Top 100 Law Firm Prestige Rankings for 2012

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June 30, 2011

What are the top firms that law students should keep an eye out for concerning job opportunities?Â Find out, and learn more about these companies.

The Vault Law 100 has been released, and for the ninth straight year, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz has dominated the rankings as the number one firm in the country.Â The firmâs repeated appearance on top represents a theme in this yearâs Top 10, with little else changing outside of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton moving up one spot to No. 8; Williams & Connolly dropping out of the Top 10; and Kirkland & Ellis moving into the Top 10 at No. 9.Â The real stories lie with the changes in the Bottom 90.

The Vault Law 100 is for law students, associates, partners and law firm recruiters, providing a detailed perspective on the criteria considered by candidates when evaluating law firms.Â This year, 16,000 law associates rated law firms on a scale of 1 to 10 based on prestige (associates were not allowed to rate their own firms and were asked to only rate firms with which they were familiar).

The Top 10 firms based on Vaultâs Annual Law Firm Associate Survey are:

1.Â Â Â Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz

2.Â Â Â Cravath, Swaine & MooreÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

3.Â Â Â Sullivan & CromwellÂ Â Â Â Â Â

4.Â Â Â Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

5.Â Â Â Davis Polk & WardwellÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

6.Â Â Â Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

7.Â Â Â Weil, Gotshal & Manges Â

8.Â Â Â Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

9.Â Â Â Kirkland & Ellis Â

10.Â Covington & Burling Â

Survey respondents called Wachtell âthe pinnacle,â âthe benchmark,â âpeerless,â âthe cream of the crop,â and âin their own leagueâ – words that have become synonymous with the firm in recent years.Â

âWachtell continues to hold a tight grip on the top spot, proving that you donât need to be the biggest to be considered the best. No firm has been able to oust Wachtell since it beat out Cravath for the number one ranking in 2003,â said Mary Kate Sheridan, law editor for Vault.com.Â âIf youâre looking for significant changes, just keep moving down the list.â

View the entire Top 100 Law Firm Rankings.

About VaultÂ

Vault is the source for employer and university rankings, ratings and insight for highly credentialed, in-demand candidates.Â Vaultâs editorial mission is to provide the research required by candidates to evaluate professions, industries, educational pathways, and top companies.Â Vault ratings and rankings inform candidatesâ analysis of companies and allow direct comparison between potential employers in such high value industries as law, banking, consulting and accounting.Â Vaultâs customers include Fortune 1000 advertisers and recruiters, the countryâs top universities and graduate schoolsâand 8 million consumers worldwide.