Order the 2004 A-List electronic spreadsheet

If you can’t make The A-List, finishing in the top quarter is second-best. The following firms just missed the cut. We offer some brief (and unsolicited) advice on what they need to do to make the A-List grade. Rank Firm City Am Law 2003 Rank Total Score* RPL Score Pro Bono Score Associates Score Diversity Score How They Can Make the Grade 21 Irell & Manella Los Angeles 106 916 184 88 189 183 Spend some quality time on pro bono. 22 Willkie Farr & Gallagher New York 52 915 170 167 111 130 One less disgrunted associate. 23 Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson New York 61 913 151 183 63 182 Five less disgrunted associates. 24 Chadbourne & Parke New York 77 902 170 132 126 172 Close again; more pro bono please. 25 Shearman & Sterling New York 9 899 176 142 72 191 Big gainer but needs better pro bono or associate results. 26 Bingham McCutchen National 26 896 146 149 140 166 Slipped off list: Jack up just one score. 27 Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy New York 42 893 189 117 92 189 Pro bono lags at high-earning firm. 28 Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe San Francisco 29 880 163 115 178 146 Much improved but pro bono still not up to par. 29 Hogan & Hartson Washington, D.C. 21 876 145 171 122 122 On cusp again: Treat associates better or improve diversity. 30 Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky Washington, D.C. 66 870 197 172 46 86 Find another contingency windfall and see Hogan (above). 31 Weil, Gotshal & Manges New York 8 866 182 117 91 177 Slipped off list after pro bono and associate scores sagged. 32 O’Melveny & Myers Los Angeles 13 861 172 135 63 184 Litigation champ needs pro bono increases. 33 Cooley Godward Palo Alto 68 852 139 163 76 172 Anxious associates feel unloved. 34 Kirkland & Ellis Chicago 10 844 186 115 85 157 Hurt by drop in associate score. 35 Stroock & Stroock & Lavan New York 83 838 156 154 83 135 One word: associates. 36 Winston & Strawn National 28 835 111 149 193 122 One word: revenues. 37 Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn Washington, D.C. 139 830 101 168 173 119 See Winston (above). 38 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Los Angeles 14 829 187 103 163 86 Pro bono and diversity not at world-class levels. 39 Goodwin Procter Boston 69 828 132 162 159 81 Pick up revenue or diversity. 40 Alston & Bird Atlanta 50 813 103 164 198 81 Top score in Atlanta; needs revenue boost. 41 Hale and Dorr Boston 60 808 145 156 135 71 De-listed after across-the-board drop; Wilmer merger may lead to return. 42 Pillsbury Winthrop San Francisco 39 800 141 132 89 165 Other than diversity, all three categories could use a boost. 43 Greenberg Traurig National 20 799 128 110 172 151 Turbo-charge RPL and pro bono. 43 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Palo Alto 46 799 156 121 47 198 Associates need TLC, lots of it. 45 Dorsey & Whitney Minneapolis 59 789 83 161 179 122 RPL in bottom half won’t make The A-list. 46 Hunton & Williams Richmond 35 787 101 182 93 128 First-tier pro bono hurt by second-tier rates. 46 Sidley Austin Brown & Wood National 5 787 151 112 119 142 Raise pro bono to top-tier New York level. 48 Ropes & Gray Boston 55 784 161 96 171 99 Raise pro bono to top-tier Boston level. 49 Dewey Ballantine New York 48 781 156 129 43 168 Stroock squared: poor associate score. 49 Schulte Roth & Zabel New York 76 781 182 105 54 153 Pro bono and associate scores trail top-flight revenues. *The total score was calculated by doubling the RPL and Pro Bono scores and adding those to the Associate Satisfaction and Diversity scores. ( The American Lawyer, September 2004)

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