When the stakes were high, the 20 law firms featured in this year’s special report delivered — winning big in federal and state appeals courts across the country. They won landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions on closely watched cases including those over affirmative action, patent infringement and a labor dispute. They also represented some of the most well-known companies in the land, among them Bank of America Corp., Chevron Corp. and the National Football League. These are their stories.