The downward trend continued for Am Law 100 firms in 2009 as more than half (56) posted drops in revenue per lawyer (RPL), 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.
