Vault Ranking of Top Law Firms for Your Career

Vault Ranking of Top Law Firms for Your CareerVault Ranking of Top Law Firms for Your CareerVault published its 2019 and 2020 lists of the best law firms for your career Best Law Firms to Work Forand Best Midsize Law Firms to Work For. Associates at these firms rated their employers on job satisfaction, work culture, hours, substantive work, and other criteria. Whether you are a soon-to-be or recent law school graduate, or an established attorney who wants to change jobs, use these rankings to discover firms that offer the best career opportunities. How to Use Vaults Rankings Following are the top 10 firms from Vaults lists of 25 Big and 20 Midsize firms. From Vaults site, you can get more information about each one. For example, click on Overviewto get contact information and basic stats. See how each firm ranked on other Vault lists and what associates said were uppers and downers about them. Also, read about the firms histories and see what news they are making today. QAtakes you to excerpts fromPractice Perspectives Vaults Guide to Legal Practice Areas, andWhy Work Heregives descriptions from the firm.Survey Saysis a premium content area that has further information about the quality of life, career advancement, and salary and benefits. It is for subscribers only, but students at some law schools can access it for free. Non-subscribers can also learn about diversity initiatives at each firm by clicking on the Diversity tab. Vaults Best Firms to Work For Each of the law firms included onVaults 2020 Best Law Firms to Work Forhas upwards of 250 lawyers on its staff, but many have at least 500. Some even employ over 1,000 attorneys. OMelveny Myers LLPLatham Watkins LLPClifford Chance US LLPOrrick, Herrington Sutcliffe LLPFried, Frank, Harris, Shriver Jacobson LLPRopes Gray LLPPaul Hastings LLPJackson Walker LLPCleary Gottlieb Steen Hamilton LLPChoate Hall Stewart LLP Pros and Cons of Working for a Large Law Firm There are benefits and disadvantag es to working for a large firm. Large firms pay much higher salaries and bonuses. Associates get experience working on more diverse cases. Also, having a well-known employer on your resume can help you gain future employment and further your career. The disadvantages include having to work longer days and complete specialized tasks rather than having a variety of job duties. Large firms also typically have a more formal environment. Vaults Best Midsize Firms to Work For None of thefirms included in Vaults 2019 Best Midsize Firms to Work Foremploys more than 200 attorneys and most have fewer than 100. Lightfoot, Franklin White, LLCNelson Hardiman, LLPRobinson Bradshaw Hinson, P.A.Bookoff McAndrews PLLCSusman Godfrey LLPWilkinson Walsh EskovitzCades Schutte LLPNutter McClennen Fish LLPHueston Hennigan LLPWolf, Greenfield and Sacks, P.C. Pros and Cons of Working for a Midsize Law Firm A midsize law firm doesnt have the same name recognition as a large law firm and, therefore, m ay not be as eye-catching on a resume, however, it comes with some benefits. A smaller staff typically means associates have the opportunity to work on all aspects of cases. Additionally, there may not be as much required overtime, and the atmosphere will probably be less formal than in larger firms. The downside is that the practice areas are not as diverse, and salaries are lower. Choosing a Large or Small to Midsize Firm You will have to decide- either before beginning your job search or when assessing job offers- whether to work for a large law firm or a small one. While Vault classifies firms with over 200 lawyers as largeand those with 200 or fewer as small to midsize, Georgetown University Law School has a different definition. It says alarge firmhas more than 100 lawyers andmore than one office location.The termssmall and medium-midsize, according to the school, are relative, depending on its market or region within the United States. For example, the size of a small or medium firm in New York City or Washington, D.C. is different than one in Denver or Cleveland. Georgetown Law goes on to explain that a smaller firmtypically employs 20 or fewer lawyers. Some have diverse practiceareas, but others, called boutique firms, specialize in one area. Large firms usually serve corporations as opposed to individuals and have a wide range of practice areas. While they pay their associates more, large firms also require working more hours each day. Your decision goes beyond choosing between a large or midsize firm. Firms can be broken down into smaller categories, according to BCG Attorney Search, a legal recruiter. In an article titled Which Type of Law Firm Is Best for Your Career, author Harrison Barnes advises attorneys who are searching for jobs to decide if they want to work in main offices of large firms, branch offices of large firms, mid-sized firms, boutique firms, or newer fast-growing firms. Geography and Practice Area You will also need to co nsider where you wish to work. Job seekers who are willing to relocatehave more options than those who want to limit themselves to a particular region. Many lawyers also choose to specialize in a specific practice area such as antitrust law, elder law, copyright law, and biotechnology law. If you have a preference for location or practice area, you can search by these criteria onU.S. News and World ReportsBest Law Firms. Bottom Line Take the time to consider your career goals and those firms that can best meet them. For example, if you are looking for more diverse experience serving individuals, a mid- to small-size firm may be right for you. However, if you wish to work in a more formal atmosphere serving corporations, then a large firm may be the right fit. Research different firms to learn about growth opportunities, work culture, and salary and benefits. Comparing firms along with the type of experience you can gain will platzset you on a path that is best for you.