Chambers and Partners Releases the Chambers USA Guide 2021: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business

NEW YORK, May 20, 2021, Chambers and Partners, the world's leading research and analytics firm for the legal profession, today published its Chambers USA 2021 rankings of the top lawyers and law firms across the United States. Chambers USA is the definitive and most comprehensive resource guide for businesses seeking information on external legal counsel in the country.

Highlighting the American legal market's outstanding practitioners across all 50 states and nationally, this year's edition includes over 8,000 firm rankings and almost 22,000 attorney rankings in over 2,000 commercial, civil and regulatory practice areas.

The Chambers USA 2021 guide was the first to be researched entirely remotely and is the product of seven months of in-depth research with law firms, clients and third parties, including almost 35,000 market responses and reviews of more than 10,000 submissions. 

Significant areas of new coverage include new tables for leading SPAC capital-raising experts, attorneys assisting clients who have experienced high-profile data breaches,

and both firms and individuals advising clients on enforcing international arbitration judgements. 

"Ranking opportunities for small firms, women and young lawyers, and attorneys from underrepresented backgrounds have increased annually," said Chambers USA Editor Toby Eccleshall. "Our inclusive approach to research and rankings has seen significant numbers of women attorneys, younger partners, and associates earn recognition, as the research team spoke to an ever more diverse range of sources and encouraged equal gender representation among references. Going forward, we will continue to put diversity and inclusion at the core of our research operations."

The Chambers USA 2021 guide includes 572 new Up-and-Coming rankings, which represents a 79% growth on last year, and 220 new Associate rankings, a 182% growth on last year. Women lawyers now comprise 45% of all Up-and-Comers and 50% of all Associates ranked.

Last year saw unprecedented disruption amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with thousands of law firms and law courts transitioning overnight to remote operations. Research this past year shows that firms saw increasing regulatory oversight and enforcement as a key area of concern, with significant growth in government-facing legal practice areas. Additionally, private equity and M&A practices saw a greater level of work at the end of 2020, borne partly out of pent-up demand and fear of future tax hikes, is reflected in greater number of rankings and coverage in corporate, private equity and wider transactional areas of research. 

Chambers USA ranking decisions are made collaboratively by research analysts and U.S. deputy editors. Rankings are also determined through an assessment of work identified on a firm's submission, along with external feedback on the firm's service and an emphasis on opinions provided by clients. 

Chambers USA covers all 50 U.S. states and also includes regional rankings in a number of states, including New York, California, Pennsylvania and Missouri. In each state, leading law firms are ranked in at least four areas of law: Corporate/Commercial, Labor & Employment, Litigation, and Real Estate, with more than 50 different practice areas/sectors covered overall on a state and national level. State-level rankings are based upon the location in which a firm or lawyer practices regardless of client or deal/case location.

For more information, visit the Chambers and Partners methodology web page.

Chambers and Partners is the leading independent research company delivering detailed rankings and insight into the world's leading lawyers, employing a team of over 200 researchers who conduct tens of thousands of interviews a year with in-house counsel and third-party experts to delivering detailed insight into providers of legal services. Chambers empowers organizations to make informed decisions when selecting legal services, saving time and resources and reducing risk.