Hughes Hubbard & Reed leads The American Lawyer’s list of top Big Law firms for U.S. pro bono commitment, and Dechert beats other firms its for international pro bono work, according to our latest survey. The rankings are a shakeup of last year’s list; some firms say that they made a determined effort to improve, while others found themselves inundated with billable work.
The top 10 for U.S. pro bono includes familiar names, including Jenner & Block, Arnold & Porter and Paul Hastings, but each of those consistently high performers saw their score drop several points this year. Jenner & Block, No. 1 for the past two years, dropped to seventh place, Arnold & Porter to fifth and Paul Hastings to sixth, while Irell & Manella, which in recent years had been floating around in the middle of the pack, jumped up 44 spots to second place.
