hires Coming from Peer Firm	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Hire You from Another Practice Setting	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Does On-Campus Law Firm Recruiting	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Request Writing Sample or Transaction Sheet	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Check Your References	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Hire Laterally	Low	Moderate	High	Highest	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Hire Partners from Other Firms	Lowest	Low	High	Highest	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Has a Full-Time Recruiting Coordinator	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	Highest
Likelihood the Firm Has a Formal Recruiting Committee	Lowest	Low	High	Highest	Highest
Likelihood the Majority of Attorneys Interviewed Get Offers	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Moderate
Likelihood Multiple People Interviewed for Each Offer Made	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	High
Likelihood Most Offers Made by Firm are Accepted	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Receives More Unsolicited Resumes than it Knows What to Do with	Lowest	Low	Low	High	Highest
Likely Salary if You Are Hired	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Be Up or Out	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	Highest

Who You Will Work With Based on Firm Ranking

Who You Will Work With Based on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Likely Social Intelligence/Skill of Attorneys You Are Working with	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High-Highest	Highest
Likely In-Person Persuasive Ability of Attorneys You Are Working with	Highest	Highest	Moderate	Moderate	Highest
Likely Street Smarts of Attorneys You Are Working with	Highest	Highest	Moderate	Low	Low
Likelihood Parents of Co-Worker Attorneys Were Professionals (Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, Accountants, etc.)	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Peers Are the First People in Family to Be Attorneys	Highest	High	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Likelihood Attorney Peers Are First Generation Americans	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Low
Likelihood Attorney Peers Are from Blue Collar Backgrounds	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Attorneys Are From White Collar Backgrounds	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	Highest
Likelihood Your Peers Could Not Get a Better Job	Highest	High	High	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Owners Started Firm Because of Lack of Other Options	Highest	High	Moderate	Lowest	Lowest
Likelihood Peers Become a General Counsel/Federal Judge	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Attorneys in Your Firm Went to Top 10 Law Schools	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	Highest
Likelihood Firm Attorneys at Top of Class in Top 10 Law Schools	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Moderate	Highest
Likelihood Attorneys from Local Law Schools at Top of Class	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Many Firm Attorneys are from Local-Commuter Law Schools	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Peer Attorneys Did Poorly in Commuter Law Schools	Highest	High	Moderate	Lowest	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Peers Did Federal Appellate Clerkships	Lowest	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest
Likelihood Firm Peers Did Federal District Clerkships	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	Highest
Likelihood Firm Peers Did State Clerkships	Lowest	Low	Moderate-High	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Peers Have Published Law Review Articles	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	High
Likelihood Firm Peers Have Worked In-House	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Moderate	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Peers Are Interested in Doing Pro Bono	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	Low

Learning And Advancement Opportunities Depending on Firm Ranking

Learning And Advancement Opportunities Depending on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Opportunity to Learn a Business You Can Start Yourself	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
External Relationship Importance to Your Long-Term Success	Highest	High	High	Highest	Low
Opportunities to Go In-House After Getting Experience at Firm	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Has Formal Training Programs	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	High
Ability of Firm to Pay You Similar Salary without Business	Lowest	Low	Moderate-High	Highest	Highest
Likelihood Firm Has Recognized National Experts in Your Field	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest

The Respect, Advancement and Where Attorneys Go Based on Firm Ranking

The Respect, Advancement and Where Attorneys Go Based on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Respect for Attorneys in the Market	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Attorneys Will Work in Legal Department of Huge Company	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood an Attorney Will Make Partner in Current Firm	Low	Moderate	High	Low	Lowest
Likelihood an Attorney Will Stay at Firm Entire Career	Lowest	Moderate	Highest	Low	Lowest
Likelihood an Attorney May One Day Take Over the Firm	Highest	High	Moderate	Lowest	Lowest
Likelihood Attorneys Will Leave for More Money	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Attorney Will Go to a Better Firm Later	Highest	High	High	Low	Lowest

Attorneys Relationship with the Work They Do Based on Firm Ranking

Attorneys Relationship with the Work They Do Based on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Independence Associates Get with Work	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Attorneys at Different Levels Will Review Your Work	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Junior Attorneys Will Write Memos	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Work Produced Will Have Typos and be Rushed	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood the Firm Will Make Unreasonable Demands on Your Time	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood the Firm Will Hold Your Past “Mistakes” Against You	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood You Will Need to “Compete” with Peers to Get Work at Work	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Moderate
Likelihood You Will Get Fired for Making Serious Mistakes in Your Work	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Probability You Will Be Evaluated Based on Billable Hours	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	High
Importance of Generating Business to Success	Lowest	Low	High	Highest	High
Importance of Technical Proficiency	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest

The Type of Work Attorneys Do Based on Firm Ranking

The Type of Work Attorneys Do Based on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Amount of Work Likely to “Rote” and Formulaic	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Sophistication of Legal Arguments Expected of Litigators	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Expected Sophistication of Transactional Attorney Work	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Opposing Attorneys Will Find Your Work Poor	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Give You Work in Unrelated Practice Areas	Highest	High	Moderate	High	Lowest
Likelihood Firms is a General Practice Firm	Lowest	Low	High	Highest	Highest
Likelihood Firms is Not Interested in Practice Areas Like Employment Defense, and Patent Law Because of Downward Pressure on Billing Rates	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Turn Away Clients	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	Highest
Likelihood Firm Does Corporate	Lowest	Low	Moderate	High	Highest
Likelihood Firm Represents Consumers	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood Large Companies Will Hire Firm for “Bet the Company” Cases	Lowest	Low	Low	High	Highest

The Happiness and Work/Life Balance of Attorneys Based on Firm Ranking

The Happiness and Work/Life Balance of Attorneys Based on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Likelihood Attorneys Will Get Divorced Due to Work	Lowest	Low	Low	High	Highest
Likelihood Attorneys Will Experience Substance Abuse Problems from Work	Low	Low	Moderate	Highest	High
Likelihood Attorneys Will Get Sick Due to Work Stress	Low	Low	Low-Moderate	Highest	High
Likelihood Attorneys Will Seek Psychological Help Due to Work Stress	Low	Low	Moderate	Highest	High
Likelihood an Attorney Will Get Disbarred for Bad Behavior	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Lowest
Likelihood an Attorney Will Die Before 50 Due to Work	Low	Low	Low	Highest	Highest
Likelihood an Attorney Will Quit Law Because of Disillusionment	Low	Low	Lowest	Highest	Highest
Likelihood an Attorney Will Exercise Several Times a Week	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Low	Low
Likelihood an Attorney Will Take Vacations and Use Vacation	High	High	Moderate	Moderate	Low-Lowest

The Chance of the Attorney’s Own Ego Hurting Attorneys Based on Firm Ranking

The Chance of the Attorney’s Own Ego Hurting Attorneys Based on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Likelihood an Attorney is Jealous of Attorneys at Better Firms	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	Lowest
Likelihood an Attorney Would Rather Quit Practice of Law Than Work at a Less Prestigious Firm	Lowest	Low	Low	Highest	High
Likelihood an Attorney is Concerned With Their Peers’ Qualifications	Low	Low	Low-Moderate	High	High
Likelihood an Attorney is More Concerned with What Others think of them than whether they Enjoy their Job	Low	Low	Low-Moderate	High	High

The Size and Probable Locations of Firms Based on Firm Ranking

The Size and Probable Locations of Firms Based on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Likelihood Firm Will Have Only One Offices	Highest	High	Low	Lowest	Low
Likelihood Firm Will Only Have Offices in a Given City	Highest	High	Moderate	Lowest	Moderate
Likelihood Firm Will be Confined to a State	Highest	High	Moderate	Lowest	Moderate
Likelihood Firm Will in a Region Only (North, South, Midwest, etc.)	Highest	High	Moderate	Low	Moderate
Likelihood Firm Will Have Offices Around the United States	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Highest	High
Likelihood Firm Will Have International Offices	Lowest	Low	Low	Highest	High
Likelihood Firm Will be Less than 10 People	Highest	Moderate	Lowest	Lowest	Lowest
Likelihood Firm Will Have More than 25 Attorneys	Lowest	Low	High	Highest	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Have More than 50 Attorneys	Lowest	Low	High	Highest	Highest
Likelihood Firm Will Have More than 250 Attorneys	Lowest	Low	High	Highest	High

Where You Are Most Likely to Work Based on Firm Ranking

Where You Are Most Likely to Work Based on Firm Ranking	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Likelihood You Will Be Working in a Class-A Skyscraper	Lowest	Lowest	Moderate	High	Highest
Number of Firms and Opportunities in the Market	Highest	Highest	High	High	Highest
Where the Firm is Likely to Be Located	Anywhere	Anywhere	Populated Areas Near or in Moderate to Large Cities	Top 25 Largest Cities	Largest Cities