The first step to applying to a firm is to know where they stand and what they’re strong in. The following websites help you understand the general profile of a firm. Some are more reliable for certain jurisdictions, so bear in mind the jurisdiction that you want to practise in when looking at these rankings.
Trawling through rankings can be a painful exercise. If you’re short on time, check out our law firm research packs, which will save you the hassle.
Definitely the first stop for any law student doing research on prospective employers. Legal 500 has rankings for a wide range of law firms. You can look at individual firm rankings across different practice areas like capital markets, finance and litigation.
There is an additional segment located below the rankings section where Legal 500 includes write-ups of individual firms. If we had to nit-pick, it’d be the fact that some of the firm deals mentioned can be a little out of date.
Apart from the UK, Legal 500 also has rankings for other jurisdictions like New York and Hong Kong. It’s not as comprehensive as the UK rankings, but can be particularly useful if you’re considering a TC with an international firm. Such firms usually offer secondments to overseas offices. Check the rankings on Legal 500 to give you a sense of what these offices are strong in so you can make the most out of your secondment. So for instance, if you’re applying to Freshfields and keen on China related M&As, you’d be pleased to know its Hong Kong office is particularly strong in this area.
A good complement to the Legal 500 rankings.
When you can’t find a particular law firm, try the Lex 100, which offers a selection of “full” and “limited” profiles for various firms.
The FT Innovative Lawyer Awards is a yearly report which aggregates deals from various law firms.
The deals tend to be transactions that required some amount of legal creativity (and firms like to hear applicants talk about these).
Using the information in the report, you can then search for more details online.
Definitely the first stop for any law student doing research on prospective employers. Legal 500 has rankings for a wide range of law firms. You can look at individual firm rankings across different practice areas like capital markets, finance and litigation.
There is an additional segment located below the rankings section where Legal 500 includes write-ups of individual firms. If we had to nit-pick, it’d be the fact that some of the firm deals mentioned can be a little out of date.
Apart from the UK, Legal 500 also has rankings for other jurisdictions like New York and Hong Kong. It’s not as comprehensive as the UK rankings, but can be particularly useful if you’re considering a TC with an international firm. Such firms usually offer secondments to overseas offices. Check the rankings on Legal 500 to give you a sense of what these offices are strong in so you can make the most out of your secondment. So for instance, if you’re applying to Freshfields and keen on China related M&As, you’d be pleased to know its Hong Kong office is particularly strong in this area.
A good complement to the Legal 500 rankings.
When you can’t find a particular law firm, try the Lex 100, which offers a selection of “full” and “limited” profiles for various firms.
The FT Innovative Lawyer Awards is a yearly report which aggregates deals from various law firms.
The deals tend to be transactions that required some amount of legal creativity (and firms like to hear applicants talk about these).
Using the information in the report, you can then search for more details online.
