Firm Index · Market ranking
Top law firms in Chicago
The firms with the largest mapped presence in Chicago, ranked 0–100 by the Sartori Firm Index.
Leading firms in Chicago by Index
These law firms have the largest mapped presence in Chicago, ranked by the Sartori Firm Index — a 0–100 measure of scale, reach and hiring, built from public data. The ranking reflects the size and momentum of each firm's overall public footprint, not the quality of its Chicago office or a claim about local headcount. Use it to see which firms dominate the Chicago market and where momentum points.
| # | Firm | Index | Tier | Attorneys mapped | Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dentons | 79.3 | Global | 4,000+ | Corporate & M&A, Litigation & Disputes, Finance & Banking |
| 2 | DLA Piper | 76.4 | Global | 4,000+ | Corporate & M&A, Litigation & Disputes, Finance & Banking |
| 3 | Baker McKenzie | 72.2 | Global | 2,500–4,000 | Corporate & M&A, Litigation & Disputes, Tax |
| 4 | Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani | 68.2 | National | 1,500–2,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Employment & Labor, Insurance |
| 5 | Clyde & Co | 67.7 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Insurance, Litigation & Disputes, Construction |
| 6 | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith | 65 | National | 1,500–2,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Employment & Labor, Insurance |
| 7 | Greenberg Traurig | 63.4 | Global | 2,500–4,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Real Estate |
| 8 | Wilson Elser | 61.4 | National | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Insurance, Transportation |
| 9 | Jones Day | 61.3 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Finance & Banking |
| 10 | Taft Stettinius & Hollister | 61.1 | National | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Real Estate |
| 11 | Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | 60.6 | Global | 1,000–1,500 | Real Estate, Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A |
| 12 | Cooley Godward | 60.5 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Corporate & M&A, Litigation & Disputes, Intellectual Property |
| 13 | Kirkland & Ellis | 60.5 | Global | 4,000+ | Corporate & M&A, Finance & Banking, Litigation & Disputes |
| 14 | Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath | 60.1 | International | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Intellectual Property |
| 15 | Littler Mendelson | 59.9 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Employment & Labor, Litigation & Disputes, Immigration |
| 16 | Clark Hill | 59.4 | International | 500–1,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Real Estate |
| 17 | Skadden Arps | 59.4 | Global | 500–1,000 | Corporate & M&A, Litigation & Disputes, Finance & Banking |
| 18 | Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart | 58.7 | Global | 1,000–1,500 | Employment & Labor, Immigration, Litigation & Disputes |
| 19 | K&L Gates | 58.7 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Corporate & M&A, Litigation & Disputes, Finance & Banking |
| 20 | Morgan Lewis | 58.6 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Employment & Labor, Finance & Banking |
| 21 | Baker & Hostetler | 58.5 | National | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Intellectual Property |
| 22 | Latham & Watkins | 58.4 | Global | 2,500–4,000 | Corporate & M&A, Finance & Banking, Litigation & Disputes |
| 23 | Dinsmore | 57.2 | National | 500–1,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Intellectual Property, Employment & Labor |
| 24 | Holland & Knight | 57 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Real Estate |
| 25 | Sidley Austin | 57 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Finance & Banking, Corporate & M&A, Litigation & Disputes |
| 26 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher | 56.8 | Global | 500–1,000 | Corporate & M&A, Litigation & Disputes, Finance & Banking |
| 27 | Seyfarth Shaw | 55.3 | International | 1,000–1,500 | Employment & Labor, Real Estate, Litigation & Disputes |
| 28 | Reed Smith | 54.9 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Finance & Banking |
| 29 | Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton | 54.8 | International | 500–1,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Intellectual Property, Corporate & M&A |
| 30 | Husch Blackwell | 54.7 | National | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Intellectual Property, Real Estate |
| 31 | Proskauer | 54.6 | Global | 1,000–1,500 | Corporate & M&A, Litigation & Disputes, Finance & Banking |
| 32 | Mayer Brown | 54.5 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Finance & Banking, Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A |
| 33 | Dickinson Wright | 54.4 | International | 500–1,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Intellectual Property, Corporate & M&A |
| 34 | Troutman Pepper | 54 | International | 1,500–2,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Real Estate |
| 35 | Akerman Senterfitt | 53.9 | National | 500–1,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Real Estate, Corporate & M&A |
| 36 | Ropes & Gray | 52.7 | Global | 1,500–2,500 | Finance & Banking, Corporate & M&A, Litigation & Disputes |
| 37 | Quintairos Prieto Wood & Boyer | 52.6 | National | 500–1,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Employment & Labor, Insurance |
| 38 | Hinshaw & Culbertson | 52.2 | National | 500–1,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Insurance, Employment & Labor |
| 39 | King & Spalding | 51.9 | Global | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Finance & Banking |
| 40 | Winston & Strawn | 51.7 | International | 500–1,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Finance & Banking |
| 41 | Thompson Coburn | 51.5 | National | 500–1,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Finance & Banking, Employment & Labor |
| 42 | Barnes & Thornburg | 51.3 | National | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Intellectual Property, Corporate & M&A |
| 43 | Quinn Emanuel | 51 | Global | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Intellectual Property, International & Cross-Border |
| 44 | Foley & Lardner | 51 | International | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Intellectual Property |
| 45 | Steptoe & Johnson | 50.9 | Global | 250–500 | Litigation & Disputes, Intellectual Property, International & Cross-Border |
| 46 | Paul Hastings | 50.8 | Global | 1,000–1,500 | Corporate & M&A, Finance & Banking, Litigation & Disputes |
| 47 | Perkins Coie | 50.6 | International | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Intellectual Property, Corporate & M&A |
| 48 | Buchalter | 50.4 | National | 500–1,000 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Real Estate |
| 49 | McGuireWoods | 50.3 | International | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Finance & Banking |
| 50 | Sheppard Mullin | 50.3 | Global | 1,000–1,500 | Litigation & Disputes, Corporate & M&A, Healthcare & Life Sciences |
Index measures public footprint and momentum, not quality or prestige. Methodology. Spot an error? Tell us.
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See hiring nowThe full Sartori Firm Index
All firms ranked by footprint and momentum.
View the indexLaw firms in Chicago — common questions
How are the top firms in Chicago ranked?
Firms are ordered by the Sartori Firm Index — a 0–100 score from public signals (scale, reach, live hiring). This page lists firms with a recorded attorney presence in Chicago, ranked by their overall Index. It reflects public footprint and momentum, not the quality of any firm's Chicago office.
Does a presence in Chicago mean a large local office?
Not necessarily. The Index records that a firm maps attorneys to the Chicago market on public sources; it does not claim a specific office size. Headcount is shown only as ranges.
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