VAULT LAW RELEASES 2026 RANKINGS FOR ITS TOP 100 LAW FIRMS, BEST LAW FIRMS BY REGION, AND BEST LAW FIRMS BY PRACTICE AREA

Cravath is most prestigious law firm for tenth straight year; Kirkland & Ellis moves into top 5 and Milbank moves into top 10

NEW YORK, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- For the tenth year running, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP tops the Vault 100 as the most prestigious firm in the United States. Among the top 10 firms, there were notable changes. Kirkland & Ellis (last year's No. 6 and the largest law firm in the world by revenue) moves up to No. 5. Milbank which was the first firm to announce special bonuses in the summer of 2024 and associate bonuses in late 2024, makes its debut in the top 10, appearing at No. 9 (after being No. 13 last year). The Vault 100 is based on scores from more than 20,000 law firm associates. Vault's survey is a snapshot of associate sentiment during the survey window of January 28-March 21, 2025.

Vault's top 10 most prestigious firms for 2026 are:

#1 Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
#2 Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
#3 Skadden
#4 Latham & Watkins
#5 Kirkland & Ellis
#6 Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
#7 Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
#8 Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
#9 Milbank
#10 Simpson Thacher

In addition to the Vault 100, Vault has also released 14 Regional rankings and 24 Practice Area rankings. Some highlights include:

• In two of the largest regional markets, a new firm emerges atop Vault's rankings. In New York, Wachtell Lipton is the new No. 1 firm. In Northern California, Cooley and Latham & Watkins tie for the No. 1 spot. 
• In the other large regional markets, the top firm remains unchanged: Washington, DC (Covington & Burling), Southern California (Latham & Watkins), Texas (Vinson & Elkins), Chicago (Kirkland & Ellis), and Boston (Ropes & Gray).
• In the General Corporate Practice Area rankings, the No. 1 firm is Wachtell Lipton, which advised Capital One on its recent blockbuster $35.3 billion acquisition of Discover.
• In the White Collar Defense and Internal Investigations Practice Area rankings, Covington & Burling takes the No. 1 spot.
• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, remains in the top spot in the General Commercial Litigation Practice Area rankings, and Williams & Connolly LLP continues to sit atop the Appellate Litigation Practice Area rankings.

"We saw movements near the top of the Vault 100 list this year, with Kirkland & Ellis gaining a spot and Milbank jumping into the top 10 for the first time. Last year, both firms also climbed in the Vault 100," said Eric Stutzke, SVP & General Manager of Vault. Stutzke continued, "We also saw changes in major Regional and Practice Area rankings, including at the very top of the competitive General Corporate Practice Area rankings, which involved a close three-way race between Wachtell, Cravath, and Kirkland."

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Vault Law, an Infobase company, is the most comprehensive and trusted resource for law students and laterals researching law firms, delivering the insider perspective and essential information that candidates need to make successful career decisions.

SOURCE Vault Law