In the quarter-century since The American Lawyer began tracking the nation’s 100 largest law firms, total gross revenue for that cohort has multiplied more than tenfold, from $7 billion to $71 billion. In nominal terms the average Am Law 100 PPP has more than quadrupled, from $324,500 to about $1.4 million. Providing fodder to those who see a widening class divide, the average Am Law 100 partner earned 11.3 times the average American employee’s compensation in 1986, and 23.4 times that benchmark in 2010, the last year for which data is available.
Much has changed in the surrounding culture since The Am Law 100 was introduced, but when our story begins, the basic dynamics of the law firm business were already in place. In 1986 (our financial base year), L.A. Law went on the air, and Cravath, Swaine & Moore raised starting salaries from $53,000 to $65,000. In 1987 (when the Am Law 100 survey was first published), Scott Turow wrote Presumed Innocent, and Baker & McKenzie was nearing the 1,000-lawyer mark. The top firms were big and rich, and rapidly getting bigger and richer. A twenty-fifth anniversary look at where The Am Law 100 started, where it is today, and what happened along the way.
Complete coverage :: The Am Law 100
THE FEATURES
Trending Stories
-
- 25 Years of the Am Law 200: Is Size as a Strategy a Winning Formula?
- People, Places & Profits, Part III: Are Law Firm Financial Metrics Keeping Pace With Inflationary Growth?
- What Associates Really Think: A Deep Dive on Lawyer Satisfaction, Professional Development and How Firms Are Rethinking Talent Management
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates P.C.75 Ponce De Leon Ave NE Ste 101Atlanta, GA 30308(470) 294-1674www.garymartinhays.comLaw Offices of Mark E. Salomone2 Oliver St #608Boston, MA 02109(857) 444-6468www.marksalomone.comSmith & Hassler1225 N Loop W #525Houston, TX 77008(713) 739-1250www.smithandhassler.comPresented by BigVoodoo
More From ALM
View Now
View Now
View Now
Dallas, TX
Join General Counsel and Senior Legal Leaders at the Premier Forum Designed For and by General Counsel from Fortune 1000 Companies
Learn More
New York, NY
Honoring outstanding legal achievements focused at the national level, largely around Big Law and in-house departments.
Learn More
New York, NY
Join General Counsel and Senior Legal Leaders at the Premier Forum Designed For and by General Counsel from Fortune 1000 Companies
Learn More
Associate attorney position at NJ Immigration Law firm: Leschak & Associates, LLC, based in Freehold, NJ, is looking for a full time ass...
Apply Now ›
Javerbaum Wurgaft, a large civil litigation firm with nine (9) offices, seeks: Plaintiff Personal Injury Attorney for Northern New Jersey of...
Apply Now ›
Exciting Career Opportunities at Nuzzo & Roberts! Nuzzo & Roberts, a leading mid-sized insurance defense firm based in Cheshire, CT...
Apply Now ›