Best Law Firms by Practice Area

These firms were voted strongest in each practice area by associates working in that area at peer firms. Vault's 2021 Rankings are derived from Vault's Annual Associate Survey conducted between late January 2020 through early April 2020.

Survey Methodology

Each year, Vault ranks law firms in a variety of practice areas based on the perceptions of associates practicing in those areas. Associates were asked to vote for up to three firms they consider strongest in their practice areas and were not permitted to vote for their own firms. For example, associates who identified themselves as corporate attorneys were allowed only to vote in corporate-related categories (securities, financial services, etc.). Our rankings list the top firms in each area, as well as the total percentage of votes cast in favor of each ranked firm.

Vault ranked the following practice areas this year: Antitrust; Appellate Litigation; Banking & Financial Services; Bankruptcy/Restructuring; Clean Tech/Renewable Energy; Emerging Companies/VC; Energy, Oil, & Gas; Environmental Law; General Commercial Litigation; General Corporate Practice; Health Care; Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property Boutiques; International; Labor & Employment; Litigation Boutiques; M&A; Media, Entertainment, & Sports; Privacy & Data Security; Private Equity; Products Liability; Project Finance; Real Estate; Securities; Securities Litigation; Tax; and White Collar Defense & Internal Investigations.

Vault's 2021 Rankings are derived from Vault's Annual Associate Survey conducted between late January 2020 through early April 2020.

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Each year Vault invites eligible law firms to participate in our annual Law Survey. Please contact us if you’re interested in having your firm considered for inclusion.

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2021 Best Law Firms for Environmental Law

% of Votes 36.32

2020 Rank 1

Beveridge & Diamond, PC

Borne of the EPA, Beveridge & Diamond has developed in symbiosis with significant environmental legislation throughout the last quarter of the 20th century and early 21st, giving its clients insider access to the complexities of...

Overview Associate Reviews Why Work Here Q&As

% of Votes 21.39

2020 Rank 2

Latham & Watkins LLP

Latham is one of the world’s largest law firms, a bona fide member of the clique that includes the Magic Circle and the elite U.S. heritage firms. With more than 2,800 attorneys in 29 offices around the world, Latham practices in all the major...

Overview Associate Reviews Why Work Here Q&As Summer Program

% of Votes 18.91

2020 Rank 3

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP

Arnold & Porter is home to more than 1,000 lawyers across 14 offices around the globe (plus an operations center in Tallahassee). The firm practices in more than 40 areas and is particularly well known for its antitrust, appellate...

Overview Associate Reviews Why Work Here Summer Program

% of Votes 17.41

2020 Rank 4

Sidley Austin LLP

Sidley is a global powerhouse, with approximately 2,000 lawyers across 20 offices. The firm boasts a long list of marquee clients in a range of industries, including banking, energy, health care, insurance, life sciences, and technology. The...

Overview Associate Reviews Why Work Here Q&As Summer Program

% of Votes 11.94

2020 Rank 5

Baker Botts L.L.P.

With deep roots in the Lone Star State, Baker Botts has grown to become an international firm with 14 offices across the globe and more than 700 lawyers among its ranks. The firm fields sturdy teams in energy, environmental law, IP, litigation,...

Overview Associate Reviews Why Work Here Summer Program

% of Votes 11.94

2020 Rank 7

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

The result of 2018’s largest merger, Hunton Andrews Kurth, pairs two firms—each with over a century of history—that had been growing by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Mid-Atlantic-based Hunton & Williams brought with it leading...

Overview Associate Reviews Why Work Here Q&As

% of Votes 11.44

2020 Rank 13

Perkins Coie LLP

With its largest office still in Seattle, Perkins Coie has stayed true to its Washington roots. But over time, the firm has expanded to include 17 domestic offices—four of which are in California—and three offices in Asia. Perkins Coie likes to...

Overview Associate Reviews Why Work Here Q&As Summer Program

% of Votes 10.95

2020 Rank 10

Stoel Rives LLP

Headquartered in Portland, Stoel Rives LLP is a full-service corporate and litigation firm. The firm represents clients in the areas of regulatory and compliance matters and corporate, labor and employment, intellectual property, land use, and...

Overview Employee Reviews Summer Program

% of Votes 8.96

2020 Rank 13

Hogan Lovells US LLP

Hogan Lovells is a global megafirm with more than 50 offices in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The firm boasts more than 2,800 lawyers, making it one of the largest firms around. The Making of a...

Overview Associate Reviews Why Work Here Summer Program

% of Votes 8.96

2020 Rank 9

Van Ness Feldman LLP

Van Ness Feldman's seat in the nation's capital gives it prime access to the governmental, regulatory, and compliance aspects of environmental and energy law. Combined with its Pacific Northwest presence in Seattle, this mid-sized law and policy...

Overview Employee Reviews