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What's the best biglaw firm for general commercial litigation in Chicago? Kirkland? Mayer? Curious what the current word on the street is.

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Kirkland & Ellis is the best, by far.

Best boutique is Bartlit Beck.

showNprove wrote:Jenner is the only firm in Chicago to be rated Chambers Band 1 for each of General Commercial Litigation, White-Collar Crime Litigation, and Media & Entertainment Litigation.

Is the implication supposed to be that Jenner >>> Kirkland?

Jenner is known for their litigation, but it's fading prestige.

Kirkland and Sidley are at the top of the heap, but Kirkland is on the upswing while Sidley is on the downswing.

The Chicago Big 5 are the best general commercial litigation shops:

Kirkland, Sidley, Jenner, Winston, Mayer.


Kirkland is by far the best. I'm not quite sure why Jenner has the rep it has on this board and xoxo. It's good, but I'd certainly pick any of the other 4 over it.

rayiner wrote:Jenner is known for their litigation, but it's fading prestige.

Kirkland and Sidley are at the top of the heap, but Kirkland is on the upswing while Sidley is on the downswing.

This is what I'd heard, too. For general commercial lit, I was thinking it went Kirkland --> Sidley/Mayer --> Jenner/Winston.

Anonymous User wrote:The Chicago Big 5 are the best general commercial litigation shops:

Kirkland, Sidley, Jenner, Winston, Mayer.


Kirkland is by far the best. I'm not quite sure why Jenner has the rep it has on this board and xoxo. It's good, but I'd certainly pick any of the other 4 over it.

I wonder if Jenner's rep on here and xoxo is a product of the DC office's rep, not the Chicago office's.

FYI: Mayer is better than Kirkland for appellete lit, or at least it has been in the past, almost entirely on the shoulders of Steve Shapiro. I know that's not the question that was asked, but I figured I would point it out.

Bartlit is TCR, though, even though not biglaw (so, again, not really the question asked). They pay better than Kirkland (according a few people I know at Kirkland,) arguably do the same or better work, and do not deal with billable hours. Of course, getting hired there is basically impossible unless you do an appellete clerkship, cure cancer, etc.

Kirkland is obviously TCR to the actual question. I'm not sure that... well, really, anyone... would say otherwise.

Edit: And yeah, Jenner's DC office is in a fairly elite tier - wouldn't surprise me if it bleeds over to the Chicago office in some circles.

ToTransferOrNot wrote: Bartlit is TCR, though, even though not biglaw (so, again, not really the question asked). They pay better than Kirkland (according a few people I know at Kirkland,) arguably do the same or better work, and do not deal with billable hours. Of course, getting hired there is basically impossible unless you do an appellete clerkship, cure cancer, etc.

Looking at their roster, I'm not even sure curing cancer would get a foot in the door.

Looking at their roster, I'm not even sure curing cancer would get a foot in the door.

Well, for one, it's impossible for entry-level attorneys by definition. Bartlit operates on a "diamond" model, not pyramid. Indeed, the notion of a diamond model was coined by Bartlit himself. The firm focuses hiring on attorneys who have acquired a significant amount of prestigious experiences, while paying little attention to people fresh out of law school (or at least, fresh out of law school without something else really prestigious lined up).

I find their selectivity quite humorous given Bartlit's academic pedigree; then again, they might take a chance on a not-so-stellar law school graduate, but a graduate who eventually becomes a rustle-and-tussle lawyer in practice.

Another funny bit about Bartlit is his role on the investigation committee against BP. Some people have accused him of having a significant conflict of interest since he was once a major partner at Kirkland, the firm now doing BP's defense litigation arising from the oil spill.

They do hire some people directly out of post law school clerkships, FYI.

ToTransferOrNot wrote:They do hire some people directly out of post law school clerkships, FYI.

From the looks of their website, that's how a majority of the new associates come on board...Either way, second year associates arguing bet-the-business litigation in front of the Seventh Circuit is srs bidniz.

ToTransferOrNot wrote:They do hire some people directly out of post law school clerkships, FYI.

See what I wrote before:

The firm focuses hiring on attorneys who have acquired a significant amount of prestigious experiences, while paying little attention to people fresh out of law school (or at least, fresh out of law school without something else really prestigious lined up).

See: Diamonds are This Firm's Best Friend
http://www.bartlit-beck.com/about-news-122.html