The A-List in recent years has produced somewhat predictable results at the top. Since 2011, some combination of Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Munger Tolles & Olson and Paul Hastings has occupied the top three places on the annual ranking of financial performance and firm culture metrics, with only their relative positions shifting from year to year.
But no more: Of that trio, only Paul Hastings, which finished in second place last year, returns with a top-three finish. In fact, it finished in first place—the first time that Paul Hastings has taken the A-List’s top spot. Strong scores in pro bono (196 of a possible 200) and associate satisfaction (a perfect 200) were keys to the firm’s finish. “We have continually challenged ourselves in the area of associate development,” says Teri O’Brien, a corporate partner, who pointed to development programs introduced within the past four years that are better synched with associates’ progression and provide more transparency regarding what it takes to succeed at the firm.
