Jones Day (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi / ALM)

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.

Meanwhile, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, which had nearly closed the gap with Jones Day in 2019′s index, with 98 points compared to the leader's 100, tumbled to fourth place with 72 points.

Sidley Austin jumped five notches from its 10th-place 2019 ranking to round out the top five.

Jones Day managed to hold onto the top ranking despite a battering in the legal and mainstream press over allegations of gender and pregnancy discrimination, stemming from two ongoing federal law suits.

"Despite what may be going on, they've put distance between themselves and the next highest firm in the index," Dezso said. "Clients are wiling to go with providers who can really deliver on all cylinders."

Dezso added that, along with long-standing market recognition of Jones Day's "client favorability," appreciation of the firm's "expertise" and "client service" is growing, along with a perception of its "value."

Skadden also landed under the microscope in 2019, thanks to the federal prosecution of former attorney Gregory Craig. The former White House counsel to President Barack Obama was ultimately acquitted on charges that he'd liked to federal authorities about work he'd done on behalf of the Ukrainian government while at the law firm.

Morgan Lewis, Baker McKenzie, DLA Piper, Gibson Dunn and Hogan Lovells composed the remainder of the top 10, with Gibson Dunn the sole newcomer in 2020.

Meanwhile, Reed Smith, Cravath Swaine & Moore and Littler Mendelson all returned to the top-20 after missing the list in 2019, and Greenberg Traurig and Eversheds Sutherland landed in the ranking for the first time ever.

"There's close to 440 firms that we hear about from buyers, so breaking into the top 20 is no small feat," Dezso said, noting that both firms have been climbing steadily in recent years, and have been gaining recognition for top-level litigation and deal work.

"As they build their credibility in the market, more and more buyers are eyeing them for that work type," she added.

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