Top BigLaw Firms for Labor & Employment in Chicago
Every firm in our directory with a Chicago office that Chambers USA 2026 ranks for labor and employment in Illinois, strongest band first. Jones Day leads with Band 1 (The Elite), one of 3 firms in Band 1.
- Ranked firms
- 23
- Band 1 firms
- 3
- Median first-year base
- $225,000
23 ranked firms for labor and employment in Chicago
| # | Firm | Chambers 2026 | First-year base | 2L summer applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jones Day Vault #26 |
| $240,000 | Open now |
| 2 | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Vault #37 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 2 |
| 3 | Seyfarth Shaw LLP Vault #89 |
| $225,000+ | Not announced |
| 4 | Cozen O'Connor P.C. Vault #88 |
| $180,000 - $215,000 | Expected January 2027 |
| 5 | Proskauer Rose LLP Vault #33 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 1 |
| 6 | Littler Mendelson P.C. Vault #100 |
| $225,000 | Not announced |
| 7 | Vedder Price |
| $225,000 | See the Job Board |
| 8 | Winston Taylor LLP Vault #39 |
| $225,000+ | Open nowDeadline Mar 1, 2027 |
| 9 | Quarles & Brady |
| $225,000 | See the Job Board |
| 10 | Baker McKenzie LLP Vault #45 |
| $225,000+ | Opened Nov 1Deadline Mar 1, 2027 |
| 11 | McGuireWoods LLP Vault #68 |
| $215,000 | Not announced |
| 12 | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. |
| Not reported | Not announced |
| 13 | Jackson Lewis P.C. |
| Not reported | Not announced |
| 14 | Mayer Brown LLP Vault #44 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 2 |
| 15 | Greenberg Traurig, LLP Vault #55 |
| Varies by office | Dec 1, 2026 |
| 16 | Duane Morris LLP Vault #94 |
| $220,000 | Dec 15, 2026 |
| 17 | Barnes & Thornburg LLP |
| $105,000-$180,000 | Not announced |
| 18 | Michael Best & Friedrich |
| $225,000 | Not announced |
| 19 | Sidley Austin LLP Vault #11 |
| $225,000+ | Opened Nov 1 |
| 20 | DLA Piper LLP (US) Vault #42 |
| $225,000+ | Open now |
| 21 | McDermott Will & Schulte LLP Vault #46 |
| Not reported | Opened Nov 2 |
| 22 | Dechert LLP Vault #51 |
| $225,000 | Opened Nov 1 |
| 23 | Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP Vault #99 |
| $200,000 | Open now |
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
Labor & Employment in other cities
- Labor & Employment in Los Angeles38 firms
- Labor & Employment in San Francisco36 firms
- Labor & Employment in New York21 firms
- Labor & Employment in Silicon Valley20 firms
- Labor & Employment in San Diego20 firms
- Labor & Employment in Houston18 firms
- Labor & Employment in Dallas18 firms
- Labor & Employment in Orange County16 firms
- Labor & Employment in Washington, DC15 firms
- Labor & Employment in Atlanta15 firms
- Labor & Employment in Austin14 firms
- Labor & Employment in Philadelphia13 firms
Other practices in Chicago
- Commercial Litigation26 firms
- Intellectual Property (General / Trademark)24 firms
- Corporate / M&A23 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