Best Midsize Law Firms to Work For
Associates at midsize law firms assessed their own firms on a range of workplace issues related to career development, job satisfaction, and quality of life. Vault's 2025 Rankings are derived from Vault's Annual Associate Survey conducted from January 2024 through March 2024.
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2025 Best Midsize Law Firms for Transparency
Susman Godfrey
It doesn’t get better for litigators than working at Susman Godfrey, an elite litigation boutique with four offices and only approximately150 partners and associates. Junior associates are given immediate responsibility and treated like future partners. Susman is known for innovation, including contingency fee arrangements when representing both plaintiffs and defendants. Despite long hours and intense work, the firm is social and rewards its associates with high compensation and bonuses. Firm-hosted retreats are notable perks.
SCORE 9.538
2024 Ranking
#1
Bookoff McAndrews PLLC
Based in Washington, DC, Bookoff McAndrews focuses on patent counseling and prosecution for technology companies. Founded in 2012, this patent boutique has been recognized by Chambers and Forbes, among others, for its stellar work as a top intellectual property firm. BoMc celebrates the outside interests of its attorneys, and embraces work-life balance as much as possible in a busy practice; this is evident in its high positions in multiple Best Midsize Law Firms to Work For rankings.
SCORE 9.452
2024 Ranking
#3
Shartsis Friese LLP
Almost 50 years old, Shartsis Friese opened its doors in San Francisco as an alternative to large national law firms. It has grown to over 60 attorneys who specialize in the areas of corporate law, litigation, estate planning, real estate, taxation, and venture capital. The firm’s low turnover model creates familiarity and continuity for clients, who appreciate the personal service. Clients also like the firm’s commitment to lower billing rates.
SCORE 9.333
2024 Ranking
#4
Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C.
Adam Leitman Bailey is a top New York real estate firm that is still managed by its founder and is home to approximately two dozen attorneys. The firm is known for the stellar litigation skills of its lawyers and their ability to get a deal done. Clients range from individuals to cooperatives and from condos to developers. A cherished rite of passage for first-year associates is the gift of a new suit when they pass the bar.
SCORE 9.100
2024 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Tonkon Torp LLP
The reach of Oregon-based firm Tonkon Torp extends far beyond its home state. The firm has represented some of the largest and most influential companies in the world, including Portland General Electric, sneaker giant Nike, and real estate mammoth Blackstone. Attorneys at Tonkon Torp cover a full range of practice areas, including bankruptcy, corporate, cannabis, employment, environmental, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, and tax. Best Lawyers in America® named six Tonkon attorneys as 2019 Portland Lawyers of the Year.
SCORE 8.933
2024 Ranking
#9
Harrity & Harrity LLP
Harrity & Harrity is a patent firm that focuses on electrical and mechanical technologies. The firm services many high-profile clients, including Fortune 500 companies, and it takes pride in serving its clients for the long haul. Harrity’s patent attorneys have experience in a broad range of industries, from aerospace to health care to financial services and more. Associates experience great work-life balance here, as the firm operates on a production-based compensation system rather than the billable hour.
SCORE 8.625
2024 Ranking
#2
Stotler Hayes Group LLC
Stotler Hayes is a midsized law firm with a national presence. It has an exclusive clientele of healthcare providers, including long-term care providers such as nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and sub-acute hospitals. The firm has a collaborative culture, billing and compensation policies that support work-life balance, and over a decade of experience succeeding as a fully remote attorney team.
SCORE 8.550
2024 Ranking
#10
Caldwell
A go-to firm for high-growth startups and early-stage technology companies, Caldwell is renowned for its pioneering work in Life Sciences, Technology, Litigation, and Corporate practices with a mighty roster of accomplished attorneys, patent agents, and technical specialists. The firm works across offices and departments to provide a holistic, multidisciplinary approach that equates to success for their clients. Caldwell is known for its innovative work with Life Sciences and Technology companies.
SCORE 8.412
2024 Ranking
#5
Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.
Robinson Bradshaw is a growing firm of more than 170 attorneys, with four offices operating in and around North Carolina. Prospective associates are expected to work primarily from one of the firm’s offices, but those who do have a strong chance of making partner so long as they stick around (and that is what they want for their career). With no billable-hour requirement and with lockstep compensation, it’s no wonder Robinson Bradshaw stands out in career outlook, hours, satisfaction, associate/partner relations, and firm culture.
SCORE 8.409
2024 Ranking
#7
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
Founded in the Bay Area in 1962 with three attorneys, Farella Braun + Martel LLP is now a midsize firm and home to over 120 attorneys. It enjoys a solid reputation for corporate transactions and complex commercial litigation, particularly impressive credentials in the renewable energy industry, and—uniquely—a wine industry team in [its] Napa Valley office serving vintners and distributors. The firm has been nationally recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers, Law360, and Benchmark Litigation.
SCORE 8.300
2024 Ranking
#8
Beveridge & Diamond, P.C.
Established in 1974 by attorneys with ties to the Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Beveridge & Diamond excels nationally in environmental law. It has earned recognition from Vault and Chambers, among other rankings organizations. The firm, which has more than 120 attorneys in seven offices, represents clients on a diverse array of environmental issues. It handles litigation, transactional matters, regulatory issues, and international concerns.
SCORE 8.200
2024 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Hooper, Lundy & Bookman PC
Hooper Lundy is the largest firm in the country dedicated exclusively to representing healthcare clients. The firm is well-suited for associates who thrive in a team-oriented culture and want early hands-on experience under the guidance of dedicated mentors. The firm is also a certified provider of continuing legal education and provides in-house legal training on healthcare issues that is not available to the general bar.
SCORE 8.067
2024 Ranking
#13
The Cavanagh Law Firm, PA
The Cavanagh Law Firm takes pride in maintaining the same principles upon which it was founded more than 20 years ago: hard work, quality, integrity, and superior client service. With two offices in Arizona and at about 30 attorneys strong, the firm provides legal services in dozens of practice areas, including commercial litigation and ADR, labor and employment, health care, insurance defense, family law, tax law, and more.
SCORE 8.000
2024 Ranking
#Not Ranked
McNeill PLLC
McNeill is the ultimate haven for patent attorneys seeking maximum flexibility. The firm is fully remote and allows attorneys to set their own billable-hours goal, which results in associates who are very pleased with their work-life balance. And while the firm prioritizes the needs of attorneys and staff, it certainly isn’t lacking in the quality of work and caliber of clients served. The firm is well regarded for its IP work, even despite its relatively young age.
SCORE 7.941
2024 Ranking
#15
Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP
Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila brings its trial and transactional expertise to clients from coast to coast, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Ann Arbor, and Los Angeles/Irvine. Whether for an individual or Fortune 500 client, the firm handily navigates disputes and deals across a variety of industries—including health care and life sciences, financial services and asset management, telecommunications and technology, and many more.
SCORE 7.929
2024 Ranking
#20
Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP
Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP has been part of the New York City legal scene since 1854 and counts Franklin D. Roosevelt as a firm alumnus. Although many of its legal projects involve its home city, the firm offers many types of legal counsel to international companies wishing to do business in the United States. The firm advises clients ranging from financial institutions and medical and biotech companies to alternative energy companies and, high-net-worth individuals and families.
SCORE 7.917
2024 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC
With just over 60 attorneys, Lightfoot, Franklin & White is a litigation boutique with roots in Alabama but a strong reach across the U.S. Over the past 30 years, the firm’s lawyers have spent more than 4,400 days at trial. Lightfoot encourages its attorneys to gain broad experience. Attorneys embrace a specialization, while also gaining broader experience across areas. The firm notes that this approach makes it more “nimble” and better able to serve its clients’ ever-changing needs.
SCORE 7.909
2024 Ranking
#19
Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP
Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell is a litigation boutique known for going to trial nationwide and winning on behalf of its high-profile clients in industries including manufacturing, telecommunications, energy, and services. Associates feel valued and enjoy being able to tackle substantive work from the start in the firm’s collegial, social environment. The firm and its attorneys have been recognized by the likes of U.S. News—Best Lawyers, Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, and The National Law Journal.
SCORE 7.821
2024 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
Neal Gerber serves clients from a single office in Chicago, with practices in intlellectual property, litigation, business, and private wealth. The firm has a diverse client base, with a few notable examples including AOL, Beats Electronics, Citigroup, Hyatt, Illinois Tool Works, Match.com, Northern Trust, Polaroid, and United HealthCare. When they aren't working on billable matters, the firm's attorneys are proud to dedicate time to pro bono and community service throughout the Second City.
SCORE 7.652
2024 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Desmarais LLP
Founded in 2010 by former Kirkland & Ellis attorney John Desmarais, Desmarais LLP focuses primarily on trial and appellate-level intellectual property litigation, including matters involving patent infringement, counterfeiting, trademark, and trade dress, and the firm handles both plaintiff and defense cases. Clients range from Fortune 100 companies to individuals and include major names such as Apple, IBM, Enzo Biochem, and GSK. Desmarais eschews the traditional billable hour model; the firm works with clients to set fee arrangements that best fit a client’s needs.
SCORE 7.607
2024 Ranking
#24
Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP
Headquartered in Chicago, Marshall, Gerstein & Borun is an intellectual property firm that works with clients on six continents. The firm has participated in numerous Supreme Court cases related to IP law since its founding in 1955 and has been recognized as a leader in its field by major publications. Firm attorneys hold degrees in science or engineering—in addition to their juris doctorates—to ensure the best possible representation for their clients.
SCORE 7.550
2024 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Caplin & Drysdale
For almost 60 years, Caplin & Drysdale has carved out a niche in tax and tax-related services to companies, organizations, and individuals in the U.S. and around the world. About 65 attorneys across two offices also provide guidance in the areas of bankruptcy, complex litigation, corporate law, employee benefits, political law, and white collar defense.
SCORE 7.545
2024 Ranking
#17
Morrison Cohen LLP
Founded in 1984, Morrison Cohen’s 125-plus lawyers operate out of a single office in midtown Manhattan. Known for their corporate work in particular, Morrison Cohen also has highly respected labor & employment and business litigation practices. Morrison Cohen makes our list of the Best Midsize Firms in New York, Best Midsize Firms for Diversity, and the National Law Journal’s Midsize Hot List.
SCORE 7.538
2024 Ranking
#25
DTO Law
A tech savvy boutique firm that can compete with any BigLaw firm for any project, anywhere in the United States.
SCORE 7.444
2024 Ranking
#Not Ranked
Irell & Manella LLP
Irell & Manella has been around since 1941 and has resisted any temptation to engage in outrageous expansion efforts, so that it has maintained a small to midsize firm feel. The firm has only three offices—two in Southern California and one in Washington, D.C.—and only 70 attorneys, and does exemplary work in the areas of intellectual property litigation and general business litigation.
SCORE 7.385
2024 Ranking
#Not Ranked
