The American Lawyer’s A List has been topped again by Hughes Hubbard, using a pro-bono rating formula together with revenues-per-lawyer, lawyer satisfaction levels and diversity performance. A recent arrival at the list has been Akin Gump.
The AmLaw survey shows that large law firms’ pro bono work continued to drop last year, both in terms of hours per lawyer and number of lawyers contributing 20 hours or more. Behind the decline are structural changes which suggest that a turnaround may not come anytime soon, according to the new report on the Am Law 200 in the July/August issue of ALM’s The American Lawyer and online at americanlawyer.com.
Average pro bono hours per lawyer fell to 54.3 last year, down almost 12 percent from a 2009 peak, while the percentage of lawyers contributing 20 hours or more dropped to 43.5. Of the 169 firms responding to the survey, nearly two-thirds had a lower pro bono score than the year before.
“It’s an open secret that associates bear the brunt of pro bono work at Am Law 200 firms,” wrote The American Lawyer Senior Reporter Amy Kolz, “So it’s no surprise that the push toward lower leverage and smaller associate classes make pro bono advocates nervous.”
Among the top entrants in the List, behind Hughes Hubbard are:
2. Paul Hastings
3. Munger Tolles
4. Gibson Dunn Crutcher
5. Millbank Tweed
6. Davis Polk
7. O’Melveny Myers
8. Debevoise & Plimpton
9. Weil Gotshal
10. Latham & Watkins
