Lateral recruitment experienced a downshift in 2023, yielding a reduced demand for legal services. However, the largest law firms in the United States, often termed as ‘Biglaw’ firms, remained steadfast in their growth trajectory. Despite economic difficulties, these legal giants continued their expansion.
The largest among all Biglaw firms in the US was determined using the headcount data published by Law360. Kirkland emerged as the leading law firm, recruiting over 400 national attorneys more than its closest competitor.
When compared to the standings of the previous year, the top US law firms demonstrated an average growth of 2.2%. Moreover, the growth pattern was uneven, with the top 200 firm’s growth at 2.6%, while the following 200 showed an increase of only 1.4%.
The top 10 largest law firms in the United States by headcount are:
- Kirkland: 3,043 U.S. attorneys
- Latham: 2,614 U.S. attorneys
- Greenberg Traurig: 2,155 U.S. attorneys
- Holland & Knight: 2,035 U.S. attorneys
- Sidley: 1,798 U.S. attorneys
- DLA Piper: 1,696 U.S. attorneys
- Morgan Lewis: 1,688 U.S. attorneys
- Jones Day: 1,647 U.S. attorneys
- Gibson Dunn: 1,629 U.S. attorneys
- Goodwin: 1,598 U.S. attorneys
Click here to access the comprehensive list of the 400 largest law firms in the country.
To the firms that made it to the top 10, they indeed managed to maintain their Biglaw status by predominantly outdistancing the rest. These rankings and trends offer a unique perspective on the legal landscape of the country and motivate other firms to aspire big and strive for continuous growth.
For more detailed analysis on the largest US law firms, have a look at the complete Law360 report.