Choosing a Midwest Law Firm

Chicago is far from being the only major legal market in the Midwest. Covering cities such as Cleveland, Minneapolis, and Cincinnati, among others, our Midwest rankings cover a huge range of cities, firms, and practices. This article compares the top five Midwest-headquartered firms (excluding Chicago, which is ranked seperately) from the 2024 Midwest regional prestige rankings. For more Midwest options, you can review Vault’s Midwest prestige rankings and the Vault profiles of any firms you’re interested in.

The five top-ranked Midwest-based firms based on Vault’s 2024 regional prestige rankings are Jones Day; Faegre Drinker; Squire Patton Boggs; Taft Stettinius; and Foley Lardner. Below are a few relevant highlights about each of these firms.

Jones Day

The #2 firm in the Midwest and #25 in the 2024 Vault Law 100, Jones Day operates 18 U.S. and 22 international offices, including its Cleveland headquarters. They crack the top five in two of our Practice Area rankings categories, at #3 in Appellate Litigation and #4 in Products Liability. They also have the #45 overall spot in our Summer Program rankings. The firm employs over 2,000 attorneys and associates here describe the culture as social and respectful, with no firm billable hour requirement and flexibility as to when and where work is done. Partnership here is transparent and realistic, and exit opportunities are strong as well.

Faegre Drinker

Faegre Drinker holds the #4 spot in Vault’s Midwest prestige rankings this year and also sits at #99 in the overall Vault Law 100. Faegre Drinker operates out of 19 U.S. and 2 international offices, employing over 1,000 attorneys. Associates call the culture positive and friendly. The firm has a billable hour requirement of 1,900 and a realistic, transparent path to partnership. Non-partner roles and other exit opportunities are strong as well.

Squire Patton Boggs

Landing at #5 in Vault’s 2024 Midwest prestige rankings and clocking in at #76 in the Vault Law 100, Squire Patton Boggs has grown from a Cleveland institution to a full-service international powerhouse. They have over 1,500 lawyers operating from 16 U.S. and 28 international offices. The firm is known for its antitrust, business immigration, corporate matters, energy, environmental law, financial services, insurance, IP, international trade, labor and employment, litigation, public policy, real estate, restructuring, tax, and white collar practices, among others.

Taft Stettinius & Hollister

Ranked at #6 in Vault’s 2024 Midwest prestige rankings, Taft Stettinius & Hollister employs over 600 attorneys operating out of 12 offices, including its Cincinnati headquarters. The firm handles a variety of legal issues, including transactional, employment and labor relations, litigation, and real estate.

Foley Lardner

Foley Lardner sits at #8 in our Midwest prestige rankings and at #70 in the Vault Law 100, and also ranks #6 in Health Care law and #25 overall in our Summer Program rankings. Foley Lardner has over 1,000 attorneys in 22 U.S. and 3 international offices. Associates describe the culture as friendly and collegial. The billable hour requirement is average at 1,950, and the firm offers strong counsel roles and exit opportunities as well as a realistic path to partner for those willing to put in the work.

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There's a lot of legal prestige to be found in the Midwest region, with four of the top firms based there making the overall Vault Law 100 as well. Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Minneapolis all have very strong markets for just about any practice area. You can learn more about all these firms (and many others) through Vault’s law firm profiles and the firms’ websites. Remember: Think hard about your priorities, because no one firm is best at everything.

Best of luck from all of us at Vault Law on your legal job search!