We asked the Fortune 250 which outside law firms they use for litigation, corporate transactions, labor and employment, and intellectual property. These are the firms most mentioned by the companies in each of those practice areas.
We also added up all the mentions to determine the overall winners. This year Morgan, Lewis bested Jones Day for the top slot. Skadden, which was No. 2 last year overall, had a three-way tie for sixth place this year.

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Top of the Heap
Morgan, Lewis takes the lead from
Jones Day for overall mentions.
Firm Number
of Mentions
Morgan, Lewis 31
Jones Day 26
Kirkland & Ellis 23
Mayer, Brown 21
Baker Botts 20
Davis Polk 18
Sidley Austin 18
Skadden 18
Littler Mendelson 17
Alston & Bird 16
Howrey 14
King & Spalding 14
McGuireWoods 14
Vinson & Elkins 13
Paul, Hastings 12
Reed Smith 12
Hunton & Williams 11
Seyfarth Shaw 11
For the Defense
Kirkland scores big with 14
mentions for litigation.
Firm Number
of Mentions
Kirkland & Ellis 14
Jones Day 11
Mayer, Brown 8
McGuireWoods 8
Alston & Bird 6
DLA Piper 6
King & Spalding 6
Latham & Watkins 6
Morgan, Lewis 6
O’Melveny & Myers 6
Sidley Austin 6
Transaction Heroes
Davis Polk edges out Skadden for the
lead spot in corporate transactions.
Firm Number
of Mentions
Davis Polk 13
Skadden 12
Mayer, Brown 9
Baker Botts 7
Jones Day 7
Sidley Austin 7
Simpson Thacher 7
Cleary Gottlieb 5
Cravath 5
The Working Class
Being tops in labor and employment
boosted Morgan, Lewis overall.
Firm Number
of Mentions
Morgan, Lewis 20
Littler Mendelson 15
Seyfarth Shaw 10
Ogletree, Deakins 7
Paul, Hastings 7
Jackson Lewis 6
Fisher & Phillips 5
Reed Smith 5
Foley & Lardner 4
The Knowledge Factory
Baker Botts has a narrow lead
in the IP category this year.
Firm Number
of Mentions
Baker Botts 7
Howrey 6
Kirkland & Ellis 6
Jones Day 5
Alston & Bird 4
Ropes & Gray 4
Woodcock Washburn 4
Baker & McKenzie 3
Brinks Hofer 3
Finnegan, Henderson 3
Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto 3
Kaye Scholer 3
King & Spalding 3
Locke Liddell 3
McDonnell Boehnen 3
Sidley Austin 3
Weil, Gotshal 3
(Corporate Counsel, September 2006)