Eleven California firms, with the bulk of them based in Southern California, landed spots on the Am Law Second Hundred list this year.

Seven of the 11 grew gross revenue in 2018.

San Francisco-based Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, which now has at least one office in every state the U.S., is again the highest-grossing firm among the group. Gordon Rees brought in $351.3 million gross revenue last year, up 6.1% from 2017. It moved up two spots to No. 102 on the Am Law 200.

Coming in just behind Gordon Rees, with $344.91 million in revenue, is Los Angeles-based Loeb & Loeb (No. 104).

Another Los Angeles-based firm, Buchalter, saw the most significant increase in gross revenue, which jumped by 18.3% to $157.3 million last year, allowing the firm to improve its ranking from No. 175 to No. 164.

Other Southern California firms on the Second Hundred this year are Manatt, Phelps & Phillips (No. 107); Munger, Tolles & Olson (No. 116); Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear (No. 148); Irell & Manella (No. 158); Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis (No. 160); Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch (No. 183); Rutan & Tucker (No. 191); and Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell (No. 200).

Gordon Rees managing partner Dion Cominos noted that the firm opened offices in Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana and Tennessee last year and completed its 50 states initiative this year. Gordon Rees' lawyer head count also jumped by 8%, from 662 to 717 last year.

“Much of the revenue growth is driven by the fact that existing clients are sending more work to different offices through the country,” Cominos said. “They used to work with other law firms [and] are now utilizing Gordon Rees for all of their needs nationally.”

Under the leadership of its new, New York-based chairman, Loeb & Loeb reported a 12.6% increase in gross revenue in 2018, while the firm's net income jumped 9% over the prior year to $82.27 million.

“The last two years have been particularly strong for us,” said Loeb & Loeb chairman Kenneth Florin, who officially took that role last February, in a March interview. “Our strategy is bearing out.”

But a few firms did not experience revenue growth in 2018. Manatt saw its gross revenue dropped by 1.2% to $313.2 million, moving one place down the rank to No. 107. Knobbe's gross revenue last year was down by nearly 10%, to $198.3 million, dropping from No. 133 to No.148. Two other firms that saw their revenue dip last year were Irell & Manella and Jeffer Mangels, which decreased by 3.3% and 5.4%, respectively.

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