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Top BigLaw Firms for Commercial Litigation

Document review and fact development, research memos, drafting sections of motions and discovery requests, and preparing materials for depositions. Writing quality gets noticed early. Chambers USA 2026 ranks 75 firms in our directory nationwide for commercial litigation, 5 of them in Band 1. Pick a city for the local tables.

Ranked nationwide
75
Cities with 3+ ranked firms
43

Commercial Litigation by city

Ranked nationwide, Chambers USA 2026

  1. 1.Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 1 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  2. 2.Latham & Watkins LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 1 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  3. 3.Kirkland & Ellis LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 1 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  4. 4.Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 1 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  5. 5.Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLPFirst-year base $235,000Band 1 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  6. 6.Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 2 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  7. 7.Sullivan & Cromwell LLPFirst-year base $235,000+Band 2 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  8. 8.Sidley Austin LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 2 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  9. 9.White & Case LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 2 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  10. 10.Susman Godfrey LLPFirst-year base $240,000Band 2 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  11. 11.Cooley LLPFirst-year base $255,000+Band 2 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  12. 12.Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 2 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  13. 13.Jones DayFirst-year base $240,000Band 2 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  14. 14.O'Melveny & Myers LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 2 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  15. 15.King & Spalding LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 2 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  16. 16.Covington & Burling LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  17. 17.Williams & Connolly LLPFirst-year base $260,000Band 3 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  18. 18.Morrison & Foerster LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 3 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  19. 19.Hogan Lovells CadwaladerFirst-year base $225,000+Band 3 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  20. 20.Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  21. 21.Proskauer Rose LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  22. 22.Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 3 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  23. 23.DLA Piper LLP (US)First-year base $225,000+Band 3 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  24. 24.Jenner & Block LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 3 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  25. 25.Mayer Brown LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  26. 26.Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & KatzFirst-year base $230,000Band 4 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  27. 27.Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 4 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  28. 28.Paul Hastings LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 4 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  29. 29.Munger, Tolles & Olson LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 4 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  30. 30.Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 4 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  31. 31.Winston Taylor LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 4 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  32. 32.Dechert LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 4 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  33. 33.Greenberg Traurig, LLPFirst-year base Varies by officeBand 4 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  34. 34.Boies Schiller Flexner LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 4 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  35. 35.Crowell & Moring LLPFirst-year base $215,000Band 4 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  36. 36.Davis Polk & Wardwell LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 5 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  37. 37.Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 5 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  38. 38.Debevoise & Plimpton LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 5 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  39. 39.Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 5 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  40. 40.Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick, P.L.L.C.First-year base $255,000+Band 5 (The Elite) · Litigation: General Commercial
  41. 41.Ropes & Gray LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 1 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  42. 42.McDermott Will & Schulte LLPBand 1 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  43. 43.Dentons US LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 1 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  44. 44.Venable LLPFirst-year base $215,000Band 1 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  45. 45.Steptoe LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 1 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  46. 46.Milbank LLPFirst-year base $235,000+Band 2 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  47. 47.Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 2 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  48. 48.A&O Shearman LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 2 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  49. 49.Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 2 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  50. 50.Hunton Andrews Kurth LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 2 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  51. 51.Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.Band 2 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  52. 52.Ashurst Perkins Coie LLPFirst-year base $255,000+Band 3 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  53. 53.Goodwin Procter LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  54. 54.Baker McKenzie LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 3 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  55. 55.Holland & Knight LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  56. 56.Alston & Bird LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  57. 57.Reed Smith LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  58. 58.Baker & Hostetler LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  59. 59.Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  60. 60.Troutman Pepper Locke LLPFirst-year base $235,000+Band 3 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  61. 61.Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 3 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  62. 62.K&L Gates LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 4 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  63. 63.Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 4 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  64. 64.Davis Wright Tremaine LLPFirst-year base $225,000+Band 4 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  65. 65.Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLPBand 4 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  66. 66.Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLPBand 4 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  67. 67.Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLPFirst-year base $225,000Band 5 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  68. 68.McGuireWoods LLPFirst-year base $215,000Band 5 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  69. 69.Fox Rothschild LLPFirst-year base $205,000Band 5 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  70. 70.Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.First-year base $225,000+Band 5 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  71. 71.Cozen O'Connor P.C.First-year base $180,000 - $215,000Band 5 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  72. 72.Duane Morris LLPFirst-year base $220,000Band 5 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  73. 73.Husch Blackwell LLPFirst-year base $200,000Band 5 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  74. 74.Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLPFirst-year base $200,000Band 5 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial
  75. 75.Frost Brown ToddFirst-year base $225,000Band 5 (Highly Regarded) · Litigation: General Commercial

Is commercial litigation a fit?

Who tends to thrive

  • Strong writers who like building an argument from a messy record
  • People energized by an opponent and a strategy question
  • Those comfortable with long timelines and open-ended problems

What a 1L can do this year

  • Treat Legal Writing as the class that matters most; ask your instructor for extra feedback
  • Do moot court or a mock trial program to see if advocacy energizes you
  • Read a few federal complaints and motions to dismiss on a case you find interesting
Not sure this practice fits? Take the quiz Filter the directory by commercial litigation

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