On Wednesday, global legal market research specialist Acritas released its first-ever U.S. Law Firm Brand Index report, which ranks the nation's top 25 firms by the strength of their brand.

To determine this, Acritas asked U.S.-based general counsel open-ended questions, such as what firms they most favored and what firms they would most consider for top-level litigation or M&A, and told them to answer with the law firms that first came to mind. GCs based in foreign countries were asked which U.S. firms they used most.

Here are the top 25 law firms, in order, by brand:

  1. Skadden
  2. Jones Day
  3. Kirkland & Ellis
  4. Sidley Austin
  5. Wachtell
  6. Latham & Watkins
  7. Baker & McKenzie
  8. Morgan Lewis
  9. Gibson Dunn
  10. Sullivan & Cromwell
  11. DLA Piper
  12. Mayer Brown
  13. Hogan Lovells
  14. Fulbright & Jaworksi
  15. Cravath
  16. Weil Gotshal
  17. Baker Botts
  18. Shearman & Sterling
  19. K&L Gates
  20. Vinson & Elkins
  21. White & Case
  22. MoFo
  23. Davis Polk
  24. WilmerHale
  25. Simpson Thacher

Acritas recommends that in order for law firms to build their brand power, they should do three things: Find out what their firm stands for, get that message out and live up to it.