Sliders and strivers: That’s one way to think about firms 21-40, the runners-up in our 2015 A-List rankings. Twelve years ago, nine of them were among the top 20 firms that made up our first A-List. Two others eventually ascended to the top 20, then fell off. The remaining nine began as also-rans, most of them far back in the pack, and have been improving their positions since then.
21. Sullivan & Cromwell. No. 8 on our first A-List, published in 2003, Sullivan & Cromwell first fell off the list in 2005. This year it came within striking distance of the top 20: Its RPL score of 199 was near-perfect, and its score in associate satisfaction, the firm’s weakest area, improved 36 points from last year, bringing it up to 123 from 87.
