ALM’s 2022 Global 200 Reveals Stellar Performance in Key Financial Metrics

The Global 200 is a ranking of the top grossing law firms around the world

New York, NY – September 20, 2022 — Law.com International and The American Lawyer have released the 2022 Global 200 report, providing a detailed look at the top-grossing law firms from around the world.  Gross revenue for The Global 200 totaled $185.6 billion for fiscal year 2021, an increase of 14.7% compared with fiscal year 2020.

“The figures in the 2022 Global 200 show that the world’s largest firms once again had a gangbuster year, outdoing their performance from the previous year,” said Lisa Shuchman, Executive Editor of Law.com International. “But the coming year is likely to be more of a challenge as firms cope with inflation, the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and lingering effects of the pandemic, especially in Asia.” 

Key takeaways from this years results include:

– The growth in revenue and the 15.2% rise in average profits per equity partner was even stronger than in the previous financial year.

– Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins remain the world’s largest law firms by revenue, each bringing in more than $5 billion.

– U.S.-headquartered law firms continue to grow revenue the fastest, but it is Asia-centric firms such as Dentons and Yingke that have the most lawyers. 

“The world’s largest law firms continued to perform strongly on the back of a robust M&A market with most firms managing a double-digit increase in both revenue and average profits per equity partner,” said Paul Hodkinson, London-based Editor-In-Chief of Law.com International. “Firms that specialize in private equity, such as Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins, did especially well.”  

The Global 200 data is compiled in collaboration with our ALM Intelligence team for use throughout Law.com Compass which enables users to compute year-over-year trends, in-depth comparisons, and peer benchmarking on Global 200 firms across key metrics, including financials, head count, diversity and more. 

“This year’s Global 200 reached new performance heights in key financial metrics,” said James Willer, Director at ALM Intelligence. “While geography once again played a pivotal role, with U.S. contingents in particular leading the way, firms located across several geographical regions, including Asia and the U.K., experienced strong client demand for their services, aided by, among other things, a bumper year for global M&A activity.”

An analysis of The Global 200 will also be featured in The American Lawyer’s October/November issue. The charts, articles and analysis—and the complete rankings based on revenue, head count and profits per equity partner—can be found online at Law.com/international. The data is available for download for Law.com Pro members and Law.com Compass subscribers.

The full report can be purchased directly by going to: Surveys & Rankings. 

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