There
are
many
different
and
exciting
ways
to
rank
law
firms.
How
prestigious
are
they?
How
much
money
are
they
making?
How
much
do
partners
earn?
How
much
are
associates
earning
in
cash
compensation?
How
big
are
they?
Yes,
size
matters,
and
because
the
legal
profession
is
obsessed
with
every
single
measurable
and
quantifiable
factor
law
firms
have
to
offer,
there’s
obviously
a
ranking
for
that.
So,
which
Biglaw
firm
is
the
biggest
of
them
all?
Today,
the
National
Law
Journal
unleashed
its
annual NLJ
500,
a
ranking
of
largest
law
firms
in
the
United
States
covering
the
previous
calendar
year.
If
you’ve
ever
wondered
about
precise
law
firm
headcounts,
this
is
the
ranking
for
you.
These
are
the
10
largest
law
firms
in
America,
according
to
NLJ,
along
with some
insights on
the
list:
- Dentons
-
DLA
Piper -
Baker
McKenzie -
Kirkland
&
Ellis -
Latham
&
Watkins -
Norton
Rose
Fulbright -
Greenberg
Traurig -
Hogan
Lovells -
White
&
Case -
Jones
Day
Overall,
the
average
firm
size
for
the
NLJ
500
cohort
grew,
rising
by
2.5%
from
396
to
406.In
line
with
Big
Law
trends
overall,
the
number
of
equity
partners
among
the
NLJ
500
has
been
declining
on
average,
while
the
nonequity
partner
tier
has
ballooned.
That
trend
continued
in
2025.Last
year,
the
number
of
nonequity
partners
grew
by
5%
compared
with
2024,
while
the
equity
partner
tier
contracted
by
0.2%.
In
2024,
the
nonequity
partnership
tier
also
rose
more
than
5%,
while
the
equity
partner
tier
fell
0.9%.
Click here to
see
the
NLJ’s
full
list
of
the
500
largest
law
firms
in
the
country.
Congratulations
go
out
to
Dentons
for
employing
more
lawyers
than
any
other
firm.
This
firm
wins
the
award
for
putting
the
“big”
in
Biglaw,
and
managed
to
keep
the
top
title
for
two
years
in
a
row.
Give
a
round
of
applause
to
the
rest
of
the
Top
10
for
keeping
their
Biglaw
firms
bigger
than
all
the
rest.
As
for
every
other
firm,
keep
growing
and
someday
you’ll
be
a
Biglaw
behemoth
too.
The
2026
NLJ
500:
Ranked
by
Head
Count
[National
Law
Journal]
Head
Count
Growth
Further
Slowed
For
the
NLJ
500,
Amid
Economic
and
Political
Constraints
[National
Law
Journal]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to email her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
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on LinkedIn.