Published June 16, 2026·1,900 words·By Reda Fettah

Top 25 BigLaw Firms by Practice Area (2026)

Practice area strength, culture differentiators, and OCI process specifics for the 25 firms that hire the most 2L summer associates from T14 schools in 2026.

Choosing among BigLaw firms is rarely about 'best firm' — it's about practice area + culture fit. The firm that's #1 for M&A may have a weaker litigation practice; the firm with the strongest antitrust group may be middling for capital markets. This guide profiles 25 firms across the practice areas that drive most 2L hiring decisions, with notes on culture, OCI process quirks, and salary specifics where they differ from market.

M&A and Private Equity

M&A is the largest single practice area at most BigLaw firms. The leaders here have advised on the largest deals of the past 5 years and shape the practice's standards.

Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz — Smallest of the top firms (~270 attorneys), highest pay (~$425k starting), most selective hiring. Famous for hostile takeover defense. No required hours, no formal performance reviews; brutal informal evaluation.
Sullivan & Cromwell — Wall Street's law firm. Strong across M&A, banking, capital markets. Famous mentor-apprentice partner-associate model. Long-hours culture (~2,400 billable hours).
Cravath, Swaine & Moore — Rotation system: associates rotate through practice groups in first 18 months. Strong M&A + securities. Famously top of the lockstep ladder (Cravath scale).
Davis Polk & Wardwell — Capital markets + M&A leader. Slightly more relaxed culture than Cravath / S&C. Strong international footprint (London, Asia).
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett — Private equity practice is the largest in the industry. KKR / Blackstone / Apollo are clients. M&A + PE-driven deal flow.

Capital Markets

Capital markets practices advise issuers and underwriters on IPOs, debt offerings, and securities regulation. The leaders here did the largest tech IPOs of the past decade.

Davis Polk — Tech IPO leader. Worked on multiple $1B+ IPOs in 2024-2026. Strong SEC enforcement defense too.
Latham & Watkins — Largest law firm by revenue. Capital markets + leveraged finance leader. More 'finance-first' culture than peers.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom — Mid-cap M&A + capital markets workhorse. Massive class sizes (200+ summer associates). Famous Skadden Fellowships post-graduation.
Goodwin Procter — Tech + life sciences capital markets focus. Strong Bay Area + Boston presence.
Cooley — Tech IPO and emerging companies leader. More relaxed culture, Bay Area-founded but national now.

Litigation

Litigation practices defend (or pursue) the largest corporate disputes. Different firms specialize in different sub-practices — securities litigation, white-collar, IP, antitrust.

Williams & Connolly — DC litigation powerhouse. Most prestigious litigation-only firm. Famous for hyper-individual attorney model.
Wachtell Lipton — Famously aggressive litigation alongside M&A. Same hyper-selective culture.
Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick — Smaller boutique with massive Supreme Court + appellate practice. ~120 attorneys, very high quality.
Quinn Emanuel — Pure litigation, founded as plaintiff-side firm. Massive antitrust + IP practice. Aggressive culture, high billable expectations.
Sullivan & Cromwell — Securities litigation + white-collar defense. Strong DC + NY presence.

Antitrust

Antitrust has become one of the hottest BigLaw practice areas as regulatory scrutiny of tech mergers + market concentration intensified. The leaders here advised on the largest 2024-2026 merger reviews.

Cravath — Tech antitrust + M&A integration. Advised Tesla / Twitter restructuring antitrust angle.
Sullivan & Cromwell — Microsoft / Activision $69B merger defense.
Wachtell Lipton — Defense-side antitrust strategy for largest mergers.
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton — Strong international antitrust practice (EU competition).
Latham & Watkins — Large antitrust group with focus on regulatory clearance + DOJ enforcement defense.

Restructuring and Bankruptcy

Restructuring practices advise distressed companies, creditors, and equity holders in bankruptcy proceedings. The leaders here did the highest-profile recent restructurings.

Kirkland & Ellis — Restructuring leader. Famously demanding hours (2,500+ billable). Massive PE deal flow.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges — Long-standing restructuring practice. Lehman Brothers, GM, recent crypto bankruptcies.
Skadden — Cross-border restructuring strength. Strong creditor-side practice.
Davis Polk — Sophisticated chapter 11 work, often debtor-side.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld — Major creditor-side practice; advises ad hoc bondholder groups in distress.

Intellectual Property

IP litigation + patent prosecution practices serve tech + biotech clients. Leaders here have argued the largest IP cases of the past decade.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati — Silicon Valley founded, deep tech client base. Both prosecution and litigation.
Kirkland & Ellis — Patent litigation powerhouse, especially in Eastern District of Texas + Delaware.
Fish & Richardson — Pure-play IP firm; largest IP-focused practice in the country.
Quinn Emanuel — IP + antitrust + litigation generally. Aggressive plaintiff-side culture.
Cooley — Tech transactions + IP for emerging companies.

Culture differentiators worth knowing

Three culture axes matter most when comparing firms. First, hours expectations: Kirkland's 2,500-hour culture differs from Davis Polk's 2,100-hour norm in concrete ways (time at desk, weekend frequency, predictability). Second, mentor model: S&C and Wachtell run apprentice-style mentor-associate pairings, while Skadden and Latham use larger team-based staffing. Third, practice rotation: Cravath's 18-month rotation system gives 2L summer associates broad exposure; Wachtell drops you into one practice from day one.

When evaluating firms during OCI, ask senior associates about hours predictability, partner accessibility, and staffing dynamics. These daily-life details matter more than published rankings.

Tip

The most useful question to ask senior associates: 'What surprised you about working here after summer associate?'. The answer tells you the gap between recruiting marketing and daily reality.

Salary specifics beyond the Cravath scale

Most BigLaw firms participate in the Cravath scale (~$215k first-year base in 2026). A few firms pay above-market, and the differences add up quickly over a multi-year career.

Wachtell — $425k first-year (double market). Smallest class sizes, most selective.
Cravath — $225k first-year (sets the market; sometimes slightly above for special bonuses).
Sullivan & Cromwell — $220-225k first-year.
Most other top firms — $215k first-year, matching Cravath scale.
Boutique firms (Williams & Connolly, Kellogg Hansen) — match or exceed market.

How to prepare for firm-specific interviews

Generic 'why this firm' answers fail at every firm. Specific answers that name attorneys + deals work at every firm. The work to develop them is consistent: read the firm's recent press releases, attorney bios for everyone you'll meet, recent matters in your target practice area. Anchor your interest in 2-3 specific facts.

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Common questions

Should I prioritize practice area or firm prestige?

Practice area, in most cases. A strong M&A associate at a top-10 firm has better career opportunities than a litigator at the #1 firm if their actual interest is M&A. Prestige differences within the top 25 firms are smaller than the differences between practice area fit.

How important is the city / office choice?

Very important. Different offices of the same firm have different practice mixes, culture, and deal flow. NY offices generally have the highest deal volume; DC has more litigation + regulatory; SF has more tech. Choose office before firm if you care about practice exposure.

What's the salary trajectory at top firms?

Year 1: $215-225k base. Year 4 (mid-level): $345-365k. Year 8 (senior): $435-465k. Plus bonuses scaling from $20k (year 1) to $115k (senior). Partnership track adds significantly; many associates leave by year 5-6.

How do I get a clerkship before BigLaw?

Federal clerkships (district + circuit + SCOTUS) are highly prestigious and add ~$50k post-clerkship signing bonus + 2 years of class-year credit at most firms. Apply during 2L year for clerkships starting after graduation. Most clerkships go to T14 students with top GPAs.

Is BigLaw worth the hours?

It depends on your goals. BigLaw is the highest-paying entry into law (~$215k+) and the strongest training environment for sophisticated transactional or litigation work. The cost is 60-80 hour weeks for 5-10 years, often longer for partnership track. Many associates leave by year 5-7 with substantial savings + strong exit options to in-house, government, or smaller firms.

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