Firms with change in rank from 1998 to 2007; listed in alphabetical order.
RPL Ranks 1998-2007
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Order the electronic spreadsheet of the 2008 Am Law 100 Firms with change in rank from 1998 to 2007; listed in alphabetical order.Thirty five years ago, Dorothy Fields wrote for the Broadway show Seesaw, “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.” And that is an object lesson for law firms, too. In revenue terms, every Am Law 100 firm advanced over the last decade—or it died. The more important measure is how did each firm do relative to its peers. To find out, we ran a simple test. We compared the rankings of the firms on the most important economic measure, revenue per lawyer, between 1998 and 2007. In all, 81 firms from the 1998 list appeared again this year. Twelve died or disappeared into mergers. The rest slipped into the Second Hundred. The results are below. (In the case of merged firms, we tracked the firm from 1998 whose name appears first: Wilmer Cutler merging with Hale and Dorr, we tracked Wilmer; Piper Marbury merging with Rudnick & Wolfe and then DLA, we tracked Piper.) The big winners and losers are listed below. Sometimes, though, consistency is its own reward: especially for Davis Polk (still #4), Cravath (still #3), and Wachtell (still #1).
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| 2007 Firm | 2007 RPL Rank | 1998 RPL Rank | Change in Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akin Gump | 39 | 73 | 34 |
| Alston & Bird | 66 | 89 | 23 |
| Arnold & Porter | 28 | 27 | -1 |
| Baker & Hostetler | 99 | 85 | -14 |
| Baker & McKenzie | 98 | 98 | 0 |
| Baker Botts | 51 | 57 | 6 |
| Bingham McCutchen | 32 | 45 | 13 |
| Bryan Cave | 90 | 89 | -1 |
| Cadwalader | 28 | 32 | 4 |
| Cahill Gordon | 14 | 9 | -5 |
| Chadbourne & Parke | 64 | 20 | -44 |
| Cleary Gottlieb | 20 | 8 | -12 |
| Cooley Godward | 39 | 40 | 1 |
| Covington & Burling | 35 | 40 | 5 |
| Cravath | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Davis Polk | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Debevoise & Plimpton | 7 | 10 | 3 |
| Dechert | 30 | 65 | 35 |
| Dewey Ballantine | 38 | 18 | -20 |
| DLA Piper US | 47 | 78 | 31 |
| Dorsey & Whitney | 83 | 82 | -1 |
| Faegre & Benson | 90 | 83 | -7 |
| Foley & Lardner | 59 | 76 | 17 |
| Fried, Frank | 22 | 23 | 1 |
| Fulbright & Jaworski | 70 | 63 | -7 |
| Gibson, Dunn | 11 | 15 | 4 |
| Goodwin Procter | 35 | 50 | 15 |
| Greenberg Traurig | 66 | 51 | -15 |
| Heller Ehrman | 55 | 60 | 5 |
| Hogan & Hartson | 43 | 67 | 24 |
| Holland & Knight | 88 | 96 | 8 |
| Howrey | 61 | 42 | -19 |
| Hunton & Williams | 69 | 67 | -2 |
| Jenner & Block | 63 | 51 | -12 |
| Jones Day | 75 | 57 | -18 |
| Katten Muchin | 62 | 51 | -11 |
| Kaye Scholer | 25 | 19 | -6 |
| Kilpatrick Stockton | 92 | 91 | -1 |
| King & Spalding | 51 | 31 | -20 |
| Kirkland & Ellis | 10 | 24 | 14 |
| Kirkpatrick & Lockhart | 86 | 86 | 0 |
| Latham & Watkins | 17 | 17 | 0 |
| LeBoeuf, Lamb | 53 | 69 | 16 |
| Littler Mendelson | 100 | 93 | -7 |
| Mayer Brown | 47 | 32 | -15 |
| McDermott Will | 33 | 34 | 1 |
| McGuireWoods | 93 | 98 | 5 |
| Milbank, Tweed | 6 | 11 | 5 |
| Morgan, Lewis | 47 | 63 | 16 |
| Morrison & Foerster | 34 | 62 | 28 |
| O’Melveny & Myers | 39 | 35 | -4 |
| Orrick | 39 | 48 | 9 |
| Paul, Hastings | 24 | 42 | 18 |
| Paul, Weiss | 13 | 20 | 7 |
| Pepper Hamilton | 76 | 96 | 20 |
| Perkins Coie | 82 | 80 | -2 |
| Pillsbury Winthrop | 53 | 51 | -2 |
| Proskauer Rose | 27 | 30 | 3 |
| Reed Smith | 72 | 91 | 19 |
| Ropes & Gray | 20 | 16 | -4 |
| Schulte Roth | 18 | 45 | 27 |
| Seyfarth Shaw | 86 | 80 | -6 |
| Shearman & Sterling | 12 | 13 | 1 |
| Shook, Hardy | 81 | 86 | 5 |
| Sidley Austin | 45 | 27 | -18 |
| Simpson Thacher | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| Skadden | 8 | 7 | -1 |
| Sonnenschein | 58 | 70 | 12 |
| Squire, Sanders | 76 | 93 | 17 |
| Steptoe & Johnson | 45 | 70 | 25 |
| Stroock & Stroock | 55 | 36 | -19 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Thelen Reid | 74 | 57 | -17 |
| Vinson & Elkins | 37 | 38 | 1 |
| Wachtell | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Weil, Gotshal | 15 | 13 | -2 |
| White & Case | 68 | 48 | -20 |
| Willkie Farr | 15 | 12 | -3 |
| Wilmer | 22 | 36 | 14 |
| Wilson Sonsini | 43 | 45 | 2 |
| Winston & Strawn | 50 | 55 | 5 |
Firms ranked by greatest change in RPL rank from 1998 to 2007. |
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| 2007 Firm | 2007 RPL Rank | 1998 RPL Rank | Change in Rank |
| Dechert | 30 | 65 | 35 |
| Akin Gump | 39 | 73 | 34 |
| DLA Piper US | 47 | 78 | 31 |
| Morrison & Foerster | 34 | 62 | 28 |
| Schulte Roth | 18 | 45 | 27 |
| Steptoe & Johnson | 45 | 70 | 25 |
| Hogan & Hartson | 43 | 67 | 24 |
| Alston & Bird | 66 | 89 | 23 |
| Pepper Hamilton | 76 | 96 | 20 |
| Reed Smith | 72 | 91 | 19 |
| Paul, Hastings | 24 | 42 | 18 |
| Foley & Lardner | 59 | 76 | 17 |
| Squire, Sanders | 76 | 93 | 17 |
| LeBoeuf, Lamb | 53 | 69 | 16 |
| Morgan, Lewis | 47 | 63 | 16 |
| Goodwin Procter | 35 | 50 | 15 |
| Kirkland & Ellis | 10 | 24 | 14 |
| Wilmer | 22 | 36 | 14 |
| Bingham McCutchen | 32 | 45 | 13 |
| Sonnenschein | 58 | 70 | 12 |
| Orrick | 39 | 48 | 9 |
| Holland & Knight | 88 | 96 | 8 |
| Paul, Weiss | 13 | 20 | 7 |
| Baker Botts | 51 | 57 | 6 |
| Covington & Burling | 35 | 40 | 5 |
| Heller Ehrman | 55 | 60 | 5 |
| McGuireWoods | 93 | 98 | 5 |
| Milbank, Tweed | 6 | 11 | 5 |
| Shook, Hardy | 81 | 86 | 5 |
| Winston & Strawn | 50 | 55 | 5 |
| Cadwalader | 28 | 32 | 4 |
| Gibson, Dunn | 11 | 15 | 4 |
| Debevoise & Plimpton | 7 | 10 | 3 |
| Proskauer Rose | 27 | 30 | 3 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Wilson Sonsini | 43 | 45 | 2 |
| Cooley Godward | 39 | 40 | 1 |
| Fried, Frank | 22 | 23 | 1 |
| McDermott Will | 33 | 34 | 1 |
| Shearman & Sterling | 12 | 13 | 1 |
| Simpson Thacher | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| Vinson & Elkins | 37 | 38 | 1 |
| Baker & McKenzie | 98 | 98 | 0 |
| Cravath | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Davis Polk | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Kirkpatrick & Lockhart | 86 | 86 | 0 |
| Latham & Watkins | 17 | 17 | 0 |
| Wachtell | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Arnold & Porter | 28 | 27 | -1 |
| Bryan Cave | 90 | 89 | -1 |
| Dorsey & Whitney | 83 | 82 | -1 |
| Kilpatrick Stockton | 92 | 91 | -1 |
| Skadden | 8 | 7 | -1 |
| Hunton & Williams | 69 | 67 | -2 |
| Perkins Coie | 82 | 80 | -2 |
| Pillsbury Winthrop | 53 | 51 | -2 |
| Weil, Gotshal | 15 | 13 | -2 |
| Willkie Farr | 15 | 12 | -3 |
| O’Melveny & Myers | 39 | 35 | -4 |
| Ropes & Gray | 20 | 16 | -4 |
| Cahill Gordon | 14 | 9 | -5 |
| Kaye Scholer | 25 | 19 | -6 |
| Seyfarth Shaw | 86 | 80 | -6 |
| Faegre & Benson | 90 | 83 | -7 |
| Fulbright & Jaworski | 70 | 63 | -7 |
| Littler Mendelson | 100 | 93 | -7 |
| Katten Muchin | 62 | 51 | -11 |
| Cleary Gottlieb | 20 | 8 | -12 |
| Jenner & Block | 63 | 51 | -12 |
| Baker & Hostetler | 99 | 85 | -14 |
| Greenberg Traurig | 66 | 51 | -15 |
| Mayer Brown | 47 | 32 | -15 |
| Thelen Reid | 74 | 57 | -17 |
| Jones Day | 75 | 57 | -18 |
| Sidley Austin | 45 | 27 | -18 |
| Howrey | 61 | 42 | -19 |
| Stroock & Stroock | 55 | 36 | -19 |
| Dewey Ballantine | 38 | 18 | -20 |
| King & Spalding | 51 | 31 | -20 |
| White & Case | 68 | 48 | -20 |
| Chadbourne & Parke | 64 | 20 | -44 |
Firms that moved from the bottom half in RPL rank in 1998 to the top half in 2007. |
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| 2007 Firm | 2007 RPL Rank | 1998 RPL Rank | Change in Rank |
| Dechert | 30 | 65 | 35 |
| Akin Gump | 39 | 73 | 34 |
| DLA Piper US | 47 | 78 | 31 |
| Morrison & Foerster | 34 | 62 | 28 |
| Steptoe & Johnson | 45 | 70 | 25 |
| Hogan & Hartson | 43 | 67 | 24 |
| Morgan, Lewis | 47 | 63 | 16 |
Firms that moved from the top half in RPL rank in 1998 to the bottom half in 2007. |
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| 2007 Firm | 2007 RPL Rank | 1998 RPL Rank | Change in Rank |
| Chadbourne & Parke | 64 | 20 | -44 |
| King & Spalding | 51 | 31 | -20 |
| White & Case | 68 | 48 | -20 |
| Howrey | 61 | 42 | -19 |
| Stroock & Stroock | 55 | 36 | -19 |
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(The American Lawyer, May 2008) |
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