Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP vs. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Category by category. Sources: Vault 2027, Am Law 200 FY2025, and reported Chambers records from the years shown.
Who Wins Each Category
Each row stands on its own. There is no overall winner; weigh what matters to you.
| Category | Davis Polk & Wardwell | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton |
|---|---|---|
| Higher pay winsTie | $225,000Market base | $225,000+ |
| Higher wins | $9.80M (wins this category) | $6.05M |
| Lower rank wins | #7 (wins this category) | #16 |
| Lower rank wins | #14 (wins this category) | #32 |
| Higher wins | $3.20B (wins this category) | $1.95B |
| More lawyers wins | 1,000 | 1,110 (wins this category) |
| OfficesMore offices wins | 12 | 16 (wins this category) |
| Nationwide, Chambers USA 2026More Band 1 tables wins | 17 tables (wins this category) | 9 tables |
| 2L OpensEarlier date winsNot Comparable | Open nowSummer 2028 (rolling) | Nov 12, 2026Summer 2028 |
| 1L OpensEarlier date wins | Expected early OctoberClass of 2030 | Not Reported |
Sources: Vault 2027 and Am Law 200 FY2025 rankings, Chambers USA 2026, first-year pay as each firm or the market reports it, and program dates from firm career pages on the Job Board. Missing data reads Not Reported and never counts as a loss.
Full Comparison
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Est. 1849
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Est. 1946 · New York and Washington
Est. 1849
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is a 1,000-plus-attorney firm, Vault #7 / Am Law #14. Jurisdiction-specific Chambers rankings include Band 1 in Antitrust, Banking & Finance, and Bankruptcy/Restructuring. Operates from 12 offices worldwide.
Est. 1946 · New York and Washington
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a 1,000-plus-attorney firm, Vault #16 / Am Law #32, founded in New York and Washington, DC. Jurisdiction-specific Chambers rankings include Band 1 in Antitrust, Antitrust: Cartel, and Capital Markets: Investment Grade Debt: Issuer Counsel.
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP#7
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP#16
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP#14
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP#32
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP29 records
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP13 records
- #7
- #14
- 29 records
- Vault rank
- #16
- Am Law rank
- #32
- Reported Chambers Band 1 records
- 13 records
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP$225,000
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP$225,000+
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP$9.80M
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP$6.05M
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP$3.20B
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP$1.95B
Revenue per lawyer
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP$2.59M
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP$1.76M
- $225,000
- $9.80M
- $3.20B
- Revenue per lawyer
- $2.59M
- First-Year Comp
- $225,000+
- Profits Per Partner
- $6.05M
- Firm revenue
- $1.95B
- Revenue per lawyer
- $1.76M
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPNot Reported
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPNot Reported
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPNot Reported
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP8 years
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP3.5:1
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP2.3:1
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP~1,000
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP~1,100
Offices
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP12
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP16
- Not Reported
- Not Reported
- 3.5:1
- ~1,000
- Offices
- 12
- Billable target
- Not Reported
- Partnership track
- 8 years
- US associates per partner
- 2.3:1
- Firm size (rounded to 50)
- ~1,100
- Offices
- 16
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP99.4%
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP100%
Class size
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP220 (year not confirmed)
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP128 (year not confirmed)
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPCentralized staffing
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPCentralized staffing
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPNo
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPNo
- 99.4%
- Class size
- 220 (year not confirmed)
- Centralized staffing
- No
- Offer rate
- 100%
- Class size
- 128 (year not confirmed)
- How associates get work
- Centralized staffing
- Specific practice area
- No
1L program
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPNo 1L summer program
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP1L summer program
1L applications open
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPExpected early October
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPNot Reported
2L applications open
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPOpen now
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPNov 12, 2026
2L deadline
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPNot announced
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPNot announced
- 1L program
- No 1L summer program
- 1L applications open
- Expected early October
- 2L applications open
- Open now
- 2L deadline
- Not announced
- 1L program
- 1L summer program
- 1L applications open
- Not Reported
- 2L applications open
- Nov 12, 2026
- 2L deadline
- Not announced
Green marks the stronger for the same practice, market and year. Shared results are listed once. split some top tables.
Shared rankings
Rank differences
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 3
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 1
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 2
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 1
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 2
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 1
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 1
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 4
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 1
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 3
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 1 · Elite
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 3 · Elite
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 1 · Elite
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 3 · Elite
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 1
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 2
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 1
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 3
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 1
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 3
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 1
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 2
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPBand 1 · Elite
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPBand 2 · Elite
Firm-only and additional rankings remain available on each firm profile so missing coverage is not mistaken for a head-to-head loss.
See which of these firms are open on the Job Board
Data sources: Vault 2027, Am Law 200 FY2025, and reported Chambers records from the years shown. Chambers record counts can span years and reporting coverage varies; missing years or markets are not compared. Current Chambers bands were checked against each firm’s Chambers profile on Sep 26, 2026; where Chambers splits a table, every Elite firm ranks above every Highly Regarded firm. Missing values read “Not Reported”.
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- Kirkland & Ellis vs. Davis Polk & Wardwell
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Firm data comes from each firm’s own publications, Chambers USA and Vault; see Davis Polk & Wardwell and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton for sources and dates.