The downward trend continued for Am Law 100 firms in 2009 as more than half (56) posted drops in revenue per lawyer, our best measure of a firm’s financial health. Four firms had double-digit decreases. Debevoise & Plimpton reported the steepest decline, at 19.1 percent, pushing it out of the top ten. Howrey also posted a 19 percent decrease. Baker & McKenzie was down 11.6 percent. Among gainers, Fish & Richardson had an 11.2 percent uptick, and Cozen O’Connor also showed double-digit growth, at 10.6 percent.

We calculate revenue per lawyer by dividing gross revenue by the number of lawyers. Figures on this chart are rounded to the nearest $5,000. Firms that tied are listed alphabetically. For more details, see “A Guide to Our Methodology,” page 123.

Rank by RPL Firm Rank by number of lawyers 2009 RPL Change in RPL from 2008
1 Wachtell231 lawyers, 86 equity partners 100 $2,530,000 3.1%
2 Sullivan & Cromwell700 lawyers, 167 equity partners 46 $1,420,000 -4.1%
3 Boies, Schiller240 lawyers, 34 equity partners 98 $1,235,000 4.7%
3 Davis Polk684 lawyers, 169 equity partners 49 $1,235,000 2.1%
5 Williams & Connolly236 lawyers, 105 equity partners 99 $1,215,000 4.3%
6 Cravath477 lawyers, 92 equity partners 81 $1,190,000 -1.7%
7 Skadden1,860 lawyers, 435 equity partners 5 $1,130,000 2.3%
8 Milbank, Tweed534 lawyers, 119 equity partners 68 $1,125,000 5.1%
9 Simpson Thacher787 lawyers, 177 equity partners 39 $1,105,000 -2.2%
10 Quinn Emanuel398 lawyers, 77 equity partners 90 $1,055,000 -4.5%
11 Paul, Weiss653 lawyers, 116 equity partners 54 $1,020,000 -4.7%
12 Weil, Gotshal1,212 lawyers, 184 equity partners 14 $1,015,000 -1.9%
13 Gibson, Dunn983 lawyers, 284 equity partners 21 $1,010,000 -2.4%
13 Kirkland & Ellis1,411 lawyers, 270 equity partners 11 $1,010,000 -3.8%
13 Wilmer 933 lawyers, 309 equity partners 25 $1,010,000 -1.5%
16 Cadwalader457 lawyers, 61 equity partners 83 $1,000,000 3.6%
17 Schulte Roth398 lawyers, 85 equity partners 91 $995,000 2.6%
18 Akin Gump725 lawyers, 170 equity partners 42 $990,000 2.6%
18 Fish & Richardson422 lawyers, 110 equity partners 86 $990,000 11.2%
18 Hughes Hubbard280 lawyers, 67 equity partners 97 $990,000 4.8%
18 Proskauer Rose650 lawyers, 164 equity partners 56 $990,000 8.2%
22 Shearman & Sterling815 lawyers, 185 equity partners 37 $985,000 -3.4%
23 Cleary Gottlieb992 lawyers, 192 equity partners 20 $975,000 0.5%
23 Debevoise & Plimpton686 lawyers, 144 equity partners 48 $975,000 -19.1%
23 Finnegan, Henderson358 lawyers, 102 equity partners 95 $975,000 -5.8%
26 Kaye Scholer446 lawyers, 130 equity partners 84 $970,000 7.2%
26 Latham & Watkins1,880 lawyers, 444 equity partners 4 $970,000 6.0%
26 Paul, Hastings917 lawyers, 193 equity partners 27 $970,000 4.3%
29 O’Melveny & Myers861 lawyers, 218 equity partners 31 $960,000 -1.0%
30 Bingham McCutchen922 lawyers, 161 equity partners 26 $930,000 -2.1%
30 Willkie Farr591 lawyers, 134 equity partners 65 $930,000 -7.0%
32 Dechert786 lawyers, 149 equity partners 40 $910,000 -0.5%
32 Kramer Levin322 lawyers, 65 equity partners 96 $910,000 1.1%
34 Fried, Frank469 lawyers, 133 equity partners 82 $905,000 5.2%
35 Covington & Burling653 lawyers, 209 equity partners 55 $895,000 -5.3%
36 Morrison & Foerster1,005 lawyers, 256 equity partners 18 $880,000 0.6%
37 Ropes & Gray904 lawyers, 252 equity partners 29 $875,000 -10.3%
38 Dewey & LeBoeuf1,054 lawyers, 180 equity partners 16 $865,000 6.1%
39 Arnold & Porter613 lawyers, 209 equity partners 60 $855,000 -1.2%
39 Jenner & Block430 lawyers, 128 equity partners 85 $855,000 7.5%
39 McDermott Will968 lawyers, 255 equity partners 22 $855,000 -6.6%
39 Sidley Austin1,588 lawyers, 304 equity partners 9 $855,000 -2.3%
43 King & Spalding796 lawyers, 151 equity partners 38 $850,000 4.9%
44 Wilson Sonsini600 lawyers, 124 equity partners 63 $835,000 -1.2%
44 Winston & Strawn843 lawyers, 184 equity partners 33 $835,000 -2.9%
46 Orrick1,018 lawyers, 187 equity partners 17 $830,000 -2.9%
47 Dickstein Shapiro360 lawyers, 73 equity partners 94 $825,000 0.0%
48 Crowell & Moring419 lawyers, 94 equity partners 87 $810,000 9.5%
48 DLA Piper US1,251 lawyers, 213 equity partners 13 $810,000 -5.3%
48 Morgan, Lewis1,315 lawyers, 263 equity partners 12 $810,000 -1.2%
48 Steptoe & Johnson419 lawyers, 148 equity partners 88 $810,000 -4.1%
48 Vinson & Elkins693 lawyers, 206 equity partners 47 $810,000 -6.4%
53 Cooley Godward628 lawyers, 152 equity partners 58 $805,000 -5.8%
53 Pillsbury Winthrop663 lawyers, 173 equity partners 52 $805,000 0.0%
55 Baker Botts722 lawyers, 186 equity partners 44 $795,000 -3.6%
56 Goodwin Procter835 lawyers, 207 equity partners 35 $790,000 -7.1%
57 Chadbourne & Parke366 lawyers, 80 equity partners 93 $770,000 7.7%
57 Hogan & Hartson1,121 lawyers, 287 equity partners 15 $770,000 -7.8%
59 Sheppard, Mullin479 lawyers, 77 equity partners 80 $755,000 -1.3%
60 Locke Lord532 lawyers, 131 equity partners 69 $750,000 2.7%
61 Sonnenschein655 lawyers, 136 equity partners 53 $720,000 -7.7%
62 Hunton & Williams863 lawyers, 245 equity partners 30 $715,000 2.9%
63 Foley & Lardner937 lawyers, 178 equity partners 23 $710,000 -9.6%
63 Fulbright & Jaworski905 lawyers, 332 equity partners 28 $710,000 -6.6%
65 Howrey683 lawyers, 152 equity partners 50 $705,000 -19.0%
66 Katten Muchin604 lawyers, 140 equity partners 62 $695,000 -7.3%
66 Mintz, Levin398 lawyers, 75 equity partners 92 $695,000 2.2%
66 Shook, Hardy486 lawyers, 107 equity partners 76 $695,000 1.5%
69 Pepper Hamilton484 lawyers, 143 equity partners 77 $690,000 0.0%
69 White & Case1,890 lawyers, 278 equity partners 3 $690,000 -2.1%
71 Greenberg Traurig1,707 lawyers, 292 equity partners 6 $685,000 -1.4%
72 Bracewell & Giuliani409 lawyers, 98 equity partners 89 $680,000 4.6%
73 Mayer Brown1,657 lawyers, 274 equity partners 8 $675,000 -6.3%
73 Venable518 lawyers, 158 equity partners 72 $675,000 0.7%
75 Alston & Bird820 lawyers, 152 equity partners 36 $670,000 -5.6%
76 Reed Smith1,427 lawyers, 315 equity partners 10 $660,000 0.0%
77 Blank Rome490 lawyers, 156 equity partners 74 $655,000 7.4%
78 Nixon Peabody717 lawyers, 214 equity partners 45 $650,000 -7.1%
78 Squire, Sanders838 lawyers, 151 equity partners 34 $650,000 -3.0%
80 Perkins Coie670 lawyers, 137 equity partners 51 $645,000 -1.5%
81 Duane Morris613 lawyers, 130 equity partners 61 $635,000 0.0%
81 Haynes and Boone481 lawyers, 135 equity partners 79 $635,000 1.6%
83 Patton Boggs532 lawyers, 116 equity partners 70 $625,000 -7.4%
83 Seyfarth Shaw723 lawyers, 220 equity partners 43 $625,000 -0.8%
85 Jones Day2,469 lawyers, 797 equity partners 2 $615,000 -6.1%
86 K&L Gates1,705 lawyers, 295 equity partners 7 $605,000 -2.4%
87 Drinker Biddle621 lawyers, 193 equity partners 59 $600,000 -2.4%
88 McGuireWoods856 lawyers, 176 equity partners 32 $595,000 0.0%
89 Faegre & Benson482 lawyers, 235 equity partners 78 $585,000 -4.9%
89 Holland & Knight934 lawyers, 191 equity partners 24 $585,000 -0.8%
91 Troutman Sanders650 lawyers, 180 equity partners 57 $580,000 2.7%
92 Cozen O’Connor505 lawyers, 145 equity partners 73 $575,000 10.6%
92 Dorsey & Whitney596 lawyers, 191 equity partners 64 $575,000 -8.7%
94 Baker & Hostetler582 lawyers, 143 equity partners 66 $565,000 3.7%
94 Davis Wright489 lawyers, 213 equity partners 75 $565,000 2.7%
96 Bryan Cave996 lawyers, 202 equity partners 19 $555,000 -5.1%
97 Edwards Angell530 lawyers, 77 equity partners 71 $540,000 -5.3%
98 Baker & McKenzie3,949 lawyers, 720 equity partners 1 $535,000 -11.6%
99 Husch Blackwell565 lawyers, 170 equity partners 67 $510,000 2.0%
100 Littler Mendelson746 lawyers, 290 equity partners 41 $495,000 2.1%