Biglaw Firms May See Prestige Ranking Scores Take A Hit Thanks To Piss-Poor Deals With Trump

What do associates at major law firms care about more than money? Prestige, of course. But in times like these, when Biglaw firms are signing away their very legacies to appease Donald Trump’s unconstitutional whims, being a leader when it comes to compensation may not be enough to rescue a firm’s floundering prestige.

Within the next few weeks, Vault’s closely watched industry prestige rankings will be released, which got us to wondering how the noxious nine — i.e., the firms that signed dreadful deals in an effort to kowtow to Trump’s unlawful demands — will be affected when it comes to their placement in this year’s line up. With repeated comparisons to 1930s Germany in our own survey concerning Biglaw’s response to Trump’s executive orders threatening the legal profession, it should really give you a sense of how people feel about these once illustrious firms.

Vault’s associate survey is typically conducted from January through March, which means that several of these firms could very well be impacted by their dastardly decisions (and if not this year, then they’ll certainly face the consequences near year).

So, how did Paul Weiss; Skadden; Willkie Farr; Milbank; Kirkland & Ellis; Latham & Watkins; Simpson Thacher; A&O Shearman; and Cadwalader place in the 2025 edition (ranked in 2024) of the Vault 100? Six of the firms were ranked in or just outside of the Top 10 — Skadden at No. 3; Latham at No. 4; Kirkland at No. 6; Paul Weiss at No. 8; Simpson at No. 9; and Milbank at No. 13 — with the rest scattered throughout or just outside of the Top 50 (Willkie at No. 35; A&O at No. 47; and Cadwalader at No. 53). We imagine that at least a few of those Top 10 firms may see their ranking take a blow, even if a slight one.

On the flip side of the coin, we’ve got firms that are courageously fighting the good fight for the rule of law and lawyers everywhere by refusing to bend a knee to Trump. Those firms — Perkins Coie; Jenner & Block; WilmerHale; and Susman Godfrey — are engaged in legal warfare against the MAGA administration, and they’re already on a winning streak. Last year, Vault ranked the majority of those firms within or just outside of the Top 30 (Wilmer at No. 26; Susman at No. 28; Perkins at No. 31), with Jenner bringing up the rear at No. 63. We believe that these firms may see a rankings boost this year thanks to their dedication to justice, which by our measure is the most prestigious currency in the legal profession right now.

Will any of our prestige predictions come true? Stay tuned for our coverage on the release of the 2026 edition of the Vault 100 to find out.

Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

The post Biglaw Firms May See Prestige Ranking Scores Take A Hit Thanks To Piss-Poor Deals With Trump appeared first on Above the Law.