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Many students have asked me which law schools are best for securing a BigLaw job, so I put together this list. I ranked the top 20 law schools based on their 2025 employment outcomes using ABA reports. Since different organizations define BigLaw differently, I followed LSAC’s definition of firms with 501 or more attorneys. I’ll also cover what you need to know about working at a large law firm, how federal clerkships can strengthen your path into this career, and useful tips to improve your chances of landing a job in this competitive field.
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I ranked these law schools primarily by their BigLaw employment outcomes, while also giving some consideration to federal clerkship placement. I pulled every figure from the ABA's official employment outcomes, which track where each school's graduates worked 10 months after graduation.
To calculate each school's BigLaw placement rate, I divided the number of 2025 JD graduates employed at firms with 501 or more attorneys by the total number of JD graduates.
BigLaw Placement Rate = Grads at 501+ firms ÷ Total JD grads × 100
Since different organizations define BigLaw using different criteria, I used LSAC’s definition. In a recent publication, LSAC defined BigLaw as firms with 501+ attorneys. By contrast, NALP (National Association for Law Placement) has used a 251+ lawyer threshold to define BigLaw. The American Lawyer takes an entirely different approach, ranking firms by revenue rather than headcount.
I also considered federal clerkship placement rate when determining the final rankings. Although BigLaw employment remained my main consideration, I gave some additional weight to schools with stronger federal clerkship outcomes because these positions can serve as a pathway into BigLaw, particularly for graduates pursuing litigation.
The path to BigLaw starts with the law school you choose. Your best chance of landing a BigLaw job comes from attending a school with a proven BigLaw placement record, earning strong grades, and building credentials that make your resume stand out to firms.
Aim for one of the top 20 law schools in our ranking above if BigLaw is your goal. Of the Class of 2025, 56% of graduates from these top 20 schools joined firms with more than 500 attorneys, according to ABA employment data. Large firms recruit heavily from schools with established BigLaw pipelines, giving students at these programs access to more recruiting opportunities.
Start researching target firms before your first semester. In the past, BigLaw firms traditionally hired summer associates through on-campus interviewing (OCI), which law schools held around the start of 2L. But recruitment for 2L summer jobs now starts much earlier, sometimes as early as the first semester of 1L, according to the ABA Journal.
Today, firms recruit mostly through their own direct applications. A recent study by the NALP showed that employer-sponsored recruiting produced 80% of offers for 2026 2L summer programs, while law school programs like OCI produced 20%. Some BigLaw firms started accepting 2L summer applications as early as November 1st during 1L
Your 1L grades heavily influence which BigLaw opportunities you can pursue, so aim to rank at the top of your class. BigLaw firm Norton Rose Fulbright, for example, extends summer associate offers only after it receives first-semester transcripts. How high you need to rank in your 1L class depends on your law school.
For example, at Duke Law, 71% of the Class of 2025 joined firms with more than 500 attorneys, which means the net is wider for Duke graduates. At Washington University in St. Louis, #20 on our list, 40% of students landed BigLaw jobs, so the margin is much narrower. As a rule of thumb, if you're at a T14 school, aim to finish in the top half of your class; at schools ranked 15 to 20, aim for the top quarter.
If your 1L grades fall short of what firms target through direct applications, don't overlook law school programs like OCI. These programs put you in screening interviews with firms, so your interviewing skills can make the case your transcript can't. Law school programs still produced 20% of offers for 2026 2L summer programs, according to NALP.
You can also strengthen your resume with a law review publication in a respected legal journal or another equally prestigious legal accomplishment. These credentials matter beyond firm recruiting, too. Some federal clerkship fellowship postings require law review editorial board experience as a substitute for finishing in the upper third of the class. Clerkships can be an alternative path to BigLaw, which I’ll discuss in the next tip.
After a federal clerkship, you'll be a highly attractive candidate for BigLaw firms, given the experience you bring. A federal clerkship is a one- or two-year job working for a federal judge after graduation, before you join a firm. Clerks evaluate the parties' submissions, conduct legal research, recommend outcomes, and draft judicial opinions. Clerks also attend court hearings and draft orders and decisions.
A drawback is that you'll earn less during your clerkship than you would at a large firm. A current term clerk posting in Los Angeles lists a salary range of $87,061 to $161,313 depending on experience, with new graduates starting at the lower end. By comparison, Boston College's Class of 2025 graduates at firms with 501+ attorneys earned a median salary of $225,000.
However, BigLaw often pays former federal clerks big signing bonuses that compensate for the pay cut. Quinn Emanuel, for example, pays former federal clerks a $175,000 signing bonus. Not to mention, you'll also gain a judge as a lifelong mentor and reference, since clerks often form career-long relationships with the judge they work for.
BigLaw refers to the largest and most prosperous law firms in the US, and the lawyers who work there are often called BigLaw lawyers. They take on big cases for major corporations, financial institutions, and other high-value clients.
For this ranking, Juris Education counts BigLaw as firms with 501+ attorneys, as defined by LSAC. However, there is no universal cutoff for what counts as BigLaw. These firms are typically based in major cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, or Los Angeles and employ hundreds or even thousands of attorneys. These firms often recruit heavily from highly ranked law schools and offer some of the highest starting salaries in the legal profession.
First-year associates earn around $235,000 in base salary, with annual bonuses bringing up the total to about $261,000. Pay rises with seniority. An eighth-year associate, for example, can earn a $455,000 base with bonuses pushing total annual compensation up to $595,000.
According to the ABA, some BigLaw firms require 2,400 “productive” hours per year. The publication uses the term "productive" because it includes both billable and non-billable hours. Billable hours include work that a client directly receives an invoice for. Non-billable hours that are also considered productive include administrative responsibilities, business development, firm initiatives, and other professional duties that clients aren’t billed for.
The best law schools for BigLaw are those with the highest placement rates into large firms with 501+ attorneys. The top 5 are:
If you are in a T14 law school, a good GPA for BigLaw jobs is 3.3 to 3.5+ or being in the top half to top 40%
If your law school ranks T15 to T50, a good GPA for BigLaw jobs is 3.5 or higher or placing in the top 20% to 30% of your class.
Yes, it is very hard to get a job in a BigLaw firm because these positions attract many qualified applicants. Your law school’s BigLaw placement rate, 1L grades, interviewing skills, and recruiting strategy can all affect your chances.
On-campus interviews can lead to a BigLaw job by connecting law students with firms hiring for their 2L summer associate programs. Successful screening interviews can lead to callbacks and summer associate offers.
However, OCI now plays a smaller role in recruitment. According to the NALP, only 20% of offers for 2026 2L summer programs came through law school-sponsored recruiting, including OCI; direct employer-sponsored recruitment accounted for 80% of offers.
Co-Founder of Juris Education, Dartmouth College
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