Leading law firms worldwide in 2021, based on revenue

In 2021, Kirkland & Ellis was the highest grossing law firm in the world. The Chicago-based multinational generated a gross revenue of just over six billion U.S. dollars in the corresponding year. Latham & Watkins were the second highest grossing law firm in the same year, with a revenue that totaled approximately 5.5 billion U.S. dollars. A notable alumnusAs well as generating the highest global revenue of all law firms in 2021, Kirkland & Ellis also had the highest number of lawyers in the United States in the same year. Many of these attorneys who worked for the firm follow the career paths of federal officials or judges, with Brett Kavanaugh being a prime example. Kavanaugh had the swing vote in the Supreme Court regarding Roe vs. Wade, and this has since made legal abortions difficult to obtain in many U.S. states. Pro-life or pro-choice has been a divisive issue in the United States and has still very much split public opinion over the last decade. Legal services in the United StatesWith many of the highest grossing law firms being based in the United States, the revenue created within the country has been substantial. In 2022, it was predicted that the industry revenue of legal services would be almost 350 billion U.S. dollars. Furthermore, lawyers earned a higher annual wage than any other legal occupation in 2021, making it an attractive job prospect in an already prosperous market.

于2021年，基克莱德与埃利斯律师事务所（Kirkland & Ellis）荣膺全球营业收入最高的律师事务所。这家总部位于芝加哥的跨国公司，当年实现了超过六十亿美元的营业收入。拉特姆与沃特金斯律师事务所（Latham & Watkins）同年位居营业收入第二，其总收入约为五十五亿美元。值得一提的是，基克莱德与埃利斯律师事务所不仅在全球范围内创造了所有律师事务所中最高的营业收入，同年亦拥有美国律师人数之最。众多该事务所的律师在职业生涯中选择了成为联邦官员或法官，以布雷特·卡瓦诺（Brett Kavanaugh）为例。卡瓦诺在最高法院就罗伊诉韦德案（Roe vs. Wade）中拥有决定性的一票，此判决使得美国许多州的法律堕胎变得异常困难。支持生命或支持选择一直是美国社会的一个分裂性议题，且在过去十年中依然深刻地影响着公众舆论。在美国，法律服务产业中，众多营业收入最高的律师事务所均设立于此，该国产生的法律服务收入规模庞大。2022年，预计该行业收入将接近三千五百万美元。此外，2021年律师的年工资高于其他任何法律职业，使其成为在繁荣市场中极具吸引力的职业选择。