The legal market in The Second City is in solid shape, due in large part to deal making and transactional work for the area's deep bench of top public companies and some newer players.

“The traditional corporate and mergers and acquisitions practices are running at a very brisk pace this year,” said Larry Barden, a Chicago corporate partner who chairs Sidley Austin's management committee.

The transactional upswing is also giving other practices a shot in the arm, Barden said. “You see a pickup in related transactional practices. Real estate, employee benefits and tax [work that] also has a transactional orientation are up significantly,” he said.