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What qualifies a firm as "biglaw"?

Here's one source's "Top 250 Firms" (based on number of attorneys): http://www.ilrg.com/nlj250

Would all 250 qualify as "biglaw"? Or just the top 100?..50?...5? Or are there even more than this list of 250?

Thanks,
HHH

There's no precise definition, it's slang. But generally people mean "big" (more than≈300 lawyers) firms, or firms that pay "market" salary.

That ILRJ site is horribly outdated, but the list is of the NLJ250 firms and that's a pretty good rough guide for what qualifies as a "biglaw" firm. There are a few boutique firms that are small but pay market wages, and there are some firms in the NLJ250 that are big but don't pay market, but it's a pretty good rough delineation.

I usually think of firms paying market rate that are not boutiques. Prestige-oriented people might draw a cutoff somewhere, but in my opinion, with these firms it's the pay rate and not the prestige that counts for you since most people burn out and leave anyway.

It seems like every post about biglaw has the word in all caps. Do people realize that it's not an acronym?

LjakW wrote:It seems like every post about biglaw has the word in all caps. Do people realize that it's not an acronym?

Do people realize that not every word capitalized represents an acronym

BIGLAW is the sound of a tree falling in a forest when no one is around to hear it. Wait, maybe that's midlaw...

kdawg666 wrote:

LjakW wrote:It seems like every post about biglaw has the word in all caps. Do people realize that it's not an acronym?

Do people realize that not every word capitalized represents an acronym

Do you have any examples of a word in the middle of a sentence, that's not an acronym, which should be capitalized?

It seems like every post about biglaw has the word in all caps. Do people realize that it's not an acronym?

But if you don't capitalize BIGLAW, nobody will know how BIG and IMPORTANT BIGLAW is.

LjakW wrote:

kdawg666 wrote:

LjakW wrote:It seems like every post about biglaw has the word in all caps. Do people realize that it's not an acronym?

Do people realize that not every word capitalized represents an acronym

Do you have any examples of a word in the middle of a sentence, that's not an acronym, which should be capitalized?

Example: "Do I have a shot at getting a job with a BIGLAW firm even though I got a C+ in Torts?"

LjakW wrote:

kdawg666 wrote:

LjakW wrote:It seems like every post about biglaw has the word in all caps. Do people realize that it's not an acronym?

Do people realize that not every word capitalized represents an acronym

Do you have any examples of a word in the middle of a sentence, that's not an acronym, which should be capitalized?

another example: "Why yes, I was a CIA agent before George Bush blew my cover."

Renzo wrote:

LjakW wrote:

kdawg666 wrote:

LjakW wrote:It seems like every post about biglaw has the word in all caps. Do people realize that it's not an acronym?

Do people realize that not every word capitalized represents an acronym

Do you have any examples of a word in the middle of a sentence, that's not an acronym, which should be capitalized?

another example: "Why yes, I was a CIA agent before George Bush blew my cover."

...

LjakW wrote:

kdawg666 wrote:

LjakW wrote:It seems like every post about biglaw has the word in all caps. Do people realize that it's not an acronym?

Do people realize that not every word capitalized represents an acronym

Do you have any examples of a word in the middle of a sentence, that's not an acronym, which should be capitalized?

"OK"

apper123 wrote:
...

What, were you going to tell me it's an acronym? Go ahead and try...

Renzo wrote:

apper123 wrote:
...

What, were you going to tell me it's an acronym? Go ahead and try...

I would try, but then men in black helicopters would swoop into my room, blindfold me, take me to an undisclosed location and then beat me senseless for daring to question the CIA.