Identifying Potential Law Firm Employers
Researching law firms requires the right tool for the right job. Large law firms require a different research approach than mid-size and small firms. The resources linked here will help you locate information about all types of law firms, as well as other resources that will be helpful along the way.
Locating Large Law Firm Employers
The Am Law 100 and 200 are published by the American Lawyer annually. They provide a list of the 200 highest grossing law firms in the United States and break down the information by several different financial metrics. Access the current Am Law 100 and the current Am Law 200. Prior years of the Am Law 100 and 200 are available through Lexis.
Locating Mid-Size Law Firm Employers
The NLJ 500 is published by the National Law Journal. While the NLJ 500 does cover the 500 largest law firms, it is a good place to start looking at mid-size law firms in the United States. The NLJ 500 provides information on market mobility, growth and retention, diversity and other key metrics.
The Law.com Mid-Market Report website publishes news specifically about mid-size law firms. It can help you both identify mid-size firms and keep up to date about legal trends in the mid-size law firm market.
Locating Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners, and Boutique Law Firms
There are several law firm directories available online to assist with searching for smaller firms and solo practitioners. While it is often easier to locate information about large and mid-size law firms, these directories can still be helpful to your search. The West Legal Directory and the Lexis Attorney Directory are both good places to start and available through you Westlaw and Lexis Law School Access. Other directories are listed below under Additional Resources.
Following legal news in the region you would like to practice can provide insight on the small firms and solo practitioners practice in that area. Likewise, following trade publications surrounding your practice are interests, such as IP, immigration, labor and employment, among others, can alert you to boutique firms practicing in these areas. Start with the Law.com regional publications like the New York Law Journal, the Delaware Law Weekly, or the Texas Lawyer. Also look at Law360.com (available through the Lexis News Hub) to locate great newsletters on practice specific areas.
Researching for the Application Process
The law firm's website, legal news and trade publications, law firm blogs, and legal industry news are all great places to locate general information about law firms. For legal news, start with Law.com or Law360 and and search for a specific law firm or attorney or limit by practice area to see what is happening in that part of the legal industry. Law360 has great content on both the Legal Industry and Legal Ethics.
For smaller and mid-size law firms, the law firm's website is your best bet for finding information about key cases and clients. You can also do limited searches of state and local court dockets. Check Bloomberg Law for the most comprehensive state docket coverage, but reach out to a librarian for more targeted assistance if needed. For mid-size or larger law firms, especially those involved in litigation, using Legal Analytics tools can help you see information about current and prior cases, key clients, courts they typically appear before, and other metrics. Check out Westlaw Litigation Analytics, Lexis Litigation Analytics, and Bloomberg Law Litigation Analytics.
Researching for the Interview
Once you know who you are interviewing with, you need to do some research on each person so that you can have a conversation personalized to them. For attorneys, check the law firm's website for their practice area, then search legal news, dockets, litigation analytics, and LinkedIn to learn about their key clients and cases. For law firm administrators, learn about the legal industry and market where they are located, as well as what the firm's main practice areas are from sources the law firm website, legal news, and law firm blogs.
The same sources apply here:
Do a deep dive on the law firm and any individual you will be meeting. Relate your research results to your own interests and experiences.
Additional Resources
Industry Surveys and Rankings
Legal Directories
Legal News and Trade Publications
Litigation Analytics
Court Dockets
Other Resources
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