The NLJ 500 is the ranking of the nation's 500 largest firms based on head count. Published annually in collaboration of the Law.com Compass and The National Law Journal editorial team, this report offers data on where and how the country’s largest law firms are expanding or contracting. The report also includes the LGBTQ Scorecard, the Women In Law Scored and a list of starting salaries among these 500 firms.
This year’s NLJ 500 data shows growing head count in 2022 across practice areas, despite economic headwinds. The majority of the firms surveyed for the latest NLJ 500 reported moderate head count growth, averaging 3.9% gains compared to a 1.8% increase in 2021. Looking at female attorney ranks, women comprised almost 24% of equity partners, about 27% of partners and nearly half of associates. With 227 firms reporting, Chicago-based Jenner & Block once again took the top slot on the LGBTQ Scorecard, with just over 12% of their legal employees self-reporting on the LGBTQ spectrum.
Below you will find The 2023 NLJ 500 along with analysis about these firms’ growth trajectories, DE&I data points, and staffing trends of law firms across the U.S. The past three years of NLJ 500 reports can be found at the bottom of this page.
"We don't just want to celebrate great numbers, we want to celebrate people having great lives and careers," women law firm leaders say about promoting female attorneys in this year's NLJ 500 Women's Scorecard.
From transformative mergers, to big head count growth at Kirkland & Ellis and declines at Jones Day, here are some of the most noteworthy moves within the NLJ 500.
Check out one of our newer additions to the NLJ500, the LGBTQ scorecard! A list which offers some insight into the impact open sexual and gender minorities have in some of the nation's largest law firms.
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