Jones Day managed to hold onto the top spot a ranking of U.S. law firm brand strength for the fourth year in a row, while the firms trailing the top performer saw their position scrambled from the previous year.

Kirkland & Ellis, the top grossing law firm in the world, improved its performance in law firm consultancy Acritas' annual ranking, climbing to second place from fourth in 2019. Third-ranked Latham & Watkins also moved upward from its fifth-place finish the previous year.

"There was more movement from last year for sure, but that's not all that unusual, especially in U.S. market, which is an aggressive marketplace where we tend to see firms shift around at the top level," said Jen Dezso, director of U.S. Research and Advisory Service at Thomson Reuters, which acquired Acritas in 2018.