If size matters, Baker & McKenzie has long ruled the law firm roost. The firm employs nearly 4,000 lawyers in 39 countries, and hosts partner conferences that could be mistaken for the general assembly of the United Nations. But for the past 16 years, Baker & McKenzie has trailed Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in the category by which all businesses, law firms included, are measured first: gross revenue.
No longer. For the first time since 1994′s rankings, when top firms earned a quarter of what they do now, Baker & McKenzie edged out Skadden to top our charts, with revenue of $2.11 billion. “The result reflects the client response to our efforts,” says John Conroy, Jr., the chairman of Baker & McKenzie. “We’ve made a real effort to implement our strategy as relentlessly as possible. It always helps when financial results vindicate our work.”
