Life as a DC lawyer may be especially challenging right now due to the whims and fancies of the current administration, but for many lawyers, Washington is the place to be if they want to do work related to the government, be it litigation, transactional, or even lobbying. But which firms are considered the best in the nation’s capital?
Thanks to Vault’s recently released regional rankings, we now know which Biglaw firms are dominating the legal scene in DC. This ranking is based on votes tabulated from associates who were asked to rate firms on a 1 to 10 scale based on their prestige within the region.
Here are the top 10 most prestigious firms in Washington, DC (you can see the full list from Vault by clicking here):
- Covington & Burling
- Williams & Connolly
- Latham & Watkins
- Gibson Dunn (+1)
- Kirkland & Ellis (+1)
- Skadden (-2)
- WilmerHale (+4)
- Cravath (not ranked in 2026)
- Hogan Lovells (-1)
- Arnold & Porter
There was some interesting movement in the ranking, in that WilmerHale, one of the firms fighting against Trump’s executive order, moved up quite a bit, while Paul, Weiss, the very first firm to make a deal with Trump, dropped out of the Top 10 entirely, landing at No. 13. It looks like defending the rule of law is one of the most prestigious things a firm can do in DC these days.
Congrats to all of the Biglaw firms that made the latest edition of Vault’s Washington, DC rankings. How did your firm do this time? Email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog to let us know how you feel.
Best Law Firms in Washington, DC (2027) [Vault]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of 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.
