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Location ranking

Best law firms in San Francisco

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. As of July 2026, the best law firms in San Francisco are: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Cooley Godward, Kirkland & Ellis, Morrison & Foerster, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, Latham & Watkins, Littler Mendelson, Morgan Lewis, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Sheppard Mullin, Fenwick & West, Goodwin Procter, DLA Piper, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Gunderson Dettmer, Hanson Bridgett, Keker Van Nest & Peters, Perkins Coie, Covington & Burling, Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney, Foley and Mansfield, Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, Lydecker, Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner.

01 — The ranking

The San Francisco board

Use this San Francisco board as a structured view of the best law firms in San Francisco. Tiers name relative standing in words; the REF codes locate rows for citation, and within-tier order is deliberately non-hierarchical.

SAN FRANCISCO / LOCATION RANKING25 FIRMS · NO SCORESREV. 2026-07
REFFIRMFOCUSSIGNAL
TIER 1 — MARKET LEADERS5 FIRMS

The top editorial band for San Francisco: firms that anchor deal flow, venture-backed mandates and high-stakes matters at scale. Within-tier sequence rotates and is not a ranking.

T1·01 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·02 Cooley Godward350+ attorneys mapped · major local depth · 8 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·03 Kirkland & Ellis100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 9 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·04 Morrison & Foerster200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 8 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·05 Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 10 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / TECHNOLOGY, DATA & PRIVACY FLAT → EVID ↓
TIER 2 — HIGHLY ACTIVE8 FIRMS

Highly active on the San Francisco board means consistent market presence and peer recognition short of the leader set. No numeric score is assigned.

T2·01 Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 7 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·02 Latham & Watkins100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 8 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·03 Littler Mendelson100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 2 practices with bench EMPLOYMENT & LABOR / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·04 Morgan Lewis100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 8 practices with bench INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY / EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·05 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 13 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·06 Sheppard Mullin100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 11 practices with bench INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY / EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·07 Fenwick & West200–349 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 7 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·08 Goodwin Procter100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 8 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
TIER 3 — ESTABLISHED7 FIRMS

This band covers practices with solid San Francisco standing and mapped benches, without the intensity of the tiers above. Within-tier order is deliberately flat.

T3·01 DLA Piper100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 8 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·02 Gibson Dunn & Crutcher100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 9 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / REAL ESTATE FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·03 Gunderson Dettmer100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 6 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·04 Hanson Bridgett100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 12 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·05 Keker Van Nest & Peters100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 2 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·06 Perkins Coie100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 10 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·07 Covington & Burling100–199 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 9 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
NOTABLE — NOTABLE IN THIS FIELD5 FIRMS · OUTSIDE THE TIERS

Notable in this field marks verified San Francisco presence below full tier depth — specialist or thinner benches kept visible on purpose, not scored into the main bands.

N·01 Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·02 Foley and Mansfield5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·03 Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench SECURITIES & CAPITAL MARKETS FLAT → EVID ↓
N·04 Lydecker1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·05 Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner25–49 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 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 San Francisco?

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 →

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is placed in market leaders for San Francisco. Public mapping (banded): 350+ attorneys, major local depth, ≈125 partners · 40 counsel · 250+ 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&ALitigation & DisputesIntellectual Property

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 San Francisco 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 Offices | Wilson Sonsinifirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  2. 2 San Francisco | Wilson Sonsinifirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  3. 3 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  4. 4 Geographies // Cooley // Global Law Firmfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  5. 5 Cooley Godward — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  6. 6 Cooley Recruits Litigation Group in San Franciscofirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  7. 7 Morrison & Foerster — San Francisco office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  8. 8 Morrison & Foerster — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  9. 9 Morrison & Foerster — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  10. 10 Locationsfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  11. 11 Bay Area: San Francisco and Silicon Valleyfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  12. 12 Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  13. 13 Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani — San Francisco office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  14. 14 San Francisco | Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhanifirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  15. 15 Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  16. 16 Littler Mendelson — San Francisco office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  17. 17 Littler Mendelson — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  18. 18 Littler Mendelson — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  19. 19 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman — San Francisco office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  20. 20 San Francisco Law Firm | Pillsbury Lawfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  21. 21 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  22. 22 San Francisco Office | Sheppardfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  23. 23 Sheppard Mullin — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  24. 24 Sheppard Mullin — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  25. 25 Offices | Fenwickfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  26. 26 Fenwick & West — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  27. 27 Fenwick & West — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  28. 28 Locations | Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  29. 29 San Francisco | Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  30. 30 San Francisco | Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  31. 31 Gunderson Dettmer — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  32. 32 Locations | Hanson Bridgettfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  33. 33 Hanson Bridgett — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  34. 34 Hanson Bridgett — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  35. 35 Contact Us - Keker, Van Nest & Petersfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  36. 36 Driving Directions from East Bay - Keker, Van Nest & Petersfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  37. 37 White Collar Criminal - Keker, Van Nest & Petersfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  38. 38 New Managing Partner Outlines Vision for Keker’s Futurefirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  39. 39 Court Enters Final Judgment for Google After Dismissing Final Claim in B.E. TECH Patent Casefirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  40. 40 Perkins Coie — San Francisco office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  41. 41 San Francisco | Ashurst Perkins Coiepress · G2 · 2026-07-21
  42. 42 Perkins Coie — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  43. 43 Offices | Covington & Burling LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  44. 44 San Francisco | Covington & Burling LLPfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  45. 45 Covington & Burling — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  46. 46 Offices - Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoneyfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  47. 47 Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  48. 48 The Legal Offices Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP | Kessler Topazfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-22
  49. 49 Plaintiff Class Action Attorneys | Shareholder, Antitrust & Consumer Protection Lawyers | Kessler Topazfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-22
  50. 50 Plaintiff Class Action Law Firm | Shareholder, Antitrust & Consumer Protection Litigation | Kessler Topazfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-22
  51. 51 Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check — San Francisco news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-22
  52. 52 California - Lydeckerfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  53. 53 Lydecker — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  54. 54 Lydecker’s Growth: Strengthening Our Services Across California - Lydeckerfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
23 Jul 2026 Scope-aware market-relative core assembled.
23 Jul 2026 54 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 San Francisco?

Who leads San Francisco? As of July 2026, Market leaders are Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Cooley Godward, Kirkland & Ellis, Morrison & Foerster, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. Sartori does not name a single number-one firm; the gap inside Tier 1 is treated as unmeasurable, and the wider board of 25 firms uses worded tiers only.

Is Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati the best law firm in San Francisco?

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati sits in Tier 1 — Market leaders — of Sartori's San Francisco board as of July 2026, alongside Cooley Godward, Kirkland & Ellis, Morrison & Foerster, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. 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 San Francisco?

By mapped San Francisco bench, the largest firms on this board are Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Cooley Godward (350+ mapped lawyers each), followed by Morrison & Foerster, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Fenwick & West (200–349). All counts are bands, never precise headcounts.

Which law firms are hiring in San Francisco right now?

As of July 2026, no firm on this board shows a public hiring signal in the mapping window. Live San Francisco 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 San Francisco bench depth, seniority mix and market standing set the reference point for the market. As of July 2026 that is Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Cooley Godward, Kirkland & Ellis, Morrison & Foerster, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. Within the tier no firm outranks another.

Which are the best law firms for civil litigation in San Francisco?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Civil Litigation board for San Francisco: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Littler Mendelson, Burke, Williams & Sorensen, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, Hanson Bridgett. See the full ranking at /firms/civil-litigation/in/san-francisco/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for class actions in San Francisco?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Class Actions board for San Francisco: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Littler Mendelson, Shook Hardy & Bacon. See the full ranking at /firms/class-actions/in/san-francisco/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for intellectual property in San Francisco?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Intellectual Property board for San Francisco: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Morrison & Foerster, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Morgan Lewis. See the full ranking at /firms/intellectual-property/in/san-francisco/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for patent litigation in San Francisco?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Patent Litigation board for San Francisco: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Morrison & Foerster, Quinn Emanuel, Sheppard Mullin. See the full ranking at /firms/patent-litigation/in/san-francisco/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for commercial contracts in San Francisco?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Commercial Contracts board for San Francisco: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Keker Van Nest & Peters, Burke, Williams & Sorensen, Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani. See the full ranking at /firms/commercial-contracts/in/san-francisco/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for corporate governance in San Francisco?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Corporate Governance board for San Francisco: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Fenwick & West, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Cooley Godward. See the full ranking at /firms/corporate-governance/in/san-francisco/.

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.