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Location ranking

Best law firms in Singapore

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 that blends the opinions of practising lawyers — more than 10,000 lawyers interviewed — with monthly market surveys. As of July 2026, the firms on the Singapore board are: Clifford Chance, Withersworldwide, A&O Shearman, HSF Kramer, Stephenson Harwood, Baker McKenzie, Clyde & Co, Pinsent Masons, Bird & Bird, Gunderson Dettmer, Littler Mendelson, Maples, Mishcon de Reya, O'Melveny & Myers, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Penningtons Manches Cooper, Quinn Emanuel, Ropes & Gray, Skadden Arps, Vedder Price, Akin Gump, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Baker Botts, DAC Beachcroft, Goodwin Procter.

01 — The ranking

The Singapore board

Sartori's Singapore board reads as a market map, not a league table. Tiers are labels in plain language for a cross-border finance, funds and disputes centre; firm order inside each band rotates each month and does not imply rank.

SINGAPORE / LOCATION RANKING25 FIRMS · NO SCORESREV. 2026-07
REFFIRMFOCUSSIGNAL
TIER 1 — MARKET LEADERS3 FIRMS

Market leaders on the Singapore board set the reference point for depth, seniority and market standing as of July 2026. Within this tier no firm outranks another.

T1·01 Clifford Chance50–99 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 8 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·02 Withersworldwide50–99 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 9 practices with bench LITIGATION & DISPUTES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T1·03 A&O Shearman50–99 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 6 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
TIER 2 — HIGHLY ACTIVE3 FIRMS

This tier marks teams that compete routinely for significant Singapore work. Standing is expressed in words; monthly rotation does not imply rank.

T2·01 HSF Kramer50–99 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 7 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·02 Stephenson Harwood50–99 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 4 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T2·03 Baker McKenzie50–99 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 6 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
TIER 3 — ESTABLISHED3 FIRMS

Established on the Singapore board signals proven presence and credible depth. Labels are words; monthly sequence is a locator, not a league position.

T3·01 Clyde & Co25–49 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 6 practices with bench INSURANCE / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·02 Pinsent Masons25–49 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 3 practices with bench CONSTRUCTION / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
T3·03 Bird & Bird50–99 attorneys mapped · major local depth · 6 practices with bench INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
NOTABLE — NOTABLE IN THIS FIELD16 FIRMS · OUTSIDE THE TIERS

These firms sit outside the main tiers by design: confirmed on the Singapore map, not assessed at the depth required for Market leaders through Established.

N·01 Gunderson Dettmer5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 2 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
N·02 Littler Mendelson5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FLAT → EVID ↓
N·03 Maples5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·04 Mishcon de Reya10–24 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
N·05 O'Melveny & Myers5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
N·06 Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe10–24 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES / CONSTRUCTION FLAT → EVID ↓
N·07 Penningtons Manches Cooper5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench MARITIME & ADMIRALTY / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
N·08 Quinn Emanuel1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench INTERNATIONAL & CROSS-BORDER FLAT → EVID ↓
N·09 Ropes & Gray1–4 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / HEALTHCARE & LIFE SCIENCES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·10 Skadden Arps5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 2 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / LITIGATION & DISPUTES FLAT → EVID ↓
N·11 Vedder Price5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench TRANSPORTATION / FINANCE & BANKING FLAT → EVID ↓
N·12 Akin Gump5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / COMPLIANCE & REGULATORY FLAT → EVID ↓
N·13 Anderson Mori & Tomotsune5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench CORPORATE & M&A / INTERNATIONAL & CROSS-BORDER FLAT → EVID ↓
N·14 Baker Botts10–24 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES / CORPORATE & M&A FLAT → EVID ↓
N·15 DAC Beachcroft5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench INSURANCE FLAT → EVID ↓
N·16 Goodwin Procter5–9 attorneys mapped · thin local depth · 1 practices with bench FINANCE & BANKING / CORPORATE & M&A 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 Singapore?

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 →

Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance is placed in market leaders for Singapore. Public mapping (banded): 50–99 attorneys, major local depth, ≈30 partners · 10 counsel · 40+ associates. Evidence gates — office (G1) PASS, local practice (G2) PASS, recent signal (G3) PASS. The placement carries no numeric score.

Strongest mapped work

Finance & BankingLitigation & DisputesCorporate & M&A

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

25–49 firms earn a tier in Singapore 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 Singapore | Clifford Chancefirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  2. 2 Singapore | Clifford Chancefirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  3. 3 Clifford Chance — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  4. 4 Contact us | Withersfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  5. 5 Lawyers in Singapore | Singapore Law Firm | Solicitors Singapore | Withersfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  6. 6 Lawyers in Singapore | Singapore Law Firm | Solicitors Singapore | Withersfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  7. 7 International Arbitration Lawyers, Attorneys & Solicitors | Withersfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  8. 8 Withersworldwide — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  9. 9 Lawyers in Singapore - A&O Shearmanfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  10. 10 Lawyers in Singapore - A&O Shearmanfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  11. 11 A&O Shearman — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  12. 12 Singapore | Stephenson Harwoodfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  13. 13 Singapore | Stephenson Harwoodfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  14. 14 Stephenson Harwood — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  15. 15 Singapore | Clyde & Cofirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  16. 16 Singapore | Clyde & Cofirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  17. 17 Clyde & Co — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  18. 18 Reach - Bird & Birdfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  19. 19 Bird & Bird in Singapore - International Law Firmfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  20. 20 Bird & Bird — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  21. 21 Locations | Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  22. 22 Singapore | Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLPfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  23. 23 Gunderson Dettmer — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  24. 24 Gunderson Dettmer — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  25. 25 Singapore Offices, APAC | Locations | Maples Groupfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  26. 26 Singapore Offices, APAC | Locations | Maples Groupfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  27. 27 Maples Group Advises Hongkong Land on Landmark US$6.2 Billion Singapore Property Fund Launch - Maples Groupfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  28. 28 Contact us | Mishcon de Reyafirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  29. 29 Singapore | Mishcon de Reyafirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  30. 30 Mishcon de Reya — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  31. 31 Penningtons Manches Cooper — Singapore office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  32. 32 Lawyers Singapore | Penningtons Manches Cooperfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  33. 33 Penningtons Manches Cooper — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  34. 34 Offices | Vedderfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  35. 35 Singapore | Vedderfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  36. 36 Singapore | Vedderfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  37. 37 Singapore | Vedderfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  38. 38 Locations | Anderson Mori & Tomotsunefirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  39. 39 Anderson Mori & Tomotsune — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  40. 40 Anderson Mori & Tomotsune — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
  41. 41 Asia Pacific | Baker Bottsfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
  42. 42 Singapore | Baker Bottsfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
  43. 43 Baker Botts — Singapore news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
23 Jul 2026 Scope-aware market-relative core assembled.
23 Jul 2026 43 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 Singapore?

Sartori's answer for the best law firms in Singapore as of July 2026 starts with Market leaders: Clifford Chance, Withersworldwide, A&O Shearman. The board then places the remaining firms among Highly active, Established and Notable bands — labels in words, never numeric ranks.

Is Clifford Chance the best law firm in Singapore?

Clifford Chance sits in Tier 1 — Market leaders — of Sartori's Singapore board as of July 2026, alongside Withersworldwide, A&O Shearman. 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 Singapore?

By mapped Singapore bench, the largest firms on this board are Clifford Chance, Withersworldwide, A&O Shearman, HSF Kramer, Stephenson Harwood, Baker McKenzie, Bird & Bird (50–99 mapped lawyers each). All counts are bands, never precise headcounts.

Which law firms are hiring in Singapore right now?

As of July 2026, no firm on this board shows a public hiring signal in the mapping window. Live Singapore 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 Singapore bench depth, seniority mix and market standing set the reference point for the market. As of July 2026 that is Clifford Chance, Withersworldwide, A&O Shearman. Within the tier no firm outranks another.

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

Sartori publishes a dedicated Mergers & Acquisitions board for Singapore: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is A&O Shearman, Latham & Watkins. See the full ranking at /firms/mergers-acquisitions/in/singapore/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for finance & banking in Singapore?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Finance & Banking board for Singapore: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Clifford Chance, A&O Shearman. See the full ranking at /firms/finance-banking/in/singapore/.

See the ranking →

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

Sartori publishes a dedicated Corporate & M&A board for Singapore: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Stephenson Harwood, A&O Shearman, Latham & Watkins. See the full ranking at /firms/corporate/in/singapore/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for cross-border transactions in Singapore?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Cross-Border Transactions board for Singapore: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is A&O Shearman, Ashurst, Clifford Chance. See the full ranking at /firms/cross-border-transactions/in/singapore/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for banking & lending in Singapore?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Banking & Lending board for Singapore: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Clifford Chance, Norton Rose Fulbright. See the full ranking at /firms/banking-lending/in/singapore/.

See the ranking →

Which are the best law firms for arbitration & adr in Singapore?

Sartori publishes a dedicated Arbitration & ADR board for Singapore: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Linklaters, Pinsent Masons, Clifford Chance. See the full ranking at /firms/arbitration-adr/in/singapore/.

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.