The Best Places to Work
To find out how midlevels rate their firms as workplaces, our survey examined 12 areas that contribute to job satisfaction. They include relations with partners and other associates, the interest and satisfaction level of the associates’ work, training and guidance, emphasis on billables, management openness about firm strategies and partnership chances, attitude toward pro bono work, compensation and benefits, and the respondents’ inclination to stay at their firm for at least two more years. Respondents graded their firms in those areas on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score. On this chart, the firms that qualified for this year’s survey are ranked by their averages on those questions, based on responses from all their offices. The location listed is the firm’s headquarters city. For definitions of national and international firms, and for other details about the survey, see Midlevel Associates Survey: How It’s Done.
2004 Rank 2003 Rank Firm, Location Overall Score Respondents and Response Rate
1 - Harter, Secrest, Rochester, New York 4.486 12 (100%)
2 10 Miles & Stockbridge, Baltimore 4.365 12 (92%)
3 81 Arnold & Porter, Washington, D.C. 4.282 36 (56%)
4 28 Arent Fox, Washington, D.C. 4.261 14 (54%)
5 4 Goulston & Storrs, Boston 4.256 14 (58%)
6 7 Robins, Kaplan, Minneapolis 4.233 10 (59%)
7 - Hughes & Luce, Dallas 4.216 16 (80%)
8 13 Winstead Sechrest, Dallas 4.213 21 (81%)
9 1 Bracewell & Patterson, Houston 4.183 10 (26%)
10 125 Cooley Godward, Palo Alto 4.171 20 (29%)
11 76 Patterson, Belknap, New York 4.16 15 (60%)
12 42 Goodwin Procter, Boston 4.112 25 (37%)
13 96 Vedder, Price, Chicago 4.111 13 (65%)
14 11 Haynes and Boone, Dallas 4.102 20 (69%)
15 - Linklaters, International 4.1 15 (71%)
16 21 Debevoise & Plimpton, New York 4.097 24 (24%)
16 26 Sonnenschein, Chicago 4.097 26 (40%)
18 5 Faegre & Benson, Minneapolis 4.09 31 (69%)
19 38 Gibson, Dunn, Los Angeles 4.083 73 (51%)
20 8 Winston & Strawn, National 4.063 33 (37%)
21 145 Chapman and Cutler, Chicago 4.055 18 (86%)
22 52 Finnegan, Henderson, Washington, D.C. 4.037 19 (66%)
22 - Thompson & Knight, Dallas 4.037 10 (34%)
24 35 Kilpatrick Stockton, Atlanta 4.025 20 (74%)
25 17 Munger, Tolles, Los Angeles 4.016 13 (46%)
26 34 Troutman Sanders, Atlanta 4.008 12 (23%)
27 - Carter Ledyard, New York 4.007 11 (61%)
28 23 Orrick, San Francisco 3.999 52 (76%)
29 79 Hogan & Hartson, Washington, D.C. 3.973 21 (23%)
30 24 Andrews & Kurth, Houston 3.955 13 (38%)
31 19 Buchanan Ingersoll, Pittsburgh 3.952 20 (74%)
31 40 Michael Best, Milwaukee 3.952 14 (56%)
33 140 Pepper Hamilton, Philadelphia 3.925 26 (63%)
34 3 Alston & Bird, Atlanta 3.916 22 (26%)
35 18 Davis Wright, Seattle 3.908 10 (30%)
36 20 Blank Rome, Philadelphia 3.892 26 (70%)
37 - Jackson Walker, Dallas 3.889 11 (52%)
38 - Holland & Hart, Denver 3.888 16 (64%)
38 - Squire, Sanders, National 3.888 28 (38%)
40 69 Powell, Goldstein, Atlanta 3.878 13 (48%)
41 104 Quarles & Brady, Milwaukee 3.864 30 (77%)
42 47 Sheppard, Mullin, Los Angeles 3.848 16 (38%)
43 39 Jenner & Block, Chicago 3.833 30 (44%)
44 - Wilmer Cutler 1, Washington, D.C. 3.821 49 (28%)
45 104 Wolf, Block, Philadelphia 3.812 19 (79%)
46 83 Wiley Rein, Washington, D.C. 3.806 13 (65%)
47 50 Thelen Reid, San Francisco 3.804 19 (58%)
48 78 Fulbright & Jaworski, Houston 3.801 36 (39%)
49 31 Latham & Watkins, National 3.799 70 (24%)
50 27 Wildman, Harrold, Chicago 3.798 21 (95%)
51 22 Dorsey & Whitney, Minneapolis 3.792 15 (26%)
52 54 Shook, Hardy, Kansas City, Missouri 3.786 43 (49%)
53 33 Ballard Spahr, Philadelphia 3.785 18 (60%)
53 59 Morrison & Foerster, San Francisco 3.785 63 (54%)
55 - Baker Botts, Houston 3.783 36 (41%)
56 32 Heller Ehrman, San Francisco 3.78 32 (41%)
57 149 Kelley Drye, New York 3.779 15 (48%)
58 118 Stroock & Stroock, New York 3.777 10 (24%)
59 108 Hunton & Williams, Richmond 3.769 50 (60%)
60 75 Chadbourne & Parke, New York 3.762 13 (43%)
61 14 Schiff Hardin, Chicago 3.759 10 (43%)
62 93 Katten Muchin, Chicago 3.758 32 (71%)
63 90 Willkie Farr, New York 3.75 34 (62%)
64 48 Baker & Hostetler, Cleveland 3.749 35 (53%)
65 159 Akin Gump, National 3.742 77 (64%)
66 - Calfee, Halter, Cleveland 3.74 11 (73%)
66 58 Snell & Wilmer, Phoenix 3.74 25 (57%)
68 82 Sidley Austin, National 3.724 77 (41%)
69 - Kronish Lieb, New York 3.72 13 (100%)
70 50 Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C. 3.719 29 (31%)
71 41 Cozen O’Connor, Philadelphia 3.709 20 (53%)
72 43 Vinson & Elkins, Houston 3.708 53 (59%)
73 150 Fitzpatrick, Cella, New York 3.702 13 (54%)
73 146 Thacher Proffitt, New York 3.702 22 (81%)
75 123 Davis Polk, New York 3.701 16 (14%)
76 29 Greenberg Traurig, National 3.693 43 (52%)
77 144 Testa, Hurwitz, Boston 3.692 14 (27%)
78 120 Stoel Rives, Portland, Oregon 3.69 26 (60%)
79 86 Fish & Richardson, National 3.684 22 (47%)
80 112 Pillsbury Winthrop, San Francisco 3.675 50 (56%)
81 85 Duane Morris, Philadelphia 3.661 14 (44%)
82 129 Lord, Bissell, Chicago 3.652 11 (69%)
82 132 Paul, Hastings, National 3.652 80 (94%)
84 - Adams and Reese, New Orleans 3.65 10 (63%)
84 97 Foley Hoag, Boston 3.65 10 (38%)
86 74 Saul Ewing, Philadelphia 3.648 15 (79%)
87 - Frost Brown, Cincinnati 3.633 12 (30%)
88 16 Porter Wright, Columbus 3.629 17 (77%)
89 61 Bingham McCutchen, National 3.619 73 (55%)
90 57 Howrey, Washington, D.C. 3.618 26 (41%)
91 110 Weil, Gotshal, New York 3.616 35 (25%)
92 55 Coudert Brothers, International 3.608 14 (88%)
92 55 Vorys, Sater, Columbus 3.608 20 (71%)
94 134 Day, Berry, Hartford 3.607 14 (61%)
94 107 Simpson Thacher, New York 3.607 47 (28%)
96 65 Dykema Gossett, Detroit 3.597 13 (59%)
96 70 Sutherland Asbill, Atlanta 3.597 12 (29%)
98 84 McKenna Long, National 3.588 12 (43%)
99 64 Piper Rudnick, National 3.587 34 (28%)
100 62 Bryan Cave, National 3.577 45 (71%)
100 100 Morgan, Lewis, National 3.577 68 (45%)
102 153 Perkins Coie, Seattle 3.575 19 (28%)
103 92 Cleary, Gottlieb, New York 3.562 39 (25%)
104 30 Ropes & Gray, Boston 3.561 31 (41%)
105 128 Clifford Chance, International 3.555 41 (55%)
105 138 O’Melveny & Myers, Los Angeles 3.555 65 (47%)
107 - Dow, Lohnes, Washington, D.C. 3.551 16 (84%)
108 68 Gray Cary, Palo Alto 3.548 17 (32%)
109 - Seyfarth Shaw, National 3.538 11 (29%)
110 157 Reed Smith, Pittsburgh 3.528 37 (49%)
111 101 Drinker Biddle, Philadelphia 3.499 13 (22%)
112 - Holland & Knight, National 3.493 28 (38%)
113 131 White & Case, International 3.488 72 (68%)
114 114 Skadden, New York 3.485 69 (32%)
115 - Baker & McKenzie, International 3.482 100 (44%)
116 95 Mayer, Brown, National 3.472 56 (50%)
117 77 King & Spalding, Atlanta 3.47 58 (58%)
118 63 Lowenstein Sandler, Roseland, New Jersey 3.467 25 (78%)
119 103 Edwards & Angell, Providence 3.464 10 (53%)
120 109 Milbank, Tweed, New York 3.45 42 (70%)
121 116 Kirkland & Ellis, Chicago 3.445 70 (40%)
122 73 Fox Rothschild, Philadelphia 3.441 14 (88%)
122 91 Hughes Hubbard, New York 3.441 19 (63%)
124 - Preston Gates, Seattle 3.432 11 (41%)
125 119 Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, National 3.413 19 (22%)
126 137 Paul, Weiss, New York 3.41 18 (23%)
127 154 Wilson Sonsini, Palo Alto 3.393 39 (35%)
128 147 Schulte Roth, New York 3.389 24 (62%)
129 125 McDermott, Will, National 3.385 56 (62%)
130 138 Fried, Frank, New York 3.384 42 (51%)
131 129 Shearman & Sterling, New York 3.374 55 (42%)
132 - Nutter McClennen, Boston 3.365 13 (76%)
133 155 Dickstein Shapiro, Washington, D.C. 3.354 15 (50%)
134 152 Brown Raysman, New York 3.342 16 (84%)
135 122 Foley & Lardner, Milwaukee 3.325 31 (32%)
136 151 Kaye Scholer, New York 3.316 10 (22%)
137 133 Cravath, New York 3.292 32 (35%)
138 15 Allen & Overy, International 3.289 17 (53%)
139 158 Dewey Ballantine, New York 3.275 30 (48%)
140 117 Sullivan & Cromwell, New York 3.221 49 (29%)
141 - Nixon Peabody, National 3.208 12 (25%)
142 - Fenwick & West, Palo Alto 3.174 13 (36%)
143 125 Dechert, National 3.133 28 (38%)
144 143 Proskauer Rose, New York 3.074 32 (48%)
145 - Curtis, Mallet, New York 3.05 11 (73%)
146 142 Cadwalader, New York 3.026 41 (55%)
147 89 Kramer Levin, New York 2.913 20 (54%)
148 156 Cahill Gordon, New York 2.806 24 (71%)
1Hale and Dorr merged with Wilmer Cutler Pickering in June 2004 to form Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. Results from the two firms were combined.
( The American Lawyer, October 2004)


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