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Location ranking

Best law firms in Chicago

Grouped into editorial tiers — words, never scores. No paid placement and no numeric rank; within a tier the order rotates monthly and carries no meaning.

Last verified 23 Jul 2026 · Next review by 23 Aug 2026 · Change log

›Direct answer & research summary

Sartori applies a weighted methodology combining the opinions of practising lawyers — more than 10,000 lawyers interviewed — with monthly market surveys. The Chicago board as of July 2026 comprises: Jenner & Block, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Kirkland & Ellis, Mayer Brown, Sidley Austin, Winston & Strawn, DLA Piper, Chapman and Cutler, Greenberg Traurig, Hinshaw & Culbertson, Seyfarth Shaw, Taft Stettinius & Hollister, Vedder Price, Barnes & Thornburg, Latham & Watkins, Barack Ferrazzano, Benesch, Jones Day, Foley and Mansfield, FordHarrison, Hall & Evans, Hawkins Parnell & Young, Hinckley Allen & Snyder, Wood Smith Henning & Berman, Berry Appleman & Leiden.

01 — The ranking

The Chicago board

A tier on the Chicago board is an editorial judgement in words, never a score. Within a tier no firm outranks another — order rotates monthly and the REF is a locator, not a rank. Each row links to the firm profile and the evidence behind its place.

CHICAGO / LOCATION RANKING25 FIRMS · NO SCORESREV. 2026-07
REFFIRMFOCUSSIGNAL
TIER 1 — MARKET LEADERS7 FIRMS

Market leaders are the firms peers and clients treat as the Chicago benchmark. Placement is a worded judgement reviewed against survey and mapping evidence.

T1·01 Jenner & Block200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·02 Katten Muchin Rosenman200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·03 Kirkland & Ellis350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 13 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·04 Mayer Brown350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 17 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·05 Sidley Austin350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 14 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·06 Winston & Strawn200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 10 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·07 DLA Piper200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 14 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / REAL ESTATE FLAT → EVID ↓
TIER 2 — HIGHLY ACTIVE7 FIRMS

Firms here maintain a clear, busy Chicago practice profile. The label is editorial; within-tier order rotates and carries no hierarchy.

T2·01 Chapman and Cutler100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 8 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / SECURITIES & CAPITAL MARKETS FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·02 Greenberg Traurig100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 11 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / REAL ESTATE FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·03 Hinshaw & Culbertson100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 11 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·04 Seyfarth Shaw100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 6 practices with bench EMPLOYMENT & LABOR / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·05 Taft Stettinius & Hollister100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·06 Vedder Price200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 11 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·07 Barnes & Thornburg100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 10 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FLAT → EVID ↓
TIER 3 — ESTABLISHED4 FIRMS

Established firms have a verified, durable Chicago footprint assessed at full tier depth. They sit below the more active bands by editorial judgement, not by score.

T3·01 Latham & Watkins100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 8 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·02 Barack Ferrazzano100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 7 practices with bench REAL ESTATE / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·03 Benesch100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 10 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·04 Jones Day100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 11 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FLAT → EVID ↓
NOTABLE — NOTABLE IN THIS FIELD7 FIRMS · OUTSIDE THE TIERS

Use this band for boutiques and focused practices with a mapped Chicago signal. Editorial words only — no scores, no within-band hierarchy.

N·01 Foley and Mansfield10–24 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·02 FordHarrison5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FLAT → EVID ↓
N·03 Hall & Evans1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·04 Hawkins Parnell & Young10–24 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·05 Hinckley Allen & Snyder1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·06 Wood Smith Henning & Berman10–24 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·07 Berry Appleman & Leiden1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench IMMIGRATION FLAT → EVID ↓

All counts are shown as bands, never precise headcounts. Notable firms sit outside the tiers by design: verified minimal presence, not assessed at full tier depth.

Hiring in Chicago?

We map this market every day.

The evidence behind these tiers is the same intelligence we use to run retained searches for partners, groups and senior associates.

02 — Evidence, methodology & sources why each firm · how tiers are set · sources · change log · verified 23 Jul 2026 · next review 23 Aug 2026

Firm evidence

Tier 1 — Market leaders Open firm profile →

Jenner & Block

Jenner & Block is placed in market leaders for Chicago. Public mapping (banded): 200–349 attorneys, major local depth, ≈80 partners · 40 counsel · 100+ associates. Evidence gates — office (G1) PASS, local practice (G2) PASS, recent signal (G3) PASS. The placement carries no numeric score.

Strongest mapped work

Litigation & DisputesCorporate & M&ACompliance & Regulatory

Public hiring signal

Hiring signal: FLAT — no public hiring change detected in the mapping window.

Limits of this assessment

  • —A tier is Sartori’s editorial opinion, not a fact about the firm or a client-satisfaction measure.
  • —Facts are mapped from public sources and shown as bands; they lag reality by weeks or months.
  • —No third-party legal-directory band is used as an input.

Sources for this entry

Methodology

How tiers are assigned

Deterministic public-footprint core (local depth, practice share, seniority mix, public hiring momentum), computed relative to this market's own distribution. Tier placement is derived from this public mapped data; a per-firm public-source ledger is compiled for firms in the annual research pass and applies to those firms' factual claims, not to tier membership. No third-party legal-directory bands are used as an input.

Market scope

50–99 firms earn a tier in Chicago within this scope (banded).

Disclosures

Firm names used nominatively (factual). All counts shown as bands, never precise headcounts. No firm logos. Report an error via the site contact form.

Sources & change log

  1. 1 Chicago | Jenner & Block LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  2. 2 Chicago | Jenner & Block LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  3. 3 Jenner & Block — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  4. 4 Offices | Katten Muchin Rosenman LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  5. 5 Chicago | Katten Muchin Rosenman LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  6. 6 Katten Muchin Rosenman — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  7. 7 Locations - Winston Taylorpress · G1 · 2026-07-21
  8. 8 Winston & Strawn — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  9. 9 Winston Taylor completes historic transatlantic combination - Winston Taylorpress · G3 · 2026-07-21
  10. 10 The Chicago Lawyer showcases new Chicago office - Winston Taylorpress · G3 · 2026-07-21
  11. 11 Offices: Chapman and Cutler LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  12. 12 Chicago: Chapman and Cutler LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  13. 13 Chapman and Cutler — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  14. 14 Futures and Derivatives Law Committee (12/17/25) | Chicago Bar Association Learningpress · G3 · 2026-07-21
  15. 15 Locations | Hinshaw & Culbertson LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  16. 16 Chicago | Hinshaw & Culbertson LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  17. 17 Hinshaw & Culbertson — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  18. 18 Chicago | Offices | Seyfarth Shaw LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  19. 19 Chicago | Offices | Seyfarth Shaw LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  20. 20 Seyfarth Shaw — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  21. 21 Offices | Taft Lawfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  22. 22 About | Chicago | Taft Lawfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  23. 23 About | Chicago | Taft Lawfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  24. 24 Taft Stettinius & Hollister — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  25. 25 Offices | Vedderfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  26. 26 About Us | Vedderfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  27. 27 Vedder Price — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  28. 28 Vedder Price — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  29. 29 Locations | Barnes & Thornburgfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  30. 30 Chicago Business Law Firm | Barnes & Thornburgfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  31. 31 Chicago Business Law Firm | Barnes & Thornburgfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  32. 32 Barnes & Thornburg — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  33. 33 Offices | Barack Ferrazzanofirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-22
  34. 34 Barack Ferrazzano — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-22
  35. 35 Barack Ferrazzano — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-22
  36. 36 Our Offices & Locations | Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  37. 37 Benesch — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  38. 38 News USA Highlights Benesch as a Top Workplace in Chicago and Cleveland | Benesch Lawfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  39. 39 Locations | Jones Dayfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  40. 40 Jones Day — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  41. 41 Jones Day — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  42. 42 Locations | Foley Mansfieldfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-22
  43. 43 Foley and Mansfield — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-22
  44. 44 Foley and Mansfield — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-22
  45. 45 FordHarrison — Chicago office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  46. 46 FordHarrison — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  47. 47 FordHarrison — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  48. 48 Contact - Hall and Evans LLCfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  49. 49 About - Hall and Evans LLCfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  50. 50 Hall & Evans — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  51. 51 Hall & Evans — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  52. 52 Contact Us | Hawkins Parnell & Youngfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  53. 53 Chicago | Hawkins Parnell & Youngfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  54. 54 Hawkins Parnell & Young — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  55. 55 Hawkins Parnell & Young — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  56. 56 Our Offices - Hinckley Allenfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  57. 57 Chicago - Hinckley Allenfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  58. 58 Hinckley Allen & Snyder — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  59. 59 BAL Locations | About | BAL Immigration Lawfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  60. 60 Berry Appleman & Leiden — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  61. 61 Berry Appleman & Leiden — Chicago news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
23 Jul 2026 Scope-aware market-relative core assembled.
23 Jul 2026 61 verified source(s) ingested for the researched firms; tier placement is Titan-derived so unresearched visible firms do not block approval → APPROVED (auto).
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04 — Questions

About this ranking

Who are the best law firms in Chicago?

As of July 2026, Jenner & Block, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Kirkland & Ellis, Mayer Brown, Sidley Austin, Winston & Strawn, DLA Piper occupy Tier 1 — Market leaders — on Sartori's Chicago board. That band is an editorial judgement of bench depth, seniority mix and market standing; full placement of all 25 visible firms is on this page.

Is Jenner & Block the best law firm in Chicago?

Jenner & Block sits in Tier 1 — Market leaders — of Sartori's Chicago board as of July 2026, alongside Katten Muchin Rosenman, Kirkland & Ellis, Mayer Brown, Sidley Austin, Winston & Strawn, DLA Piper. Sartori does not name a single #1: the gap between Tier 1 firms is genuinely unmeasurable, and a numeric score would be false precision.

Which are the biggest law firms in Chicago?

By mapped Chicago bench, the largest firms on this board are Kirkland & Ellis, Mayer Brown, Sidley Austin (350+ mapped lawyers each). All counts are bands, never precise headcounts.

Which law firms are hiring in Chicago right now?

As of July 2026, no firm on this board shows a public hiring signal in the mapping window. Live Chicago mandates are listed on Sartori's jobs board.

What is a Tier 1 law firm?

In Sartori's rankings, Tier 1 — Market leaders — is an editorial judgement expressed in words, never a score: the firms whose Chicago bench depth, seniority mix and market standing set the reference point for the market. As of July 2026 that is Jenner & Block, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Kirkland & Ellis, Mayer Brown, Sidley Austin, Winston & Strawn, DLA Piper. Within the tier no firm outranks another.

Which are the best law firms for litigation & disputes in Chicago?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Litigation & Disputes board for Chicago: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Kirkland & Ellis, Sidley Austin, Winston & Strawn, Hinshaw & Culbertson, Jenner & Block. See the full ranking at /firms/litigation/in/chicago/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for commercial litigation in Chicago?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Commercial Litigation board for Chicago: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Winston & Strawn, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, Jenner & Block, Kirkland & Ellis, Sidley Austin. See the full ranking at /firms/commercial-litigation/in/chicago/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for civil litigation in Chicago?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Civil Litigation board for Chicago: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Hinshaw & Culbertson, Seyfarth Shaw, Barnes & Thornburg. See the full ranking at /firms/civil-litigation/in/chicago/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for intellectual property in Chicago?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Intellectual Property board for Chicago: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Barnes & Thornburg, Crowell & Moring. See the full ranking at /firms/intellectual-property/in/chicago/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for commercial contracts in Chicago?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Commercial Contracts board for Chicago: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is SmithAmundsen, Taft Stettinius & Hollister, Barack Ferrazzano, Levenfeld Pearlstein. See the full ranking at /firms/commercial-contracts/in/chicago/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for corporate compliance in Chicago?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Corporate Compliance board for Chicago: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Jenner & Block, McGuireWoods, Sidley Austin, ArentFox Schiff. See the full ranking at /firms/corporate-compliance/in/chicago/.

See the ranking →

This ranking is compiled independently by Sartori from public sources. Tiers are Sartori’s editorial opinion, expressed without numeric scores; firms are named for identification only, no logos are reproduced, and no firm has paid for or approved its placement. No third-party legal-directory band is used as an input. Nothing here is legal advice or a recommendation to instruct counsel.