Many
law
students
and
lawyers
alike
have
long
dreamed
of
someday
working
in
New
York,
the
city
that
never
sleeps
(especially
if
they
wind
up
as
Biglaw
associates).
New
York
firms
are
regarded
as
the
crown
jewels
of
the
legal
profession,
and
it’s
in
New
York
where
firms
typically
set
the
stage
for
Biglaw
salaries
and
bonuses
across
the
country.
But
which
firm
is
considered
the
best
in
the
Big
Apple?
Thanks
to
Vault’s
recently
released
regional
rankings,
we
now
know
which
Biglaw
firms
are
dominating
the
legal
scene
in
Manhattan.
This
ranking
is
based
on
votes
tabulated
from
associates
who
were
asked
to
rate
firms
on
a
1
to
10
scale
based
on
their
prestige
within
the
region.
Here
are
the
top
10
most
prestigious
firms
in
New
York
(you
can
see
the
full
list
from
Vault
by
clicking
here):
-
Wachtell,
Lipton,
Rosen
&
Katz
(+1) -
Cravath,
Swaine
&
Moore
(-1) -
Skadden
(+1) -
Davis
Polk
&
Wardwell
(-1) -
Sullivan
&
Cromwell -
Paul,
Weiss,
Rifkind,
Wharton
&
Garrison -
Latham
&
Watkins -
Simpson
Thacher -
Kirkland
&
Ellis -
Milbank
(+4)
There’s
some
big
news
here,
as
Wachtell
surpasses
Cravath
for
the
No.
1
spot,
and
Milbank
finally
enters
the
Top
10,
much
like
what
happened
in
the
Vault
100.
Cravath
is
(somehow)
no
longer
regarded
as
the
most
prestigious
firm
in
New
York,
but
unlike
Wachtell,
it
will
still
command
the
associate
salary
scale.
Other
firms
here,
like
Milbank
and
Davis
Polk,
have
also
raised
the
stakes
on
bonuses,
special
bonuses,
and
associate
salaries
in
recent
years.
Congratulations
to
all
of
the
Biglaw
firms
that
made
the
latest
edition
of
Vault’s
New
York
rankings.
How
did
your
firm
do
this
time
around? Email
us,
text
us
at
(646)
820-8477,
or
tweet
us @atlblog to
let
us
know
how
you
feel.
2026
Best
Law
Firms
in
New
York [Vault]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
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
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.