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SNAPSHOTS OF THE AM LAW 100
| The Am Law 100 Lawyers |
| City |
2002 |
1992 |
Change |
| New York |
16,623 |
9,918 |
68% |
| Washington, D.C. |
10,549 |
6,319 |
67% |
| Los Angeles |
3,938 |
3,535 |
11% |
| Chicago |
4,759 |
3,801 |
25% |
| San Francisco |
2,525 |
2,022 |
25% |
| Boston |
2,443 |
905 |
170% |
| Silicon Valley |
2,148 |
530 |
305% |
| Houston |
2,074 |
1,359 |
53% |
| Atlanta |
2,055 |
549 |
274% |
| Dallas |
1,895 |
683 |
177% |
| Philadelphia |
1,570 |
722 |
117% |
| San Diego |
653 |
219 |
198% |
| Miami |
649 |
228 |
185% |
| Pittsburgh |
641 |
425 |
51% |
| Cleveland |
618 |
846 |
-27% |
| Other U.S. Cities |
10,763 |
5,489 |
96% |
| Outside the U.S. |
9,200 |
2,187 |
321% |
| Total |
73,103 |
39,737 |
84% |
| Profits Per Equity Partner: Gainers |
| A steady stream of litigation work propelled some of 2002's biggest increases in profits per equity partner. |
| Firm |
Change from 2001 |
Explanation |
| Dickstein Shapiro |
82.10% |
Contingency fees from a big antitrust suit. |
| Shearman & Sterling |
34.20% |
Benefited from comparison to a weak 2001. |
| Kelley Drye |
29.60% |
Strong results from litigation. |
| Mintz, Levin |
29.40% |
Equity partnership shrank by 12 percent. |
| Jenner & Block |
27.20% |
Strong results from litigation. |
| Law firm search links provided by Martindale-Hubbell. |
| Profits Per Equity Partner: Decliners |
| Three of the firms with the biggest decreases in profits per partner in 2002 are based in the San Francisco area. |
| Firm |
Change from 2001 |
Explanation |
| Brobeck |
-38.60% |
A crushing expense load that killed the firm. |
| Womble Carlyle |
-16.80% |
End of a multiyear contingency fee payout. |
| Gray Cary |
-10.70% |
Slow collections and high overhead. |
| Thelen Reid |
-8.90% |
The equity partnership grew by 20 percent. |
| Cravath |
-8.20% |
Hit hard by the M&A drought. |
| Law firm search links provided by Martindale-Hubbell. |
| Revenue Per Lawyer: Gainers |
| Among the firms with the largest increase in revenue per lawyer in 2002 is the now-defunct Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison. |
| Firm |
Change from 2001 |
Explanation |
| Dickstein Shapiro |
36.40% |
Contingency fees from a big antitrust suit. |
| Brobeck |
26.50% |
Lawyers defected from the dying firm. |
| Shearman & Sterling |
21.00% |
Benefited from comparison to a weak 2001. |
| Akin Gump |
13.70% |
Strong results in litigation and employment work. |
| Kilpatrick Stockton |
13.40% |
Busy with a big arbitration case. |
| Law firm search links provided by Martindale-Hubbell. |
| Revenue Per Lawyer: Decliners |
| Three of the firms with the biggest decreases in revenue per lawyer in 2002 are based in New York. |
| Firm |
Change from 2001 |
Explanation |
| Cravath |
-22.30% |
Hit hard by the M&A drought. |
| Wilson Sonsini |
-6.50% |
As goes the tech sector, so goes Wilson. |
| Cleary, Gottlieb |
-5.00% |
Less leverage than many similar firms. |
| Debevoise & Plimpton |
-3.40% |
Expanded head count during 2002. |
| Covington & Burling |
-3.30% |
FY ends 9/30, excluding late collections. |
| Law firm search links provided by Martindale-Hubbell. |
| Moving Onto The 100 |
| Four Second Hundred firms advanced to The Am Law 100 in 2002. |
| Firm |
Explanation |
| Dickstein Shapiro |
Contingency fees from a big antitrust suit. |
| Drinker Biddle |
Beefed up offices outside Philadelphia. |
| Kelley Drye |
Strong results from litigation. |
| Patton Boggs |
A good year for lobbying and regulatory work. |
| Law firm search links provided by Martindale-Hubbell. |
| Moving Off The 100 |
| Four firms from last year's Am Law 100 are not on this year's list. |
| Firm |
Explanation |
| Buchanan Ingersoll |
A 5.4 percent drop in head count led to a drop in gross revenue. |
| Quarles & Brady |
Slow growth in this firm's Milwaukee base. |
| Swidler Berlin |
A 3.4 percent drop in head count led to a drop in gross revenue. |
| Testa, Hurwitz |
Continuing trouble in the tech sector. |
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