Big Law Salary Scale Report
The intense competition for top legal talent has accelerated the move towards major money for lawyers. But what is the Biglaw salary scale for the world’s largest law firms?
We have written about how to understand the Biglaw salary scale here, and update the bonuses and pay scale developments with Biglaw here.
Here is a list of the Biglaw salaries –
| Rank | Firm | Revenue (US$) | Lawyers | Revenue per lawyer (US$) | Profit per partner (US$)[2] | Country with the most lawyers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirkland & Ellis | $4,154,600,000 | 2,598 | $1,599,000 | $5,195,000 |  United States |
| 2 | Latham & Watkins | $3,767,623,000 | 2,720 | $1,385,000 | $3,352,000 | United States |
| 3 | DLA Piper (verein) | $3,112,130,000 | 3,894 | $799,000 | $1,874,000 | United States |
| 4 | Baker McKenzie (verein) | $2,920,000,000 | 4,809 | $607,000 | $1,443,000 | United States |
| 5 | Dentons (verein) | $2,899,600,000 | 10,977 | $264,000 | $533,000 | United States |
| 6 | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom | $2,632,615,000 | 1,694 | $1,554,000 | $3,919,000 | United States |
| 7 | Clifford Chance | $2,500,000,000 | 2,489 | $1,005,000 | $2,350,000 |  United Kingdom |
| 8 | Sidley Austin | $2,337,803,000 | 1,922 | $1,217,000 | $2,551,000 | United States |
| 9 | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius | $2,265,000,000 | 2,063 | $1,098,000 | $1,391,000 | United States |
| 10 | Hogan Lovells (verein) | $2,246,050,000 | 2,642 | $850,000 | $1,381,000 | United States |
| 11 | White & Case | $2,184,850,000 | 2,204 | $991,000 | $2,400,000 | United States |
| 12 | Allen & Overy | $2,160,729,000 | 2,447 | $883,000 | $2,215,000 | United Kingdom |
| 13 | Linklaters | $2,093,569,000 | 2,393 | $875,000 | $2,270,000 | United Kingdom |
| 14 | Jones Day | $2,077,000,000 | 2,514 | $826,000 | $1,093,000 | United States |
| 15 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | $2,008,334,000 | 1,351 | $1,486,000 | $3,345,000 | United States |
| 16 | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | $1,942,013,000 | 1,812 | $1,072,000 | $2,485,000 | United Kingdom |
| 17 | Norton Rose Fulbright | $1,904,019,000 | 3,266 | $583,000 | $907,000 | United States |
| 18 | Ropes & Gray | $1,903,616,000 | 1,247 | $1,527,000 | $2,552,000 | United States |
| 19 | Greenberg Traurig | $1,641,790,000 | 2,070 | $793,000 | $1,750,000 | United States |
| 20 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | $1,618,633,000 | 996 | $1,625,000 | $4,417,000 | United States |
| 21 | CMS (EEIG) | $1,596,128,000 | 3,765 | $424,000 | $766,000 | United Kingdom |
| 22 | Weil, Gotshal & Manges | $1,517,889,000 | 1,126 | $1,348,000 | $4,028,000 | United States |
| 23 | Mayer Brown | $1,484,000,000 | 1,632 | $909,000 | $1,702,000 | United States |
| 24 | Sullivan & Cromwell | $1,467,398,000 | 809 | $1,814,000 | $4,653,000 | United States |
| 25 | Davis Polk & Wardwell | $1,444,000,000 | 975 | $1,481,000 | $4,514,000 | United States |
| 26 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | $1,387,694,000 | 1,020 | $1,360,000 | $4,699,000 | United States |
| 27 | King & Spalding | $1,338,607,000 | 1,165 | $1,149,000 | $2,847,000 | United States |
| 28 | Goodwin Procter | $1,330,176,000 | 1,091 | $1,219,000 | $2,463,000 | United States |
| 29 | Cooley | $1,329,329,000 | 1,009 | $1,318,000 | $2,382,000 | United States |
| 30 | Paul Hastings | $1,268,910,000 | 954 | $1,330,000 | $3,254,000 | United States |
| 31 | Herbert Smith Freehills | $1,263,904,000 | 2,228 | $567,000 | $1,269,000 | United Kingdom |
| 32 | Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan | $1,252,062,000 | 827 | $1,514,000 | $4,556,000 | United States |
| 33 | Reed Smith | $1,246,926,000 | 1,602 | $778,000 | $1,261,000 | United States |
| 34 | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton | $1,211,009,000 | 1,210 | $1,001,000 | $3,162,000 | United States |
| 35 | Eversheds Sutherland | $1,206,000,000 | 2,563 | $471,000 | $1,161,000 | United Kingdom |
| 36 | Covington & Burling | $1,187,388,000 | 1,112 | $1,068,000 | $1,734,000 | United States |
| 37 | Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr | $1,184,336,000 | 844 | $1,403,000 | $2,151,000 | United States |
| 38 | McDermott, Will & Emery | $1,172,114,000 | 1,051 | $1,115,000 | $1,884,000 | United States |
| 39 | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe | $1,158,537,000 | 990 | $1,170,000 | $1,989,000 | United States |
| 40 | Morrison & Foerster | $1,147,200,000 | 1,005 | $1,141,000 | $1,982,000 | United States |
| 41 | Dechert | $1,135,502,000 | 974 | $1,116,000 | $2,728,000 | United States |
| 42 | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld | $1,135,014,000 | 910 | $1,247,000 | $2,402,000 | United States |
| 43 | King & Wood Mallesons (verein) | $1,079,000,000 | 3,258 | $331,000 | $921,000 |  China |
| 44 | Milbank | $1,069,027,000 | 765 | $1,398,000 | $3,874,000 | United States |
| 45 | Debevoise & Plimpton | $1,049,459,000 | 710 | $1,304,000 | $3,265,000 | United States |
| 46 | Squire Patton Boggs (verein) | $1,035,000,000 | 1,485 | $697,000 | $1,027,000 | United States |
| 47 | Holland & Knight | $1,026,809,000 | 1,212 | $847,000 | $1,424,000 | United States |
| 48 | K&L Gates | $1,026,626,000 | 1,691 | $607,000 | $990,000 | United States |
| 49 | Winston & Strawn | $1,012,310,000 | 879 | $1,152,000 | $2,162,000 | United States |
| 50 | Proskauer Rose | $1,004,942,000 | 744 | $1,351,000 | $2,660,000 | United States |
| 51 | Shearman & Sterling | $968,164,000 | 849 | $1,140,000 | $2,431,000 | United States |
| 52 | Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati | $961,000,000 | 842 | $1,142,000 | $2,350,000 | United States |
| 53 | Arnold & Porter | $951,900,000 | 919 | $1,036,000 | $1,242,000 | United States |
| 54 | Perkins Coie | $934,810,000 | 1,042 | $897,000 | $1,287,000 | United States |
| 55 | Foley & Lardner | $920,427,000 | 1,023 | $900,000 | $1,251,000 | United States |
| 56 | Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz | $882,086,000 | 265 | $3,329,000 | $6,330,000 | United States |
| 57 | Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | $869,057,000 | 1,399 | $621,000 | $844,000 | United States |
| 58 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher | $868,000,000 | 696 | $1,247,000 | $3,089,000 | United States |
| 59 | McGuireWoods | $853,505,000 | 989 | $863,000 | $1,360,000 | United States |
| 60 | Kim & Chang | $846,114,000 | 1,050 | $806,000 | $1,302,000 |  South Korea |
| 61 | Alston & Bird | $835,865,000 | 796 | $1,050,000 | $2,087,000 | United States |
| 62 | O’Melveny & Myers | $835,342,000 | 667 | $1,252,000 | $2,262,000 | United States |
| 63 | Ashurst | $822,259,000 | 1,512 | $554,000 | $1,299,000 |  Australia |
| 64 | Clyde & Co | $800,554,000 | 1,756 | $456,000 | $922,000 | United Kingdom |
| 65 | Cravath, Swaine & Moore | $799,555,000 | 526 | $1,520,000 | $4,414,000 | United States |
| 66 | Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton | $799,139,000 | 780 | $1,025,000 | $1,689,000 | United States |
| 67 | Vinson & Elkins | $792,597,000 | 656 | $1,208,000 | $2,517,000 | United States |
| 68 | Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson | $776,000,000 | 538 | $1,442,000 | $3,268,000 | United States |
| 69 | Yingke | $762,873,000 | 8,862 | $86,000 | $172,000 | China |
| 70 | Hunton Andrews Kurth | $756,000,000 | 861 | $878,000 | $1,097,000 | United States |
| 71 | Baker Botts | $751,070,000 | 734 | $1,023,000 | $1,662,000 | United States |
| 72 | Slaughter & May | $737,990,000 | 598 | $1,234,000 | $3,073,000 | United Kingdom |
| 73 | Baker & Hostetler | $732,494,000 | 890 | $823,000 | $1,035,000 | United States |
| 74 | Seyfarth Shaw | $717,370,000 | 882 | $813,000 | $1,140,000 | United States |
| 75 | Fragomen | $701,787,000 | 582 | $1,207,000 | $1,884,000 | United States |
| 76 | Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman | $677,320,000 | 643 | $1,053,000 | $1,500,000 | United States |
| 77 | Katten Muchin Rosenman | $669,709,000 | 675 | $993,000 | $1,682,000 | United States |
| 78 | Venable | $657,038,000 | 735 | $894,000 | $1,165,000 | United States |
| 79 | Gowling WLG | $645,550,000 | 1,283 | $503,000 | $535,000 |  Canada |
| 80 | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith | $642,000,000 | 1,528 | $428,000 | $951,000 | United States |
| 81 | Pinsent Masons | $632,654,000 | 1,678 | $377,000 | $817,000 | United Kingdom |
| 82 | Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt | $617,493,000 | 478 | $1,292,000 | $1,372,000 | Canada |
| 83 | Littler Mendelson | $590,038,000 | 1,066 | $553,000 | $521,000 | United States |
| 84 | Polsinelli | $580,437,000 | 849 | $684,000 | $739,000 | United States |
| 85 | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough | $557,987,000 | 740 | $754,000 | $996,000 | United States |
| 86 | Fox Rothschild | $555,000,000 | 860 | $645,000 | $695,000 | United States |
| 87 | Troutman Sanders | $549,617,000 | 664 | $828,000 | $1,074,000 | United States |
| 88 | Zhong Lun | $535,314,000 | 1,554 | $344,000 | $809,000 | China |
| 89 | Blake, Cassels & Graydon | $524,160,000 | 638 | $822,000 | $747,000 | Canada |
| 90 | Faegre Baker Daniels | $521,138,000 | 674 | $773,000 | $896,000 | United States |
| 91 | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart | $520,099,000 | 862 | $604,000 | $776,000 | United States |
| 92 | Cozen O’Connor | $517,301,000 | 675 | $767,000 | $828,000 | United States |
| 93 | Duane Morris | $510,341,000 | 658 | $775,000 | $1,010,000 | United States |
| 94 | AllBright Law Offices | $506,652,000 | 3,178 | $159,000 | $403,000 | China |
| 95 | Nixon Peabody | $505,520,000 | 591 | $856,000 | $1,503,000 | United States |
| 96 | McCarthy Tetrault | $498,545,000 | 642 | $777,000 | $762,000 | Canada |
| 97 | Simmons & Simmons | $497,952,000 | 1,056 | $472,000 | $949,000 | United Kingdom |
| 98 | Locke Lord | $496,433,000 | 611 | $812,000 | $1,035,000 | United States |
| 99 | Jackson Lewis | $486,149,000 | 865 | $562,000 | $634,000 | United States |
| 100 | Bird & Bird | $485,312,000 | 1,200 | $404,000 | $757,000 | United Kingdom |
Big Law Salary Trends In 2022 & What IS The Cravath Scale?
The increased salaries for BigLaw continues with O’Melveny, which generated $835,097,000 in gross revenue in 2020 — making it 54th on the Am Law 100 — raised their salary levels in March and once again set off a growth in big law salaries that has continued on both sides of the Atlantic.
The move by O’Melveny was sparked – surprise, surprise – by Cravaths’ March Associate salary increases, which leads us to the question of the ‘Cravath Scale’ and just what IS the Cravath Scale and how does it affect those seeking great pay and a great law job (given that the two are not, necessarily compatible).
The Cravath Scale relates to the traditional lockstep system of compensation for lawyers in Biglaw, but there is something much more about the ‘Scale’ that can provide insights and help for those seeking to snare great jobs in Biglaw by their understanding not only of how large law firms operate, but also how to ensure you can fit into a firm that might not otherwise appear to have you meet their criteria.
Cravath have a ‘grow their own’ system in their recruitment where they deploy the so-called ‘Cravath system’ that will see them recruit legal talent who will fit easily into the firm and its culture.
Mostly, the sort of factors that Cravath would emphasize – ability to handle complex work, work within a team, a good work ethic, a desire to build a career – are also shared by many of the other Biglaw players. But Cravath’s lengthy history has seen its focus on such factors remain, albeit largely now replaced in terms of screening by the law schools’ own intensely competitive desire to rank highly and also of course with the undergraduate LGA and LSAT scores.
With various law school ‘ranking factors’ like extracurriculars and school ranking, the law graduate who arrive at the door of any biglaw firm are already highly screened in terms of their potential. Thus, much of the ‘Cravath system’ is handled not be Cravaths but by the legal talent produced by the law schools who must meet the criteria set by the Biglaw firms.
The pre-eminence of your law school’s ranking and your grades in terms of achieving a Biglaw placement is hardly surprising. It is there factors, the academic background and record, that weigh heaviest, despite criticisms levelled at those who criticize the elite law school/elite law firm linkages.
Of the top-ranked law schools, around three-quarters wind up with Biglaw firms and most of the Top 14 law school rankings as assessed by US News & World Report will see around half of the graduates in Biglaw firms but those in the lower reaches of the elite law school list make Biglaw graduates.