Top 150 Under 150

Looking for a career at a top law firm, but wary of being a small fish in a big pond? Consider a firm from Vault’s Top 150 Under 150. For some lawyers, working at a small or midsize firm has provided greater opportunities for early responsibility, a higher quality of life, and increased chances for making partner than are available at many BigLaw firms.

To determine the Top 150 Under 150, Vault first developed a list of the best-known and most sought-after U.S. firms with 150 attorneys or fewer. Our editorial and research teams pored through Vault survey data, news stories, trade journals, and other legal publications; spoke with lawyers in the field; and reviewed other published rankings. Vault editors also assessed each firm for prestige, quality of life, and professional growth opportunities and then narrowed down the results to come up with a list of 150 law firms known for providing top-notch service and delivering big results.

As it would be impossible—and not particularly helpful—to compare an IP boutique with 30 lawyers in Palo Alto to a full-service firm with 145 attorneys in Boston, the firms are not ranked. Rather, the Top 150 Under 150 is a recognition of notable small and midsize law firms.