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The NLJ 350: By the Numbers

The firms ranked no. 251-350 are more geographically diverse when it comes to their largest U.S. offices compared to their NLJ 250 peers. Among the 100 firms on our list, the largest U.S. offices are located in 59 cities. That compares to 64 cities among 250 firms in the positions on our list. Despite the geographic diversity of the firms ranked no. 251-350, big markets are still strongly represented: Chicago is home to the most firms on the list – eight, followed by New York (6), and Los Angeles and Cleveland (5 each)

Average headcount among firms ranked no. 251-350 is 133 (compared to 505 for the firms above number 250).	During the last 10 years, the difference between the top 50 and the rest of the NLJ survey has increased. In 2002, the top 50 had 97% more lawyers than the next 50. In 2012, it was 123%.
Post & Schell at No. 251 on the NLJ 350 has 160 lawyers. When we started the NLJ survey in 1978, a 160-lawyer firm would have ranked no. 28 in our survey. This year’s no. 350 firm, Chicago’s Freeborn & Peters, with 112 lawyers, would have ranked no. 60.	The largest private firm office in the United States, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom’s 738-lawyer New York headquarters, has more lawyers than the combined headcount of the firms ranked from no. 345 to no. 350 on our survey.

TOP HEAVY All told, 139,551 lawyers work at NLJ 350 firms (including 13,258 at firms no. 251-350). A strong plurality of NLJ 350 lawyers work at firms ranked in the top 50 on our survey. If one divides the entire list into 50-lawyer tiers, here's how lawyer headcounts break down.

All told, 139,551 lawyers work at NLJ 350 firms (including 13,258 at firms no. 251-350). A strong plurality of NLJ 350 lawyers work at firms ranked in the top 50 on our survey. If one divides the entire list into 50-lawyer tiers, here\u2019s how lawyer headcounts break down.