Leopard Solutions Reveals Pinnacle Performing Law Firms in the 2023 Leopard Law Firm Index (LLFI)
February 8, 2024
Leading Legal Intelligence Provider Recognizes Firms for Sustained Excellence based on Innovative Real-Time Ranking System, with Latham & Watkins Earning Top Honors.
New York, NY, February 08, 2024 – Leopard Solutions, a leading legal intelligence provider, announces top-performing law firms that made the highly anticipated 2023 Leopard Law Firm Index (LLFI). This comprehensive score-based ranking system evaluates the top law firms within Leopard Solutions’ database, utilizing key indicators such as success, profitability, viability, growth, and potential opportunity.
Latham & Watkins LLP tops the list, maintaining a perfect score of 500 for over half of 2023. The top 20 also features seven new entrants, including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Jones Day, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, McDermott Will & Emory, and Littler Mendelson. Remarkably, Jones Day experienced the most significant year-over-year turnaround, climbing 158 spots to secure 11th place overall.
Ogletree Deakins, which made the LLFI top 20 despite being 77 in the Am Law top firm ranking by gross revenue, did so by continuing to dominate the labor and employment space where over a thousand of their attorneys are concentrated in this practice area. Additionally, among the eight key indicators the LLFI bases its score on, Ogletree excelled in employee retention and gender diversity at the partnership level.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP joined the leaderboard despite a lackluster 2022, during which it declined by 10%, the worst decline among the Am Law 50, even though Am Law 50 firms grew by 6% in general during the same time. However, Paul, Weiss was able to climb back up and now ranks within the LLFI top 20 by focusing on its growth and retention strategies.
Unlike traditional legal industry rankings that primarily focus on financial performance, the LLFI provides a dynamic and real-time approach to evaluating law firms that more accurately reflect the firms’ health, stability, and success. Conventional rankings often need to be updated upon release, relying on self-reported financial data, typically only on past year data.
Laura Leopard, Founder and CEO of Leopard Solutions, emphasizes the critical role of real-time data analytics in today’s volatile economic climate. “Accessing such information is possible on our platform, and it’s crucial when utilizing continuously updated metrics, adapting to the dynamic changes within the firm,” said Leopard.
The Leopard Law Firm Index, established in 2020, has become an indispensable tool for legal leaders to gauge law firm growth and stability. It enables firms to better understand their performance, identify potential issues, and proactively plan recruitment and growth strategies. In-house counsel can also make informed decisions about engaging law firms for specific legal service needs.
Every law firm tracked by Leopard Solutions is featured on the Leopard Law Firm Index. Customers can access and run detailed firm index reports through the Leopard Business Intelligence platform for in-depth firm rankings analysis and comparison.
The scoring system of the Leopard Law Firm Index ranges from 0 to 500, with four distinct statuses: Poor (0-124), Fair (125-249), Good (250-374), and Very Good (375-500).
The top 10 law firms that made the 2023 leaderboard include:
- Latham & Watkins LLP
- Holland & Knight LLP
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP
- Greenberg Traurig LLP
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
- DLA Piper
- Ropes & Gray LLP
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
- Goodwin
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates
View the complete list of the 2023 top 200 firms.
Firms demonstrating sustained excellence throughout the year will retain their positions on the Leopard Law Firm Index (LLFI), updated twice weekly. The Leopard Law Firm Index Report is available for comprehensive and timely analysis on Leopard Solution’s Business Intelligence (BI) platform. To view the latest rankings and learn more about the Leopard Law Firm Index, visit https://www.leopardsolutions.com/leopard-law-firm-index-list/
About Leopard Solutions
Leopard Solutions delivers the highest quality, most accurate, and in-depth information on the legal market, leading law firms and attorneys with easily searchable products.
From business development solutions to competitive intelligence to lateral recruitment to our curated and customizable market research reports, Leopard Solutions offers a wide range of data solutions for law firms and legal departments. Leopard’s data and technology are continuously updated to ensure market relevance and competitive edge.
Leopard Law Firm Index (LLFI) is a real-time ranking system that evaluates firm health based on the firm’s profitability, viability, growth, and opportunities using quantitative data and size-adjusted numeric weighting.
We are a proud WBE organization that has grown into one of the most recognized and trusted legal market data providers in the United States. Leopard Solutions’ high level of quality and depth is unmatched in the industry. For more information, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.
