It’s not hyperbole to call them A-List all-stars. Since the first A-List was compiled a decade ago, 39 Am Law 200 firms have appeared at least once on the ranking, but only four firms have been on every single A-List: Davis Polk & Wardwell, Debevoise & Plimpton, Latham & Watkins, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
The A-List is our effort to provide a well-rounded measure of Am Law 200 law firms, using scores that combine each firm’s annual survey rank in four areas—financial performance, pro bono, diversity, and associate satisfaction. The 20 top-scoring firms make up the A-List. Our goal has always been to make non–A-List firms grind their teeth a little—and then perhaps aim higher themselves. “The best firms are exemplars, and exemplars are important,” then–editor in chief Aric Press wrote alongside our first A-List in 2003. “They’re entitled to praise, and, just as critical, they inspire not only envy but better performance from their competitors.”
