Top Law Schools

Posted: **Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:24 pm**

I know this is stupid, but does anyone mind posting the Vault top 25 rankings for the DC legal market? It's behind their "gold" paywall and I find it sort of ridiculous to have to pay $20 to literally look at the list for 15 seconds. If anyone already has an account, that would be helpful.

And yes, I know, Vault, grain of salt, associate perceptions, etc. etc.

Posted: **Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:31 pm**

May be slightly out of date:

1. Williams & Connolly
2. Covington
3. WilmerHale
4. Arnold & Porter
5. Skadden
6. Gibson Dunn
7. Kirkland & Ellis
8. Latham
9. Hogan
10. Sidley
11. Jones Day
12. Akin Gump
13. O’Melveny & Meyers
14. Mayer Brown
15. Patton Boggs
16. Steptoe
17. Crowell & Moring
18. Wiley
19. Ropes & Gray
20. Willkie Farr & Gallagher
21. McDermott Will & Emery
22. Arent Fox
23. K&L Gates
24. DLA Piper
25. Winston & Strawn

Posted: **Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:31 pm**

Just look at chambers. It's free and probably more useful

Posted: **Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:49 pm**

Also recognize these overall rankings are not particularly useful if you have a strong desire for a particular practice. For example, Steptoe's government investigations practice is much more highly rated than the firm is here.

Posted: **Sat Jun 08, 2013 11:00 pm**

ImNoScar wrote:Just look at chambers. It's free and probably more useful

Posted: **Sat Jun 08, 2013 11:33 pm**

1 2 ▲ Covington & Burling LLP 8.75 Washington, DC
2 1 ▼ Williams & Connolly LLP 8.74 Washington, DC
3 3 — WilmerHale 8.03 Washington, DC
3 4 ▲ Arnold & Porter LLP 8.03 Washington, DC
4 5 ▲ Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates 7.73 New York, NY
5 9 ▲ hogan lovells US LLP 7.58 Washington, DC
6 6 — Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP 7.50 Los Angeles, CA
7 7 — Kirkland & Ellis LLP 7.33 Chicago, IL
8 8 — Latham & Watkins LLP 7.32 New York, NY
9 10 ▲ sidley austin llp 7.15 Chicago, IL
10 11 ▲ Jones Day 7.05 Washington, DC
11 12 ▲ Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP 6.60 Washington, DC
12 NR — Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP 6.56 New York, NY
13 14 ▲ mayer brown llp 6.54 Chicago, IL
14 13 ▼ O'Melveny & Myers LLP 6.32 Los Angeles, CA
15 NR — Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP 6.25 New York, NY
16 15 ▼ Patton Boggs LLP 6.20 Washington, DC
17 17 — Crowell & Moring LLP 6.16 Washington, DC
18 16 ▼ Steptoe & Johnson LLP 6.11 Washington, DC
19 NR — Jenner & Block LLP 6.01 Chicago, IL
20 19 ▼ Ropes & Gray LLP 5.96 Boston, MA
21 18 ▼ wiley rein llp 5.87 Washington, DC
22 25 ▲ Winston & Strawn LLP 5.75 Chicago, IL
23 21 ▼ McDermott Will & Emery LLP 5.72 Chicago, IL
24 NR — King & Spalding 5.69 Atlanta, GA

Posted: **Sun Jun 09, 2013 12:31 pm**

I don't see Sullivan and Cromwell on that list, but I know a lot of people who are interested in the DC office and treating it as an elite firm.

Skadden and Latham show up in the rankings.... would it really be better for career prospects, etc to work at one of those, or say Wiley Rein, than S&C DC? Kind of confused about how these satellite offices work in general

And yes, I know the rankings aren't everything, but I guess I'm just wondering about how to fit in these DC satellite offices of other firms

Posted: **Sun Jun 09, 2013 12:33 pm**

Wahoos wrote:I don't see Sullivan and Cromwell on that list, but I know a lot of people who are interested in the DC office and treating it as an elite firm.

Skadden and Latham show up in the rankings.... would it really be better for career prospects, etc to work at one of those, or say Wiley Rein, than S&C DC? Kind of confused about how these satellite offices work in general

And yes, I know the rankings aren't everything, but I guess I'm just wondering about how to fit in these DC satellite offices of other firms

The below link should explain really well why no one cares about S&C DC

http://www.chambersandpartners.com/USA/Firms/3663-70555

Posted: **Sun Jun 09, 2013 12:39 pm**

Wahoos wrote: Skadden and Latham show up in the rankings.... would it really be better for career prospects, etc to work at one of those, or say Wiley Rein, than S&C DC? Kind of confused about how these satellite offices work in general

Depends on what you want to do

Posted: **Sun Jun 09, 2013 12:48 pm**

rad lulz wrote:
Wahoos wrote: Skadden and Latham show up in the rankings.... would it really be better for career prospects, etc to work at one of those, or say Wiley Rein, than S&C DC? Kind of confused about how these satellite offices work in general
Depends on what you want to do

As fall semester 2Ls, I doubt most people will know more specifically beyond corporate and litigation. And even then, some will not even know this.

So is it a bad idea to get into these satellite offices unless they are doing the exact type of work you are into? Are you implying they have less of a general 'big law' opportunity to pick among practice areas than their mega offices in NY?

Posted: **Sun Jun 09, 2013 12:57 pm**

Wahoos wrote:
rad lulz wrote:
Wahoos wrote: Skadden and Latham show up in the rankings.... would it really be better for career prospects, etc to work at one of those, or say Wiley Rein, than S&C DC? Kind of confused about how these satellite offices work in general
Depends on what you want to do
As fall semester 2Ls, I doubt most people will know more specifically beyond corporate and litigation. And even then, some will not even know this.

So is it a bad idea to get into these satellite offices unless they are doing the exact type of work you are into? Are you implying they have less of a general 'big law' opportunity to pick among practice areas than their mega offices in NY?

Define "satellite" office and "mega" office? I believe Latham's DC office is its second biggest and it's roughly the size of the NY office. I think Skadden's office is also very large. Their DC offices are also highly regarded in tons of practice areas. Take a look at Chambers for both firms. The partners/practice groups that are ranked in DC are also part of the firms' national rankings. This isn't like moving to a V10's office in Colorado or S&C's office in DC (which is small).

Posted: **Sun Jun 09, 2013 1:01 pm**

Anonymous User wrote:
Wahoos wrote:
rad lulz wrote:
Wahoos wrote: Skadden and Latham show up in the rankings.... would it really be better for career prospects, etc to work at one of those, or say Wiley Rein, than S&C DC? Kind of confused about how these satellite offices work in general
Depends on what you want to do
As fall semester 2Ls, I doubt most people will know more specifically beyond corporate and litigation. And even then, some will not even know this.

So is it a bad idea to get into these satellite offices unless they are doing the exact type of work you are into? Are you implying they have less of a general 'big law' opportunity to pick among practice areas than their mega offices in NY?
Define "satellite" office and "mega" office? I believe Latham's DC office is its second biggest and it's roughly the size of the NY office. I think Skadden's office is also very large. Their DC offices are also highly regarded in tons of practice areas. Take a look at Chambers for both firms. The partners/practice groups that are ranked in DC are also part of the firms' national rankings. This isn't like moving to a V10's office in Colorado or S&C's office in DC (which is small).

Yeah, so Latham and Skadden have major offices in DC. S&C's is clearly a satellite office. But it is part of one of the most renowned law firms in the country. How does that fit in? Why are so many people at my school interested (are they just wrong??)

Posted: **Sun Jun 09, 2013 1:05 pm**

no idea what motivates people at your school, but you shouldn't be paying attention to what law students think about firms anyway

Posted: **Sun Jun 09, 2013 1:21 pm**

Wahoos wrote:Yeah, so Latham and Skadden have major offices in DC. S&C's is clearly a satellite office. But it is part of one of the most renowned law firms in the country. How does that fit in? Why are so many people at my school interested (are they just wrong??)

The top NYC firms with satellites in DC tend to not be major players in the DC market. But they're still sterling firms that will give you access to a tremendous resume line item, deep network, and solid starting point to your career. And they still pay market. And those top NYC firms are very financially stable at the moment.

Firms are just collections of practices and partners with relationships. The best biggest and best firms in any given city will also have (relatively) less well regarded practices housed within them in the interest of full service and diversification. That tends to be how I think of the satellite offices of NYC firms in DC.

S&C's reputation is for litigation and transactional work out of New York - full stop. But you'll get a good salary and have good career prospects out of their DC office.

Which I guess is a long winded way of saying that I wouldn't call going to S&C DC a /bad/ move, but I also see absolutely no reason why it would be particularly desirable. It sounds like law students being silly.

And at the end of the day, law students get obsessed over ranking things that really can't logically be ranked. Nothing new there.

Posted: **Sun Jun 09, 2013 1:52 pm**

thesealocust wrote: Which I guess is a long winded way of saying that I wouldn't call going to S&C DC a /bad/ move, but I also see absolutely no reason why it would be particularly desirable. It sounds like law students being silly.

Was tryna come up w a poast but this pretty much hits the nail on the head

If you really wanted to do telecom and took SullCrom over Wiley Rein you may have made a questionable choice

If you really wanted to do healthcare and took SullCrom over hogan lovells you may have made a questionable choice

etc.

Top Law Schools

Vault DC rankings Forum

Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings

Re: Vault DC rankings