VAULT LAW RELEASES 2026-2027 RANKINGS FOR ITS TOP 100 LAW FIRMS, BEST LAW FIRMS BY REGION, AND BEST LAW FIRMS BY PRACTICE AREA
PR Newswire
NEW YORK, April 8, 2026
Rankings see notable changes in the Top 10, but Cravath and Wachtell Lipton remain at the pinnacle of prestige.
NEW YORK, April 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For the 11th year running, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP tops the Vault 100 as the most prestigious firm in the United States, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is No. 2. Paul, Weiss drops from No. 8 to No. 13. Gibson Dunn rises from No. 11 to become No. 8. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP gains one spot, moving to No. 5, ahead of Kirkland & Ellis.
The Vault 100 is based on scores from more than 20,000 law firm associates. Vault’s survey was open from October 22, 2025 to January 23, 2026. For a more detailed breakdown of the movement within the Vault 100, please refer to our blog post here.
Vault’s top 10 most prestigious firms for 2026-2027 are
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No. 1 Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP |
No. 6 Kirkland & Ellis |
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No. 2 Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz |
No. 7 Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP |
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No. 3 Skadden |
No. 8 Gibson Dunn |
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No. 4 Latham & Watkins |
No. 9 Milbank |
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No. 5 Sullivan & Cromwell LLP |
No. 10 Simpson Thacher |
In addition to announcing the Vault 100, Vault has released its Regional rankings and Practice Area rankings. Some highlights include
- In the largest regional markets, the top firm remains unchanged from last year: New York City (Wachtell Lipton); Washington, DC (Covington & Burling); Northern California (Cooley); Southern California (Latham & Watkins); Texas (Vinson & Elkins); Chicago (Kirkland & Ellis); and Boston (Ropes & Gray).
- Wachtell Lipton (No. 2 in the Vault 100), keeps the No. 1 spot this year in the highly competitive General Corporate Practice and Mergers & Acquisitions rankings. Latham & Watkins (No. 4 in the Vault 100) moves into the No. 1 spot in Securities/Capital Markets and Clean Tech/Renewable Energy. Kirkland & Ellis (No. 6 in the Vault 100) retains the top spot in Banking & Financial Services, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Private Equity, and Products Liability.
- Cooley takes the top spot in Emerging Companies & Venture Capital, Privacy & Data Security, and Life Sciences (a new category Vault introduced this year).
- The leader in the DC Regional rankings, Covington & Burling takes the top spot in White Collar Defense & Internal Investigations and Government Relations (a new category).
- Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP remains the leader in General Commercial Litigation, and Williams & Connolly LLP is No. 1 in Appellate Litigation.
“This was an eventful year for the legal industry, and we saw notable moves, not just in the top 10 but across the Vault 100,” said Eric Stutzke, SVP & General Manager of Vault. Stutzke continued, “In a year of strong growth, especially for the largest firms, we also saw powerhouse firms assert their excellence across multiple practice areas.”
About Vault Law
Vault Law, an Infobase company, is the most comprehensive and trusted resource for law students and laterals researching law firms, delivering the insider perspective and essential information that candidates need to make successful career decisions.
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SOURCE Vault Law
