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Many law students and lawyers alike have long dreamed of someday working in New York, the city that never sleeps (and if they wind up as Biglaw associates, that saying may hold especially true). New York firms are regarded as the crown jewels of the legal profession, and it\u2019s in New York where firms typically set the stage for Biglaw salaries and bonuses across the country. But which firm is considered the best in the Big Apple?<\/p>\n
Thanks to Vault\u2019s recently released regional rankings, we now know which Biglaw firms are dominating the legal scene in Manhattan. This ranking is based on votes tabulated from associates who were asked to rate firms on a 1 to 10 scale based on their prestige within the region.<\/p>\n
Here are the top 10 most prestigious firms in New York (you can see the full list from Vault by clicking\u00a0here<\/a>):<\/p>\n Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz <\/p>\n Cravath, Swaine & Moore <\/p>\n Davis Polk & Wardwell (+1)<\/p>\n Skadden (-1)<\/p>\n Sullivan & Cromwell <\/p>\n Latham & Watkins (+1)<\/p>\n Simpson Thacher (+1)<\/p>\n Kirkland & Ellis (+1)<\/p>\n Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (-3)<\/p>\n Milbank <\/p>\n There was a lot of movement in the ranking this time around. Much like what happened in the Vault 100<\/a>, Paul, Weiss \u2014 the very first firm to kiss Trump\u2019s ring \u2014 has been knocked off its pedestal in the New York prestige ranking. This is what happens when you make bad deals, but at least the firm is still in the Top 10 here. Skadden and DPW traded places once again, and while Wachtell maintains its command at the top for the second year in a row, Cravath still commands the associate salary scale.<\/p>\n Congratulations to all of the Biglaw firms that made the latest edition of Vault\u2019s New York rankings. How did your firm do this time around?\u00a0Email us<\/a>, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us\u00a0@atlblog<\/a>\u00a0to let us know how you feel.<\/p>\n 2027 Best Law Firms in New York<\/a>\u00a0[Vault]<\/p>\n Staci Zaretsky<\/a>\u00a0is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to\u00a0email<\/a>\u00a0her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>,\u00a0X\/Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Threads<\/a>,\u00a0or connect with her on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Staci-Zaretsky.jpg\")
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