The Top Five Law Firms for Real Estate

The top five firms in Vault’s Best Firms for Real Estate prestige rankings for 2025 are Gibson Dunn; Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP; Greenberg Traurig, LLP; Kirkland & Ellis; and Latham & Watkins.

Gibson Dunn

When it comes to real estate matters, Gibson Dunn is No. 1 in Vault’s practice area rankings. It is also the No. 1 firm in Vault’s Best Law Firms in the Mountain States regional rankings and the No. 4 firm in both Vault’s General Commercial Litigation and White Collar Defense & Internal Investigation practice areas and the Washington, DC, regional rankings. Rounding out its top five Vault practice area rankings, Gibson Dunn is ranked No. 2 and No. 3 for Appellate Litigation and Antitrust, respectively. Notably, it is the No. 5 Best Firm to Work For with respect to Selectivity, which means that it hires only the best of the best. The firm looks for candidates with a cooperative nature who will fit in with the 1,900 attorneys who have already created a kind and respectful culture. The camaraderie and market rate compensation at Gibson Dunn keep many attorneys at the firm, where they may be promoted to counsel or partner. However, the firm recognizes that BigLaw is not a long-term goal for many lawyers, and partners help associates seeking to exit find opportunities in-house or in the government. With top 25 rankings in 16 Vault practice area rankings and six top 10 regional rankings, including those mentioned above, this No. 10 Vault Law 100 firm is an attractive destination for attorneys seeking to add top-notch experience to their resume.

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

In addition to securing the No. 2 spot in Vault’s Real Estate practice area rankings, Fried Frank places sixth in Vault’s Overall quality-of-life rankings. This high placement confirms associate claims that the culture at Firm Frank is collegial, respectful, and collaborative. Fried Frank is a top 10 firm in six other Best Firms to Work For rankings: Formal Training and Wellness (No. 4), Firm Culture and Satisfaction (No. 9), and Hours and Quality of Work (No. 10). With approximately 750 lawyers, Fried Frank has established offices in New York City; Washington, DC; London; Frankfort; and Brussels. Associates must hit a 2,000-hour billable requirement to qualify for a bonus, and they receive BigLaw compensation to meet the needs of their clients involved in real estate and many other corporate matters. Partnership is a viable goal for associates at Fried Frank, but the firm also offers counsel positions and secondments. Notably, the Career Development Office helps associates find exit opportunities.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

The megafirm Greenberg Traurig has offices in 45 locations. With this extensive worldwide presence, it is the No. 3 firm in Vault’s Real Estate practice area rankings. It is also the No. 2 firm in Vault’s Florida rankings and the No. 3 firm in Vault’s Mountain States rankings. Moreover, it has a high ranking in five other Vault regional categories. The firm is the legal home of 2,650 smart, professional attorneys who enjoy working with each other. Associates must hit the 2,000-hour billable requirement to earn a bonus. Equity partnership may be elusive for many associates, but long-term counsel positions are available. Greenberg Traurig attorneys can leverage their experience to find opportunities as general counsel in-house or at another firm.

Kirkland & Ellis

The No. 4 firm in Vault’s Real Estate rankings, Kirkland & Ellis holds five No. 1 spots (Banking & Financial Services, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, General Corporate Practice, Private Equity, and Products Liability), four No. 2 spots (Energy, Oil & Gas; General Commercial Litigation; M&A; and Tax), one No. 3 spot (Intellectual Property), two No. 4 spots (Antitrust and Real Estate), three No. 5 spots (Appellate Litigation, Environmental Law, and Securities/Capital Markets), and three other top 10 spots in Vault’s practice area rankings. The firm also secures eight top 10 places in Vault’s regional rankings; it is No. 1 in Chicago and the Midwest, No. 2 in Texas, No. 3 in Southern California, and No. 5 in Boston and Northern California. With these placements, Kirkland & Ellis is the No. 6 Vault Law 100 firm in 2025. Its 3,500 lawyers say that the culture is intense, but colleagues are cordial and professional. Kirkland & Ellis attorneys work hard, and the BigLaw pay is first-rate. In addition, the exit opportunities are excellent, with associates lateraling or going in-house. Equity partnership is not likely to be attainable for most associates, but many successful attorneys are promoted to non-equity partner after six years at the firm.

Latham & Watkins

The No. 4 Vault Law 100 firm is the No. 5 firm in Vault’s Bankruptcy/Restructuring, General Corporate Practice, International, M&A, Real Estate, and Tax practice area rankings. It has nine top five rankings: It is the No. 2 firm for Antitrust, Clean Tech/Renewable Energy, Project Finance, and Securities/Capital Markets, and it is No. 3 for Banking & Financial Services; Energy, Oil and Gas; Environmental; Law, Media, Entertainment & Sports; and Private Equity. The firm has earned high prestige ratings in seven Vault regional rankings: Southern California (No. 1); Northern California (No. 2); Chicago (No. 3); Texas (No. 3); Washington, DC (No. 3); Boston (No. 4), and New York (No. 7). Latham & Watkins has 29 offices (12 in the United States) for 3,500 professional, friendly lawyers. Latham & Watkins attorneys must meet a strict 1,900-hour billable requirement to earn a bonus, but they enjoy flexibility to design their own work routine and control their workflow. The odds of making equity partner at Latham & Watkins are not high for associates, but long-term counsel roles and positions at other firms, with clients, and in the government are plentiful.

Fried Frank

Only one of the five best law firms for real estate in the Vault rankings employs fewer than 1,900 attorneys, Fried Frank, and this firm has the highest quality-of-life rankings among the firms on this list. Further examination reveals that the larger firms have high scores in multiple Vault practice area and regional rankings. To complicate the analysis, the number of required billable hours, compensation rates, and career prospects vary among the firms. Because patterns are difficult to discern via firm comparisons, identifying the best firm for practicing any type of law—including real estate law—requires a multiprong approach. Job seekers who rely solely on firm websites to understand the culture may not recognize key characteristics that make the firm a good fit—or not—for them. Therefore, lawyers need to delve deep into firms that practice in their area(s) of interest to identify those with the workplace characteristics most important to them.

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Vault Law can help early career lawyers and laterals identify firms that meet specific expectations. In addition to firm prestige and quality-of-life rankings, which are derived from the responses of approximately 20,000 lawyers who take Vault’s Annual Associate Survey, Vault profiles of participating firms feature associates’ descriptions of daily life at their respective firms. These depictions are trustworthy because the attorneys provide their responses anonymously, and for prestige rankings, attorneys are not allowed to vote for their own firm. We encourage you to begin or extend your research by studying Vault profiles and accessing Vault’s Practice Area, Regional, and Summer Associate Resource Centers.

Best of luck with your legal job search from all of us at Vault Law!