Munger, Tolles & Olson Ranks No. 1 on The American Lawyer’s 2024 A-List

On August 6, 2024, Munger, Tolles & Olson was ranked No. 1 on The American Lawyer’s A-List for the tenth time.

The A-List ranks America’s top domestic and global law firms. Each year, only 20 law firms qualify for a spot on this list which ranks “the most well-rounded members of the Am Law 200.” In assigning its rankings, The American Lawyer rigorously evaluates firm performance across five key financial and cultural categories: revenue per lawyer, pro bono commitment, associate satisfaction, racial diversity and gender diversity (the percentage of women equity partners).

In an article by The American Lawyer, Co-Managing Partners Hailyn Chen and Malcolm Heinicke note that MTO combats industry pressures by sticking to the firm’s core values, which include cultivating a sense of ownership among junior lawyers, being transparent and giving them significant stakes in client work. “It’s not just early responsibility, but also a lot of transparency regarding the business of the law firm [and] the management of the law firm,” said Ms. Chen. “I think it fosters ownership, but also inclusion. Once you join the firm, we expect you to behave like an owner, and as part of that, we’ll give you a lot of access to information.”

MTO’s associate satisfaction score rose 14 points from the previous year, which Mr. Heinicke credits to the firm’s enhanced level of professional support. “We now have in place a superb team of executives and professionals, and that is not only to the benefit of the management of the firm, but to the more junior lawyers who are getting that professional support in the development of their careers and practices,” Mr. Heinicke said. “That’s something we’ve invested in heavily, and it’s paying dividends in our associate satisfaction and overall lawyer satisfaction.”

MTO has earned the highest average A-List rankings in the listing’s 20-year history and the most number one rankings in the history of this award.

Learn more about the 2024 A-List. (Subscription may be required)