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Location ranking

Best law firms in New York

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 & Partners applies a weighted methodology combining the opinions of practising lawyers — more than 10,000 lawyers interviewed — with monthly market surveys. As of July 2026, the best law firms in New York are: Sidley Austin, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Fried Frank, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, DLA Piper, Greenberg Traurig, HSF Kramer, Lowenstein Sandler, Milbank, Paul Hastings, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Proskauer, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, White & Case, Wilson Elser, Blank Rome, Debevoise & Plimpton, Goodwin Procter, Quinn Emanuel, Ropes & Gray, Cleary Gottlieb, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

01 — The ranking

The New York board

A tier is a judgement expressed in words. Within a tier no firm outranks another — the order rotates monthly and the REF is a locator, not a rank. Each row links to the firm’s profile and to the evidence behind its place.

NEW YORK / LOCATION RANKING25 FIRMS · NO SCORESREV. 2026-07
REFFIRMFOCUSSIGNAL
TIER 1 — MARKET LEADERS7 FIRMS
T1·01 Sidley Austin350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 13 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·02 Weil Gotshal & Manges350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·03 Davis Polk & Wardwell350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 14 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·04 Fried Frank350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 11 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / REAL ESTATE FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·05 Gibson Dunn & Crutcher350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 14 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·06 Kirkland & Ellis350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 15 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·07 Latham & Watkins350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 13 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
TIER 2 — HIGHLY ACTIVE13 FIRMS
T2·01 DLA Piper350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 15 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·02 Greenberg Traurig350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench REAL ESTATE / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·03 HSF Kramer200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·04 Lowenstein Sandler200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 14 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·05 Milbank350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 13 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·06 Paul Hastings350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 14 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·07 Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·08 Proskauer350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·09 Simpson Thacher & Bartlett350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 13 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·10 White & Case350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 15 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·11 Wilson Elser350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 8 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / INSURANCE FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·12 Blank Rome350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 15 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·13 Debevoise & Plimpton350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 10 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
TIER 3 — ESTABLISHED5 FIRMS
T3·01 Goodwin Procter200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·02 Quinn Emanuel200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 6 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·03 Ropes & Gray350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 13 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·04 Cleary Gottlieb350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 13 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·05 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 11 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES 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 New York?

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 →

Sidley Austin

Sidley Austin is placed in market leaders for New York. Public mapping (banded): 350+ attorneys, major local depth, ≈175 partners · 40 counsel · 275+ associates. Evidence gates — office (G1) PASS, local practice (G2) PASS, recent signal (G3) PASS. The placement carries no numeric score.

Strongest mapped work

Corporate & M&AFinance & BankingSecurities & Capital Markets

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 New York 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 New York | Locations | Sidley Austin LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  2. 2 Sidley Austin — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  3. 3 Sidley Austin — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  4. 4 New York - Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  5. 5 New York - Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  6. 6 Weil Gotshal & Manges — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  7. 7 Our offices | Davis Polkfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  8. 8 U.S. Summer Program | Davis Polkfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  9. 9 Davis Polk & Wardwell — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  10. 10 Mergers & Acquisitions | Davis Polkfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  11. 11 Office Locations | Fried Frankfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  12. 12 New York | Office Location | Fried Frankfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  13. 13 Tax | Fried Frankfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  14. 14 Fried Frank — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  15. 15 New York - Gibson Dunnfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  16. 16 New York - Gibson Dunnfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  17. 17 Gibson Dunn & Crutcher — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  18. 18 Locations | Kirkland & Ellis LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  19. 19 New York | Locations | Kirkland & Ellis LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  20. 20 Private Equity | Services | Kirkland & Ellis LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  21. 21 Kirkland & Ellis — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  22. 22 New York - Latham & Watkinsfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  23. 23 New York - Latham & Watkinsfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  24. 24 Latham & Watkins — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  25. 25 Locations | Global Law Firm | DLA Piperfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  26. 26 Law Firm in New York City, NY | DLA Piperfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  27. 27 Law Firm in New York City, NY | DLA Piperfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  28. 28 Law Firm in New York City, NY | DLA Piperfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  29. 29 New York | Law Firm | Locations | Greenberg Traurig LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  30. 30 New York | Law Firm | Locations | Greenberg Traurig LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  31. 31 New York State Government | Individual States | Government Law and Policy General Content | Greenberg Traurig LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  32. 32 Greenberg Traurig — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  33. 33 Lawyers in the United States | Herbert Smith Freehills Kramerfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  34. 34 Our United States practicefirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  35. 35 HSF Kramer — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  36. 36 Our United States practicefirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  37. 37 Contact Us | Lowenstein Sandler LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  38. 38 About Us | Lowenstein Sandler LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  39. 39 Lowenstein Sandler — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  40. 40 Lowenstein Sandler — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  41. 41 New York Office | Milbank LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  42. 42 Banking and Leveraged Finance | Milbank LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  43. 43 Milbank — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  44. 44 New York Office | Paul Hastings LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  45. 45 Locations | Paul Hastings LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  46. 46 New York Office | Paul Hastings LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  47. 47 Paul Hastings — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  48. 48 New York | Paul, Weissfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  49. 49 New York | Paul, Weissfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  50. 50 Private Equity | Paul, Weissfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  51. 51 Private Equity M&A | Paul, Weissfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  52. 52 Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  53. 53 New York - Offices - Proskauer Rose LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  54. 54 Private Equity - Industries - Proskauer Rose LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  55. 55 Proskauer — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  56. 56 New York Office | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  57. 57 New York Office | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  58. 58 Simpson Thacher & Bartlett — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  59. 59 Offices | White & Case LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  60. 60 New York | White & Case LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  61. 61 White & Case — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  62. 62 Wilson Elser — New York office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  63. 63 Wilson Elser — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  64. 64 Wilson Elser — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  65. 65 Blank Rome — New York office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  66. 66 Blank Rome — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  67. 67 Blank Rome — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  68. 68 Locations | About Us | Debevoise & Plimpton LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  69. 69 New York | Locations | About Us | Debevoise & Plimpton LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  70. 70 New York | Locations | About Us | Debevoise & Plimpton LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  71. 71 Debevoise & Plimpton — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  72. 72 New York Law Firms | Lawyers in New York | Goodwinfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  73. 73 Goodwin Signs Lease for New York Office at Iconic 200 Fifth Avenue in the Heart of Flatiron District on Madison Square Parkfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  74. 74 New York Law Firms | Lawyers in New York | Goodwinfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  75. 75 Goodwin Procter — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  76. 76 Our Locations | Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  77. 77 Quinn Emanuel — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  78. 78 Our New York office, designed by STUDIOS Architecture, has won the CoreNet Global NYC Design Excellence Award for Project of the Yearfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  79. 79 Ropes & Gray Expands Presence in New York with New Office Lease | News & Events | Ropes & Gray LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-20
  80. 80 Ropes & Gray — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-20
  81. 81 Ropes & Gray — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-20
  82. 82 New York | Cleary Gottliebfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  83. 83 Where We Work | Cleary Gottliebfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  84. 84 Cleary Gottlieb — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  85. 85 Markets Group’s 14th Private Equity New York Forum | Events | Cleary Gottliebfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  86. 86 New York | Freshfieldsfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  87. 87 United States Law Careers | Freshfieldsfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  88. 88 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer — New York news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
23 Jul 2026 Scope-aware market-relative core assembled.
23 Jul 2026 88 verified source(s) ingested for the researched firms; tier placement is Titan-derived so unresearched visible firms do not block approval → APPROVED (auto).
Report an error in this ranking →

04 — Questions

About this ranking

Who are the best law firms in New York?

As of July 2026, the Tier 1 — Market leaders — of Sartori's New York ranking are Sidley Austin, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Fried Frank, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins. The full board groups 25 firms into editorial tiers, expressed in words rather than scores; within a tier the order rotates monthly and carries no meaning.

Is Sidley Austin the best law firm in New York?

Sidley Austin sits in Tier 1 — Market leaders — of Sartori's New York board as of July 2026, alongside Weil Gotshal & Manges, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Fried Frank, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins. 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 New York?

By mapped New York bench, the largest firms on this board are Sidley Austin, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Fried Frank, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, DLA Piper, Greenberg Traurig, Milbank, Paul Hastings, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Proskauer, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, White & Case, Wilson Elser, Blank Rome, Debevoise & Plimpton, Ropes & Gray, Cleary Gottlieb (350+ mapped lawyers each). All counts are bands, never precise headcounts.

Which law firms are hiring in New York right now?

As of July 2026, no firm on this board shows a public hiring signal in the mapping window. Live New York 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 New York bench depth, seniority mix and market standing set the reference point for the market. As of July 2026 that is Sidley Austin, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Fried Frank, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins. Within the tier no firm outranks another.

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

Sartori publishes a dedicated Litigation & Disputes board for New York: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Kirkland & Ellis, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Wilmer Hale, Wilson Elser. See the full ranking at /firms/litigation/in/new-york/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for corporate & m&a in New York?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Corporate & M&A board for New York: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Kirkland & Ellis, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Davis Polk & Wardwell. See the full ranking at /firms/corporate/in/new-york/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for intellectual property in New York?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Intellectual Property board for New York: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Troutman Pepper, Venable, Baker Botts, Quinn Emanuel. See the full ranking at /firms/intellectual-property/in/new-york/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for commercial litigation in New York?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Commercial Litigation board for New York: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Wilson Elser, Arnold & Porter, Blank Rome. See the full ranking at /firms/commercial-litigation/in/new-york/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for corporate governance in New York?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Corporate Governance board for New York: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Cleary Gottlieb, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Fried Frank, Kirkland & Ellis, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz. See the full ranking at /firms/corporate-governance/in/new-york/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for mergers & acquisitions in New York?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Mergers & Acquisitions board for New York: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Sidley Austin, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Kirkland & Ellis. See the full ranking at /firms/mergers-acquisitions/in/new-york/.

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.