The vast majority of law firm rankings depend on revenue, profits, and prestige, and here at Above the Law, we’ve covered just about every one of them. Now comes a new global Biglaw ranking that relies on revenue, number of clients, reputation, awards, and recognition by industry peers — and this time, it was conducted not by a leading legal industry publication, but by a robot.
It seems that ChatGPT, the chatbot that’s taken the legal profession by storm, has stepped into the law firm rankings game. Law.com International recently asked the AI tool to name the most successful law firms in the world. Here are the seven Biglaw firms it came up with on its first try:
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom: A leading global law firm known for its expertise in complex corporate transactions and securities law.
- Sullivan & Cromwell: A prestigious New York-based law firm with a strong reputation in mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, and international finance.
- Cravath, Swaine & Moore: Another highly regarded New York-based law firm known for its expertise in corporate and securities law.
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton: A global law firm with a strong presence in Europe and Asia, known for its expertise in corporate law, finance, and international arbitration.
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett: A prominent law firm based in New York, known for its work in M&A, private equity, and capital markets.
- Latham & Watkins: A leading global law firm with a strong presence in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, known for its expertise in corporate law, finance, and litigation.
- White & Case: An international law firm with a strong presence in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, known for its expertise in cross-border transactions, project finance, and capital markets.
Pardon me, ChatGPT, but it looks like you’ve forgotten quite a few firms. Where’s Kirkland? What about Wachtell? Why aren’t any Magic Circle firms being mentioned? Come on, shouldn’t Davis Polk be here? Maybe Paul Weiss, too? It took our new robot overlord three more tries to come up with answers about the firms that were left out of its first round of ranking Biglaw elites.
“I apologize for leaving out some important firms in my previous answer,” ChatGPT said, going on to offer some basic facts about the missing firms, and later referring to them as being “among the most successful and prestigious law firms in the world.”
So, why did ChatGPT name the firms it did, and why were so many missing? This was the bot’s response, per Law.com International:
The names of the law firms I mentioned are some of the most well-known and highly regarded law firms in the world. These firms have a long history of providing high-quality legal services and have established a reputation for excellence in their respective fields.
In my response, I aimed to provide a comprehensive list of some of the top law firms globally, and the firms I named are widely regarded as some of the best in the industry. I did not include all law firms as the list would have been too exhaustive, but these firms are a good representation of the top law firms in the world.
And there you have it, just some of the most successful Biglaw firms in the world, according to ChatGPT. Just like its questionable thoughts on prominent Supreme Court cases, the AI bot’s grasp of the best firms on Earth seems a little off. But, at least it’s learning some lawyerly CYA moves, like claiming that a full list of the best Biglaw firms would have been “too exhaustive” to name.
Hello ChatGPT, Which is the Best Law Firm in the World? [Law.com International via American Lawyer]
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 Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
