Law firms with the highest pay. Law firms

In the modern world, you need to be legally savvy in all matters so as not to get into a mess. But everyone cannot be a lawyer, so we turn to true professionals in their field. Unfortunately, it often turns out that people providing legal services are incompetent. Sometimes a lot can depend on this, so pay attention to this moment Special attention. Today we will consider the rating of law firms.

Leader in Dispute Resolution category

This title was won as a result of the Chambers Global international competition, which is held regularly and is the main criterion for evaluating the leading companies in this industry. It should be noted that the criteria are very serious and strict, so you have to try to be among the best. And all law firms want to get this title. The rating allows you to conclude profitable contracts and receive certain subsidies.

The winner in this nomination is YUST, a reputable Russian company. Her debt collection litigation projects are second to none. Specialists also work in other areas of law.

Company "FBK-law"

We continue to consider the rating. Law firms need to grow and develop, so they constantly publish data on completed projects, on the basis of which one can judge their activities. FBK-Pravo is a whole constellation of qualified attorneys and lawyers who have rich experience. The company has been on the market for over 25 years. The company has rich experience in legal support in various industries and banking, chemistry and investments, energy and pharmaceuticals, construction and much more.

Nektorov, Saveliev & Partners (NSP)

It is impossible not to say about this firm, analyzing the existing law firms. The rating allows serving the interests of the largest business projects both domestically and internationally. international level. This is a national company that has sufficient experience to carry out activities in a variety of areas: corporate and commercial practice, markets and banks, litigation and tax practice, real estate. Professionals work here in each of these areas separately.

• Chambers Partners;
• legal 500;
• IFLR1000,
• Best Lawyers;
• Pravo.ru300.

"Knyazev and partners"

We continue to consider law firms. The rating in Russia of one of the leading firms based on the results of Pravo-300 makes it possible to include it in the list without any doubt. It was founded relatively recently, in 2003, but over the years it has become a team of professionals in various areas of law. Today, only certified lawyers work here, each of whom has many years of experience in providing services. Each of them has a unique experience, the exchange of which allows you to constantly improve the level of other employees.

Customers emphasize that it is very convenient to be served here. Specialists strictly observe the regime of confidentiality and individual approach. The absence of templates allows you to feel not just one of many, but the only one for the time allotted to you.

"Allen & Overy"

Considering the latest ratings, one can be surprised to see that the true market leaders, the best law firms in Russia, have disappeared from the lists. general characteristics their activity leaves no doubt that they are still leaders, but they have excluded competition from their activity. Allen & Overy was founded in 1993 and has extensive experience in advising on various transactions.

The uniqueness of the offer lies in the fact that by combining international experience and knowledge of the Russian market, the company's specialists can answer all questions regarding entrepreneurial activity.

Baker & McKenzie

It would be possible to begin the list with this name. Legal companies in Russia rarely reach such a scale. This is the first international company to open its office in Moscow. Over 25 years of work in Russia, she has earned a reputation as a reliable and experienced legal consultant. It is very convenient when lawyers know not only Russian legislation, but also study world experience. More than 150 lawyers work in two offices of the company, including 29 partners, who provide high-quality services.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

According to the ratings of Legal 500, Best Lawyers, the firm confidently occupies a leading position. As true professionals, the company's specialists have mastered several areas at once: mergers and acquisitions, aviation and securities, fuel and energy complex. This is one of the leading international companies, which was founded almost 100 years ago. Practice in Russia began in 1987. Since then, she has been constantly working with representatives of the business class. Anyone can apply for a consultation, regardless of the specifics of the request. If they cannot help you here, they will redirect you to specialists competent in this matter.

Clifford Chance

AND new leader joins the ranks that make up the legal companies of Russia. The list and rating can be used as an informative article. Clifford Chance is one of the leading companies in the world. It combines the highest global standards with specialized experience in local markets. Highly qualified lawyers with rich experience are always ready to offer you an unrivaled depth of knowledge. There are no questions that cannot be answered here.

The company's work is focused on providing quality services in each of the areas of the commercial sector, including capital markets and corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, finance and banking law. Judging by the feedback from customers, the company works with each of them carefully and thoughtfully so that there is no room for mistakes.

Instead of a conclusion

A short review article allowed us to consider only the leaders who provide legal services. Turning to any of them, you can be sure that the specialists will understand the problem and make the best solution. Many simply do not have enough time and energy to be legally literate. Therefore, everyone should mind their own business. And if you have any questions, you can always seek advice from a specialist who has not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical experience.

Year of foundation 1993

Offices Moscow, St. Petersburg, Philadelphia

Managing partners Dmitry Afanasiev, Ilya Nikiforov

Number of employees 102 (54*)

Revenue in 2004$19.4 million

Revenue in 2005$24 million**

“From a certain moment, we have been the most successful law firms with a St. Petersburg residence permit,” said a partner of one of the largest law firms in an interview with Forbes. Founded in 1993 in St. Petersburg, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners has a strong reputation as a firm trusted by the state. Representing the Foreign Ministry, the firm rescued Russian intelligence agents arrested in Qatar, helped the Federal Property Management Agency to return fishing vessels arrested abroad for debts, and the government hired this firm during a dispute with the Moscow authorities over capital real estate. The image does not prevent the company from working with private clients - for example, protecting Ilim Pulp from hostile takeover attempts by the owners of Russian Aluminum and helping Rusal itself acquire enterprises in Africa.

Pepelyaev, Goltsbat & Partners

Year of foundation 2002

Offices Moscow, Saint Petersburg

Managing partners Sergey Pepelyaev, Andrey Goltsblat

Number of employees 170 (100*)

Revenue in 2004$15.6 million

Revenue in 2005$19.5 million**

Tax specialist Sergey Pepelyaev and corporate lawyer Andrey Goltsblat began their careers in the early 1990s. Pepeliaev, Goltsblat & Partners, a law firm founded by them four years ago, managed to break out into the market leaders and even gained much more fame than its “senior” neighbors in the market, not only due to participation in high-profile cases, but also due to aggressive by the standards legal market of information policy. "The best tax consultants in Russia" - this is the opinion of market participants about the firm, which probably causes conflicting feelings among Sergey Pepelyaev and Andrey Goltsblat. It's nice to be considered the best, but the company hopes to be the first not only in this area. Over the past year and a half, the firm's lawyers have provided support for mergers, acquisitions and other business concentration transactions for a total of about $3 billion. Sergey Pepelyaev also participated in the infamous Yukos case. True, as a private lawyer.

Vegas Lex

Year of foundation 1995

Offices Moscow, Volgograd, Krasnodar, Saratov, Ulyanovsk

Managing partner Albert Yeganyan

Number of employees 73 (53*)

Revenue in 2004$5.9 million

Revenue in 2005 year$15.1 million**

According to experts, from 80% to 90% of all money in the Russian market legal services addresses in Moscow. The central directorate of Vegas Lex is also located in Moscow, but the company sees its future in the regions. Now the company has three regional directorates - Volga, South, Nizhnevolzhskaya, and by 2007 the company will be represented in 10 regions. “Two years ago, our obsession with the regions in understanding the rest of the market looked inadequate. Our colleagues said: what are you doing? You have enough money, but why did you decide to spend it in the most stupid way? And now almost all of them open offices in the regions,” laughs Albert Yeganyan, managing partner of Vegas Lex. The ambitious plans of Vegas Lex are not limited to Russia. In the next six months, the company plans to open offices in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The sharp increase in the company's revenue this year is explained by the appearance of RAO UES structures among its clients.

Alrud

Year of foundation 1991

Offices Moscow

Managing partners Vasily Rudomino (pictured right), Maxim Alekseev

Number of employees 53 (29*)

Revenue in 2004$4 million (e)

Revenue in 2005$5 million** (e)

The tanks are entering the city, what are you doing here?” - the notary was perplexed on August 19, 1991, certifying the signatures of Maxim Alekseev and Vasily Rudomino under founding documents firm "Alrud". The young lawyers were not going to wait: they found their first clients already in line at the Registration Chamber. Alrud is not as well known to the general public as other market leaders, but enjoys prestige in the professional community. Among her clients are Pharmacy Chain 36.6 and the international rating agency Moody's Investors Service. In organizing its work, Alrud strives for balance: foreign and Russian companies occupy approximately equal shares of the firm's client portfolio.

Monastyrsky, Zyuba, Stepanov & Partners

Year of foundation 1991

Offices Moscow

Managing partners Yuri Monastyrsky, Vladimir Zyuba, Alexander Stepanov

Number of employees 26 (16*)

Revenue in 2004$3 million(s)

Revenue in 2005$4 million** (e)

The "&" in the official name "Monastyrsky, Zyuba, Stepanov & Partners" hints at a desire to be like a Western law firm. One way or another, this company has a reputation for working with clients from among foreign companies. She is also known as one of the strongest arbitration specialists in the country. Partners at other large law firms like to talk at length about their drive to be a market leader. Yuri Monastyrsky answered the Forbes question about the plans of his company very briefly: "We will work."

Law is a big service based on services. Business, finance, taxation, litigation, corporate affairs, conflicts, patents, copyrights, antitrust, property, labor, arbitration, and administrative, political and social issues require legal expertise (advisory or law enforcement). This article provides short review top law firms based on recent earnings available at the time of this writing. While there are other criteria for ranking law firms (such as revenue per partner/attorney, number of lawyers, or year-over-year percentage growth), annual revenue remains the most accurate, consistent, and easy to follow:

1. Baker & McKenzie: Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Chicago, Baker & McKenzie employs 4,200 lawyers with 77 offices in 47 different countries. It recently surpassed its closest competitor DLA Piper in terms of reported earnings to land in the top slot with $2.54 billion (as of June 2014).
2. D.L.A. Piper: One of the largest global law firms with over 4,200 lawyers, DLA Piper emerged from a multiple merger of several international law firms in 2005. Headquartered in London and Chicago, this firm competes neck and neck for the top slot with $2.48 billion in annual revenue for 2013.
3. Latham & Watkins LLP: Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in 14 countries and over 2,000 attorneys on board, Latham & Watkins ranks third in annual revenue, with a reported $2.226 billion in 2013.
4. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP: or simply Skadden, was founded in 1948. Headquartered in New York State, Skadden has 23 offices around the world with more than 1,600 lawyers. The company's annual revenue was $2. 21 billion in 2013.
5. Clifford Chance LLP: Founded in 1987 through a merger, Clifford Chance is headquartered in London with offices in 26 countries and a roster of over 3,200 lawyers. During 2013-14 his income was £1. 359 billion (about US$2.2 billion). According to the company's website, the main customer groups are "corporations from all commercial and industrial sectors, governments, regulators, trade bodies and non-profit organizations. "
6. Kirkland & Ellis LLP: Kirkland & Ellis LLP was founded in 1909 and prides itself on having a niche set of corporate clients served by corporate, tax, litigation, intellectual and restructuring areas. With over 1,600 lawyers on board, its 2013 revenues were $2.01 billion. USA.
7. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer or simply "Freshfields" is an international law firm based in London with 28 offices and 4,859 employees in 17 countries. His income in 2013 was £1. 23 billion (approximately US$1.92 billion). While the current Freshfields were formed from a merger of British, German and German-Austrian firms in 2000, the earlier Freshfields date back to 1743. It is a member of the coveted "magic circle" of British law firms. > Linklaters LLC
8. : Founded in 1838, Linklaters is another London-based global law firm. It reported revenues of £1.25bn (around £1.98bn) in 2013 and a total workforce of 4,600 across 29 offices in 26 countries. Allen & Overy
9. : Headquartered in London with 46 offices in 32 countries, Allen & Overy is celebrating 84 successful years. As of April 30, 2014, her total revenue was £1.234 billion (about US$1.925 billion). Jones Day
10. : Founded in 1893 in Cleveland, Ohio, Jones Day has over 2,400 attorneys in 41 offices in 19 countries. a full-service law firm in all areas of the practice of law, with recent reported revenues of $1.716 billion.

: Law f Irms can have many practice areas, and leading global firms require experience both locally and globally. The law firms listed above successfully operate their businesses in several practice areas and efficiently manage billions in revenue.

"Kommersant" and the project LegalPractice.Ru publish the results of the study legal business in Russia. We represent the largest Russian law firms (including Russian offices of international firms), as well as recommended firms in certain areas of legal practice.

How we researched

The study was conducted by a survey method. Law firms received questionnaires specially developed by the LegalPractice.Ru project. Respondents are law firms, that is, any legal entities providing legal services, including legal education, business companies and partnerships, as well as groups of persons operating under a single brand. The mailing list is based on open sources, including Russian and international directories of law firms, publications on ratings in which Russian law firms were present, as well as Internet searches. 267 questionnaires were sent out, 143 questionnaires were received, 141 questionnaires were accepted for processing (2 questionnaires were not accepted for processing due to missing the deadline for submitting the questionnaire).

The information obtained from the questionnaires was checked against open sources, in particular through the SPARK system, the respondents' own websites, as well as media information. If discrepancies arose as a result of such a check, the researchers turned to the representatives of the respondent indicated in the questionnaire for clarification, after which they independently made a decision to correct or save the information provided.

At the same time, we are aware that our resources are not large enough for a comprehensive study of the Russian legal services market. Therefore, we ask representatives of law firms that are not included in the rating to assist in the study in the future, including providing their data in a timely and complete manner.

Two quantitative indicators were used to rank law firms: the firm's revenue and the number of firm's lawyers, including partners. Given that in most cases respondents provided data on their revenue on a confidential basis, we do not publish this data. In cases where respondents did not provide revenue data, we independently expert assessment the respondent's estimated revenue, based on the firm's number of lawyers, and the effective hourly rate of law firms of similar reputation and market segment.

Despite the fact that the expert group of the rating compilers consists entirely of professional lawyers, we are adherents of the theory of Adam Smith. Therefore, we evaluate the revenue indicator as the key from the point of view of the economics of the activities of a law firm and the main rating criterion. It demonstrates that the company is in demand in the market, its services are in demand. Other indicators, such as business reputation, qualifications, opinions of customers or colleagues, are subjective, easier to manipulate and therefore, in our opinion, cannot be used to rank market participants.

Only those respondents who provided reliable and verifiable data on revenue and number of lawyers are included in the Law Firm Performance Ranking. Efficiency is calculated as net operating revenue per lawyer—in other words, how much money a professional member of the legal team brings to their firm. At the same time, we did not differentiate into partners, advisers and associates (senior lawyers, middle lawyers, or middle lawyers, and junior lawyers), since in different firms the functionality, competencies and rights of team members are so different that the person who works as a senior lawyer in one firm, may apply for a junior partner (or salaried partner) or advisor position in another firm.

In industry ratings, the monetary approach to determining the leading firms in certain areas of practice is generally retained: as the main criterion, firms' data on revenue by key practices were used and compared with the absolute values ​​of competitors. The weight value of this criterion was estimated as K1 0.7. However, as additional criteria with a weight of K2 0.3, data from international rankings, customer reviews (taking into account the quality of customers and the cost of a client project) were used. All participants in the industry rating were ranked depending on the quality of the K2 criterion. The overall indicator of the rating participant was calculated by determining the specific value of the sum of both coefficients of one rating participant to the sum of the specific values ​​of both coefficients of all participants.

This rating is based on the results of a survey conducted by FutureToday, a partner of Kommersant, among graduates of leading law schools. 362 students and recent graduates of four Moscow universities leading the ranking of law schools were surveyed (see p. 4).

The attractiveness rating shows the results of brand promotion in the labor market, as well as the opinions of potential employees about the quality of the employer. As we can see, Russian law firms have a lot to work on here: the majority of survey participants would like to work in international law firms.

results

1. Given the confidentiality of the data provided by our respondents on the amount of revenue and other performance indicators of the company, we will not comment on how successful the results of the work of specific respondents were compared to the results for 2013. However, as part of a general analysis and comparison with the data of the "Kommersant" rating of law firms in 2013-2014, we note that some of our respondents managed not only to develop qualitatively, opening up new areas of their services to the market, but also to increase (in some cases by 65-70% ) the size of the gross proceeds. The average revenue growth of firms participating in this and last year's ratings is estimated at 19.4%, which is somewhat ahead of the inflation officially recognized by the Russian Ministry of Economy, although it does not fully compensate for the decline in revenues due to the devaluation of the ruble, if we recalculate revenue in US dollars or euros.

2. In a law firm, full partners of the firm are responsible for its development, sale of services, variety of practice areas. We are talking about real partners participating in the distribution of the company's income, and not about hired employees (associates) nominated as a "partner" (in the market such associates are known as partners on a salary). Research shows that the number of full partners is directly proportional to revenue. Separate deviations from this pattern indicate the presence in the company of partners on a salary, for outside world presented as full partners. Of course, senior lawyers and advisers, as well as the same partners on the salary, sometimes do effective work in this direction, but they need to be clearly and unambiguously motivated to work related to the sale of services. The best motivation besides bonuses for attracting a client, of course, is the opportunity to grow to the level of a partner. Thus, firms that want to increase revenue and market share should more actively implement the program of professional growth of colleagues, open new partner positions, and more actively attract partners from other companies with more favorable and transparent partnership conditions.

3. The study showed that when the threshold number of lawyers (not all employees of the firm, but only those involved in the provision of professional services) reaches 40-45 people, there is a significant jump in the efficiency of the law firm in terms of one lawyer. Apparently, this phenomenon is a consequence of the synergy effect, when different practices help each other sell services and conduct complex cross-industry projects. Apparently, to achieve this effect, 5-7 partners are needed to head various areas of legal practice (in case of duplication of competencies, the synergistic effect disappears), whose projects should be implemented by 12-15 advisers and senior lawyers, 15 lawyers and 10 junior lawyers and assistants . We do not diminish the importance of other team members: accountants, couriers, drivers, security guards, secretaries, cooks, cleaners, repairmen, system administrators, marketing and PR specialists, commercial and financial directors, translators, text editors and other useful employees working for the welfare and prosperity of law firms, but the number of support staff and the ratio of the number of employees in the back and front offices of the firm is not significant for the effectiveness of the firm.

4. The study revealed a "boutique syndrome": some participants in the rating, including very large firms that occupy leading positions in the market, receive 50-80% of gross revenue from one or two practices. In conditions of a sharp change in the market situation, there are risks of losing financial stability and market share of the company. We believe that such firms should make the necessary efforts to diversify their business by developing new practices, attracting new partners, or merging / acquiring other firms

5. Please note that the financial efficiency of a law firm does not always depend on the size. In the efficiency rating, firms from the second, third and even fourth ten of the top 50 turned out to be the best. This, of course, does not indicate the mismanagement of market-leading firms - it's just that their smaller counterparts are a little better with this, and additional procedures that reduce the effectiveness of additional procedures, costs, and pro bono work are less.

Dmitry Ivanov, Maxim Chernigovskiy

Top 50 law firms by revenue

Top 15 law firms in terms of business organization efficiency

Ratings for individual areas of legal practice

Rating of the attractiveness of law firms as employers (the survey was conducted among graduates of law schools)

The best law firms in Moscow earn their reputation over the years. Many of them have been around for over 20 years, which is a long time for any organization. Of course, every law firm wants to become a market leader. But the higher the competition, the more difficult it is to maintain a position.

The title of the best in Moscow can be worn by several companies at once. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that there are several ratings and directories at once that evaluate participants according to different parameters. Usually the most famous and large companies hold their positions in such lists, but places are distributed differently every year. In addition, the scope of jurisprudence is quite extensive. A firm can become a leader in one of the industries. These can be family, labor, housing and land disputes, civil cases, criminal law, etc.

Ratings can have different calculation methods and research methods. When drafting, several parameters are taken into account: work experience, number of offices, rating of managing partners, number of employees, amount of revenue per lawyer or company as a whole.

The best law firms according to the magazineForbes

Consider five companies that Last year became leaders in terms of revenue.

• Egorov, Puginsky, Afanasiev and Partners. The firm represented the interests of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, helped to release Russian servicemen and return ships arrested in other states. At the same time, the company's lawyers successfully work with individuals and legal entities.
• Pepelyaev, Goltsbat and Partners. The organization was founded relatively recently, in 2002. Today 170 people work here. The company's lawyers have been involved in several high-profile cases, and not so long ago won the title of "Best Tax Consultants".
• Vegas Lex. The firm has several offices around the country and more than 70 employees in the state. It was the bet on the regions that helped the company enter the list of the best.
• Alrud. The company was founded back in 1991. She collaborates with Russian and foreign companies. The largest clients are Pharmacy Chain 36.6 and Moody's Investors Service.
• Monastyrsky, Zyuba, Stepanov & Partners. The success of the company was brought by arbitration, now it works a lot with foreign partners.

The best law firms according to Kommersant and LegalPractice.Ru

This rating is updated annually and is compiled using an in-depth survey of managers. The information is carefully checked, and calculations are made on their basis. The list usually includes not only stable companies with more than 20 years of experience, but also organizations that have recently started their activities. Experts note that the current economic and political situation in the country contributes to the emergence of new organizations.

Consider the TOP-5 law firms in various areas.

Commercial Disputes:

• Dentons;
• White & Case;
• KIAP;
• Khrenov and Partners;
• Pepeliaev Group.

Criminal proceedings:

• Koblev and Partners;
• EPAM;
• Goltsblat BLP;
• Alliance Legal Consulting Group LLC;
• Pen&Paper.

Real estate and construction:

• Goltsblat BLP;
• EPAM;
• linklaters;
• Leadings

This is not an exhaustive list of research areas. Full details can be found on the project website.

The best law firms according to the portal PRAVO-300

The PRAVO-300 portal was created to increase the transparency of the legal market. The rating data allows clients and partners to easily assess the qualifications of lawyers and choose a partner.

The site lists leaders by industry, revenue, number of employees, and revenue per lawyer. The following companies received the first positions from each list:

• Lawyers and Business are leaders in terms of revenue;
• Allen & Overy - finance and banking law;
• Pepeliaev Group - TMT, tax law;
• Egorov, Puginsky, Afanasiev & Partners - labor, corporate and antitrust law, bankruptcy, arbitration;
• Dentons - international arbitration, intellectual property;
• UST - commercial real estate.

The best law firms according to Kommersant newspaper

The newspaper daily provides current news from the world of finance. Correspondents and analysts are closely following the events. The portal also cooperates with rating agencies. She recently presented a ranking of companies by profit margin:

• Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners Law Office;
• Goltsblat BLP;
• Dentons;
• Pepeliaev Group;
• Linklaters

Law firms not included in the rating

Places in the list of the best are limited, and it is very difficult to get into them. It's like a beauty contest: all the girls are beautiful, but only one is the most beautiful. Also in the legal field. There are many reliable companies in Moscow that offer quality services at an affordable price.

Here, for example, the company BONA. It employs experienced lawyers who have helped hundreds of people solve their problems. Now they are ready to help you.

Our experts will provide you with all the necessary legal support.
Click the button for a free consultation.

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