The Top Five Tax Law Firms

The firms in the 2025 Vault Tax Law prestige rankings are Skadden; Kirkland & Ellis; Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP; Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP; and Latham & Watkins.

Skadden

Receiving approximately 40% of the votes from peer firms, Skadden convincingly captured the top spot in Vault’s 2025 Best Law Firms for Tax Law. This impressive placement leaves no doubt that Skadden is exceptional even among elite firms with stellar tax practices. Attorneys looking to be part of the first-rate 1,700-lawyer team at Skadden can seek a position in 1 of 8 offices in the United States and 13 offices abroad. The firm carries a top 10 ranking for every Vault region in which it has an office: the Mid-Atlantic region (No. 1); the Midwest (No. 3); Chicago (No. 4); New York (No. 4); Southern California (No. 5); Washington, DC (No. 5); Boston (No. 6); Northern California (No. 6); and Texas (No. 9). Skadden is much more than a tax law shop, however. It ranks in Vault’s M&A, Products Liability, Project Finance, and Securities/Capital Markets (No. 3); General Corporate Practice, and Private Equity (No. 4); and Antitrust and Banking/Financial Services (No. 5). Moreover, 10 other Skadden practices are ranked in the Vault top 25. Attorneys who make the cut and join the firm find the people to be friendly but respectful of life outside BigLaw. The billable hour requirement is 1,800, and all pro bono hours are credited to help attorneys meet this criterion. Skadden is clearly a great place to land for new associates, and it a wonderful place for laterals, as indicated by its top five placement in Vault’s Integration of Laterals and Clerks rankings. A lawyer can build a career at Skadden, either as homegrown counsel, which is a stepping stone to partner, or as a highly skilled Skadden-trained attorney working in-house or in the government.

Kirkland & Ellis

The No. 2 Best Firm for Tax Law is the No. 1 firm for Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Banking & Financial Services, General Corporate Practice, and Products Liability in Vault’s prestige rankings and among the top five firms for Energy, Oil & Gas, General Commercial Litigation, and M&A (No. 2); Intellectual Property (No. 3); Antitrust and Real Estate (No. 4); and Appellate Litigation, Environmental Law, and Securities & Capital Markets (No. 5). One of the most influential U.S. law firms, Kirkland and Ellis is currently home to approximately 3,000 attorneys and a large cadre of “colleagues for life.” The connections made through Kirkland coworkers and  alumni form the basis of a promising future, either at the firm as a non-equity partner or in an upwardly mobile position with important clients or within the government. Kirkland attorneys work in 11 U.S. and 8 international firm offices, where they can build their own community by taking advantage of firm-sponsored events and/or by establishing friendships with colleagues on their own. They are not burdened by a billable hour requirement, but they work BigLaw hours—and earn BigLaw pay. They also benefit from the BigLaw prestige bestowed upon them by being a part of an outstanding team with high name recognition among U.S. law firms.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

Sitting at No. 1 in the Vault Law 100, Cravath is one of the oldest and most distinguished law firms in the United States. It is also the No. 3 Best Law Firm for Tax in Vault’s prestige rankings. Cravath has established offices in London, Washington, DC, and New York, where it is headquartered and for which it landed in the No. 1 spot in Vault’s New York regional rankings. Rounding out its list of No. 1 Vault rankings, Securities Litigation is a staple Cravath practice. In addition, the firm holds nine other top 10 Vault practice area rankings: General Commercial Litigation and General Corporate Practice (No. 3); Banking & Financial Services, M&A, and Securities/Capital Markets (No. 4); Antitrust (No. 2); Private Equity (No. 7); and White Collar Defense & Internal Investigations (No. 8). The 750 lawyers working at Cravath can expect to bill 2,500 to 3,000 hours per year, but they do not need to worry about a billable requirement. Similarly, because Cravath sets the pay scale for the industry, firm attorneys need not worry about receiving unrivalled compensation. Collaborating on leanly staffed teams, Cravath attorneys are friendly and professional. Associates rotate through practice areas and thus receive well-rounded experience. Coupled with the firm’s esteemed reputation, this hands-on training enables Cravath attorneys to enjoy limitless opportunities for practice. Cravath offers positions for long-term counsel and non-equity partner roles, and the exit opportunities are excellent.   

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

An established storied firm in both the United States and London, Davis Polk has established two other U.S. offices and six other international offices. The firms lands at No. 4 in Vault’s Tax practice ratings. This accolade represents 1 of 13 top 20 Vault practice area rankings for the firm, including the No. 1 spot in Vault’s Securities/Capital Markets rankings. One thousand attorneys work at the firm, and they appreciate that the firm sponsors social events during work hours so that associates can establish boundaries between their professional and private lives. Colleagues are bright, polite, and helpful, and together, they work at least 2,000 billable hours per year. They handle complex and interesting assignments for high-profile clients, which opens many doors in and out of the firm. Attorneys with a book of business (and some patience) can look to move into equity partnership at the firm, counsel is a viable long-term role at the firm, and the exit opportunities are terrific.

Latham & Watkins

The No. 5 Best Law Firm for Tax Law is Latham & Watkins, which was founded as a tax practice by former IRS commissioner David Latham in 1934. Eighty years later, multiple high-quality practices are recognized by peers in the industry. Today, the firm secures 25 top 15 Vault practice area rankings. In addition, this behemoth holds 14 top 25 Vault quality-of-life rankings and 7 top 10 Vault regional rankings. Notably, it is the No. 6 and No. 10 Best Firm to Work for Selectivity and Formal Training, respectively. Because of the firm’s remarkable breadth and celebrity, becoming 1 of its 3,000 attorneys is not easy. Attorneys who manage to join the ranks, however, report that they receive top compensation for working toward a 1,900-hour billable requirement and can look forward to fantastic career options. For example, they can stay at the firm and work toward partnership, non-equity partnership, or counsel roles or leave to go in-house, to the government, or to a clerkship. Those who choose to stay continue to enjoy the collegial and highly social culture that thrives at Latham.

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The Vault list of top tax firms features established shops in the top 10 of the Vault 100. Attorneys can learn about these and other esteemed firms by reading their Vault profiles, which reveal the prestige level and quality-of-life attributes that many early career and lateral attorneys are seeking. For example, Vault profiles offer descriptions of the quality of work assignments, compensation, hiring practices, and perks based on attorney responses to Vault’s Annual Associate Survey. Most interesting, anonymous comments from attorneys working in these firms in the spring of 2024 enable job-seeking lawyers to understand the nuances of firm culture that data alone cannot convey.

Alternatively, lawyers looking to join a small or midsize firm can find the industry’s best on Vault’s Top 150 Under 150 list. Thus, whether looking for firms in BigLaw, regional shops, specialty boutiques, or midsize stars, attorneys can use Vault rankings, firm profiles, and Practice Area, Regional, and Summer Program Resource Centers to assess the opportunities available. Then, they can use this information to apply to the firms that best fit their professional aspirations.

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