Best Midsize Law Firms to Work For
Harrity & Harrity LLP
Harrity & Harrity is a patent firm that focuses on electrical and mechanical technologies. The firm services many high-profile clients, including Fortune 500 companies, and it takes pride in serving its clients for the long haul. Harrity’s patent attorneys have experience in a broad range of industries, from aerospace to health care to financial services and more. Associates experience great work-life balance here, as the firm operates on a production-based compensation system rather than the billable hour.
SCORE 9.571
2022 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Stotler Hayes Group LLC
Stotler Hayes is a boutique law firm with a national presence and a unique identity. Not only is the firm entirely remote (save for an office in South Carolina for support staff), it has a client base comprised solely of health care providers, including long term care and skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, group homes, acute and sub-acute hospitals, and durable medical equipment providers. Not only do the firm's practices all relate to health care, but the firm emphasizes the health of its own employees through a variety of wellness initiatives.
SCORE 9.353
2022 Ranking
#13
Bookoff McAndrews PLLC
Based in Washington, DC, Bookoff McAndrews focuses on patent counseling and prosecution for technology companies. Founded in 2012, the patent boutique has been recognized by Chambers and Forbes, among others, for its stellar work as a top IP firm. BoMc is committed to diversity, celebrates the outside interests of its attorneys, and embraces work-life balance as much as possible in a busy practice, as evidenced by its rank as Vault’s No. 1 Best Midsize Law Firm to Work For.
SCORE 9.250
2022 Ranking
#8
Buckley LLP
Buckley focuses on financial services, government enforcement, and litigation. The firm’s client roster includes 26 of the largest consumer banks in the U.S., yet associates enjoy work-life balance with a relatively low billable-hour requirement.
SCORE 9.133
2022 Ranking
#5
Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman LLP
Since its founding in 1986, Friedman Kaplan has grown to be one of the preeminent boutiques in the Big Apple. Nearly 50 attorneys in New York and New Jersey practice in corporate, white collar, and--the firm's specialty--litigation, on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. The firm's representations are varied. The firm's attorneys represented Wells Fargo and Wachovia in a multibillion dollar dispute with Citigroup and won a $1.3 billion dollar settlement on behalf of two hedge funds against the Republic of Argentina to recover on defaulted bonds. Chuck Blazer, the founder of organized American soccer, called on Friedman Kaplan for representation in investigations into bribery related to the 1998 and 2010 World Cup bids.
SCORE 9.100
2022 Ranking
#Not Ranked
McNeill Baur PLLC
McNeill Baur is the ultimate haven for patent attorneys seeking maximum flexibility. The firm is fully remote and allows attorneys to set their own billable-hours goal, which results in associates who are very pleased with their work-life balance. And while the firm prioritizes the needs of attorneys and staff, it certainly isn’t lacking in the quality of work and caliber of clients served. The firm is well regarded for its IP work, even despite its relatively young age.
SCORE 8.923
2022 Ranking
#1
Downey Brand LLP
With offices in California and Reno, Downey Brand serves the region’s clients in a number of practice areas and industries. Those seeking environmental law will find their interest piqued by the firm’s prominent natural resources group, which works in such areas as air quality, environmental enforcement defense, environmental remediation, land use, and water law. The firm also serves as outside general counsel for many of Northern California’s leading companies, including privately held and family-owned companies, nonprofits, and publicly traded companies.
SCORE 8.870
2022 Ranking
#15
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
Founded in 1962 with three attorneys in the Bay Area, Farella is now a midsize firm, home to over 120 attorneys, with a strong reputation in the areas of corporate transactions and complex commercial litigation, particularly strong credentials in the renewable energy industry, and—uniquely—a wine industry team serving vintners and distributors out of their Napa Valley office. The firm is nationally recognized by publications such as Best Lawyers, Chambers, Law360, and Benchmark Litigation.
SCORE 8.833
2022 Ranking
#6
Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP
A leading Texas firm, Kelly Hart is entrenched in the city of Fort Worth, both headquartered there and serving notable Fort Worth clientele like the entrepreneurial Bass family, Justin Brands, Anne W. Marion and the Burnett Companies, American Airlines, Pier 1, and BNSF Railway. As the firm has grown, so has its client list, which includes additional Fortune 500 companies, individuals, investor groups, and governmental entities from around Texas and the nation.
SCORE 8.786
2022 Ranking
#25
Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP
With its one and only location in Los Angeles, Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP is a full-service firm with nearly 100 lawyers. Among the areas the firm covers include bankruptcy, corporate, entertainment, environmental law, and private wealth services. The firm is well known for its work in the entertainment sphere. You'll probably recognize a few of these client names: James Cameron, Vin Diesel and One Race, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Cruise, Riot Games, the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien, Marvel Entertainment, and the estate of Bob Marley.
SCORE 8.750
2022 Ranking
#7
Tonkon Torp LLP
The reach of Oregon-based firm Tonkon Torp extends far beyond its home state. The firm has represented some of the largest and most influential companies in the world, including Portland General Electric, sneaker giant Nike, and real estate mammoth Blackstone. Attorneys at Tonkon Torp cover a full range of practice areas, including bankruptcy, corporate, cannabis, employment, environmental, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, and tax. Best Lawyers in America® named six Tonkon attorneys as 2019 Portland Lawyers of the Year.
SCORE 8.611
2022 Ranking
#3
Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.
Robinson Bradshaw is a growing firm of more than 160 attorneys, with four offices operating in and around North Carolina. Prospective associates are expected to work primarily from one of the firm’s offices, but those who do have a strong chance of making partner so long as they stick around (and that is what they want for their career). With no billable-hour requirement and with lockstep compensation, Robinson Bradshaw makes the top five in our rankings for career outlook, hours, satisfaction, associate/partner relations, and firm culture.
SCORE 8.429
2022 Ranking
#2
Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing
Based in Houston, TX and home to over 50 lawyers, AZA is a boutique litigation firm that prides itself on being “Talented, Tough and Courtroom-Tested.” Attorneys participate in substantive trial work from the start of their time with AZA, contributing to the firm’s strength in the courtroom. The firm takes clients of all sizes, from multinational companies to individuals, and is known for its skill in both commercial litigation and intellectual property litigation, among other practice areas.
SCORE 8.423
2022 Ranking
#14
Michelman & Robinson, LLP
With nearly 80 attorneys across seven offices—three in California, one in New York City, one in Chicago, and two in Texas—Michelman & Robinson, LLP represents clients from an array of industries. The firm is especially well known for its work in the insurance industry, but also excels in advertising & digital media, banking & finance, hospitality, energy, and music & entertainment, and has had an impressive string of significant victories as of late. The firm puts a premium on training and offers education for both professionals and attorneys through its “M&R University.”
SCORE 8.286
2022 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Reminger
Reminger is a full-service, growing litigation firm founded 65 years ago, with 15 offices in the Midwest and South and over 150 attorneys across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. While the firm originally focused on transportation, it has expanded to serve clients in a range of areas including real estate, corporate, business, tax, estate planning, and probate disputes. They also offer year-round law clerkships in lieu of a traditional summer associate program.
SCORE 8.267
2022 Ranking
#Not Ranked
McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP
McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff is an intellectual property law firm with offices in Illinois and California. The firm's client list includes Fortune 100 companies, midsize companies, startups, and academic institutions. MBHB attorneys are experienced in the procurement, licensing, enforcement, and defense of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and unfair competition actions in a number of technological disciplines and product categories, including biotechnology, business methods, chemical, electrical, mechanical and materials, pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, software, and telecommunications.
SCORE 8.250
2022 Ranking
#23
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
Neal Gerber serves clients from a single office in Chicago, with practices in intlellectual property, litigation, business, and private wealth. The firm has a diverse client base, with a few notable examples including AOL, Beats Electronics, Citigroup, Hyatt, Illinois Tool Works, Match.com, Northern Trust, Polaroid, and United HealthCare. When they aren't working on billable matters, the firm's attorneys are proud to dedicate time to pro bono and community service throughout the Second City.
SCORE 8.227
2022 Ranking
#18
Caplin & Drysdale
Caplin & Drysdale boasts one of the nation's top tax practices and consistently places as one of Vault’s Best Law Firms for Tax Law. National and international rankings list Caplin & Drysdale’s tax practice alongside those of firms 10 and 20 times its size. But the firm has more than tax expertise, with top-tier practices in litigation, political law, and more. The firm takes pride in providing top-notch legal services while maintaining a small size that allows for close client relationships.
SCORE 8.200
2022 Ranking
#4
Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.
Wolf Greenfield is an IP-focused midsize firm based in Boston, with an additional office in New York. The firm covers all aspects of IP, from patent prosecution through post-grant proceedings at the Patent Office, International Trade Commission litigation, and litigation before all levels of the federal courts. Most attorneys at the firm have degrees from multiple educational fields, with almost all having backgrounds in engineering or science and over half having worked in those fields before coming to the law.
SCORE 8.188
2022 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Hooper Lundy & Bookman PC
Hooper Lundy is the largest firm in the country to focus only on health care providers and suppliers, which gives it a reputable niche in the health care industry. The firm is well suited for associates who thrive in a team-oriented culture and want early hands-on experience under the guidance of dedicated mentors. The firm is also a certified provider of continuing legal education and provides in-house legal training on health care issues that are not available to the general bar.
SCORE 8.154
2022 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
Windy City-based Banner Witcoff is a top IP boutique that offers a friendly, open-door culture. It also boasts a strong pro bono practice, which has included work on numerous amicus briefs related to novel IP issues. With its reputation as a firm that has helped shaped IP law, including through work on groundbreaking Supreme Court cases, the Banner Witcoff name certainly carries a lot of weight in the IP world.
SCORE 8.125
2022 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Caldwell IP
Caldwell IP is fast growing and boasts a roster of accomplished IP attorneys and technical specialists. This firm fits the bill for attorneys seeking an innovative workplace that prioritizes associate well-being and offers strong mentorship.
SCORE 8.125
2022 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Pryor Cashman LLP
The beginnings of Pryor Cashman are consistent with its strongest practice today: The firm was founded as an entertainment law boutique firm. With locations in New York, LA, and Miami, the firm has brushed legal shoulders with some of the biggest icons in pop culture, including Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, and others, though the firm has morphed into a full-service firm that serves mid-market clients in nearly every way.
SCORE 8.100
2022 Ranking
#9
MoloLamken LLP
In just over a decade of existence and with fewer than 40 attorneys, MoloLamken has quickly made a name for itself among the heavy hitters of boutique litigation shops. With offices in three of the country’s major metropolises—New York, Chicago, and Washington, DC—MoloLamken’s attorneys focus on complex business litigation, white collar criminal defense, and intellectual property. MoloLamken only hires laterally, putting a premium on experience when it comes to handling the high-stakes, complicated cases the firm takes on.
SCORE 8.077
2022 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Durie Tangri LLP
Since opening its doors, Durie Tangri has had a hand in a number IP cases establishing new precedent and other high-profile cases beyond the IP world. At just under 40 lawyers, it represents some big names, including Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Yelp, Fitbit, Zynga, Netflix, Microsoft, and Facebook. Durie Tangri is not only a top IP and litigation boutique, it’s also a firm where associates report a high satisfaction. They give the firm high marks in such discrete areas as associate/partner relations, technology, culture, training, and more.
SCORE 8.000
2022 Ranking
#15
Kobre & Kim LLP
A global litigation firm founded in 2003 by two former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors, Kobre & Kim is now home to more than 120 attorneys worldwide. It is a go-to firm for complex cross-border dispute resolution. Uniquely, the firm generally avoids repeat client relationships—and the associated conflicts of interest—and thus is often engaged by other law firms to act as special litigation counsel to handle trial work in complex disputes.
SCORE 8.000
2022 Ranking
#19
Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP
Headquartered in Chicago, Marshall, Gerstein & Borun is an intellectual property firm that works with clients on six continents. The firm has participated in numerous Supreme Court cases related to IP law since its founding in 1955 and has been recognized as a leader in its field by major publications. Firm attorneys hold degrees in science or engineering—in addition to their juris doctorates—to ensure the best possible representation for their clients.
SCORE 8.000
2022 Ranking
#21
