Clifford Chance’s (CC’s) steady progress up the benchmark Vault 100 survey of the most prestigious firms in the US has gone into reverse, with the firm slipping seven places down the table.

The latest Vault survey, which is, based on a poll of 12,000 US lawyers, ranks the firm in 32nd place, down from its ranking of 25th last year. It is the first time the firm has gone down the table since it entered it in 1998.