Biglaw firms’ ranking extend beyond conventional metrics such as revenue, size, quality of life, and prestige, to somewhat more tangible criteria such as the number of times they are searched for on Google. The interests of those conducting these searches vary significantly, including associates and partners seeking salary information, potential clients seeking legal assistance, established clients exploring new options, or media outlets hunting for a lucrative law firm story.
According to the Mad Clientist blog by BTI Consulting Group, the Biglaw firms most searched on Google include Cravath, DLA Piper, Greenberg Traurig, Jones Day, Kirkland, Latham & Watkins, Morgan Lewis, Sidley, Skadden, White & Case, and Wilson Sonsini.
Cravath rose to the top of these search results in 2023, likely driven by the release of a new Biglaw salary scale. The firm’s official seal of approval for the new $225K scale prompted other leaders in the Biglaw market to quickly fall in line, most choosing to offer additional compensation for midlevel and senior associates.
BTI provides further insights, categorising the firms who succeeded in capturing Google search attention in 2023 as “strongly searched” and “searched well above others.” The full list is available for viewing here.
Congratulations are, therefore, in order for all the firms whose work in 2023 resulted in increased visibility and searchability. It will be interesting to see if these same firms maintain their presence at the top of Google searches in 2024.