Top BigLaw Firms for Commercial Litigation in Chicago
Every firm in our directory with a Chicago office that Chambers USA 2026 ranks for commercial litigation in Illinois, strongest band first. Latham & Watkins LLP leads with Band 1, one of 5 firms in Band 1.
- Ranked firms
- 26
- Band 1 firms
- 5
- Median first-year base
- $225,000
26 ranked firms for commercial litigation in Chicago
| # | Firm | Chambers 2026 | First-year base | 2L summer applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latham & Watkins LLP Vault #4 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 1Deadline Jan 29, 2027 |
| 2 | Kirkland & Ellis LLP Vault #6 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 1 |
| 3 | Sidley Austin LLP Vault #11 |
| $225,000+ | Opened Nov 1 |
| 4 | Winston Taylor LLP Vault #39 |
| $225,000+ | Open nowDeadline Mar 1, 2027 |
| 5 | Jenner & Block LLP Vault #43 |
| $225,000+ | Open now |
| 6 | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Vault #3 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 2 |
| 7 | Jones Day Vault #26 |
| $240,000 | Open now |
| 8 | DLA Piper LLP (US) Vault #42 |
| $225,000+ | Open now |
| 9 | Mayer Brown LLP Vault #44 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 2 |
| 10 | Greenberg Traurig, LLP Vault #55 |
| Varies by office | Dec 1, 2026 |
| 11 | Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP Vault #14 |
| $235,000 | Opened Nov 1 |
| 12 | Ropes & Gray LLP Vault #20 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 1 |
| 13 | Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Vault #32 |
| $225,000 | Dec 14, 2026 |
| 14 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP Vault #35 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 1 |
| 15 | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Vault #37 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 2 |
| 16 | Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP Vault #78 |
| $235,000+ | Expected late fall 2026 |
| 17 | Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. |
| Not reported | See the Job Board |
| 18 | King & Spalding LLP Vault #36 |
| $225,000 | Open now |
| 19 | McDermott Will & Schulte LLP Vault #46 |
| Not reported | Opened Nov 2 |
| 20 | Reed Smith LLP Vault #59 |
| $225,000 | Jan 4, 2027 |
| 21 | Baker McKenzie LLP Vault #45 |
| $225,000+ | Opened Nov 1Deadline Mar 1, 2027 |
| 22 | McGuireWoods LLP Vault #68 |
| $215,000 | Not announced |
| 23 | Troutman Pepper Locke LLP Vault #72 |
| $235,000+ | See the Job Board |
| 24 | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP |
| Not reported | Not announced |
| 25 | Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP |
| Up to $215,000 | Not announced |
| 26 | Smith, Gambrell & Russell |
| $225,000 | Opened Oct 30 |
Chambers bands from Chambers USA 2026, Illinois tables; Band 1 is the strongest, and a “Highly Regarded” band sits below every “Elite” band. Pay is each firm’s first-year base; summer dates come from each firm’s own page via the BigLaw Job Board. How rankings work
Commercial Litigation in other cities
- Commercial Litigation in New York57 firms
- Commercial Litigation in Washington, DC35 firms
- Commercial Litigation in Los Angeles33 firms
- Commercial Litigation in San Francisco29 firms
- Commercial Litigation in Silicon Valley24 firms
- Commercial Litigation in Dallas23 firms
- Commercial Litigation in Miami23 firms
- Commercial Litigation in Boston22 firms
- Commercial Litigation in Houston20 firms
- Commercial Litigation in Philadelphia16 firms
- Commercial Litigation in Atlanta14 firms
- Commercial Litigation in Orange County13 firms
Other practices in Chicago
- Intellectual Property (General / Trademark)24 firms
- Corporate / M&A23 firms
- Labor & Employment23 firms
- Restructuring / Bankruptcy23 firms
- White Collar Defense23 firms
- Real Estate19 firms
- Banking & Finance17 firms
- Insurance / Reinsurance16 firms
- Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation14 firms
- Environmental13 firms
- Healthcare13 firms
- Antitrust10 firms