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The Texas Lawbook

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Mark Curriden & Richard Alm

Texas Lawbook 50: Corporate Firms Topped $9B in Texas Revenues in 2023

Fueled by record-high contingency fee collections, significant increases in hourly rates and healthy client demand for complex commercial litigation and corporate transactional work, the largest business law firms in Texas grew revenues to more than $9 billion, according to new Texas Lawbook 50 data. Forty-three of the top 50 corporate law firms posted gains, according to the Lawbook 50, which ranks firms on revenues generated by attorneys based in Texas.

Six of the firms achieved increases of $30 million or more, and 18 saw $10 million increases. Only seven firms on the list recorded revenue declines. Thirty-five firms hit record highs in 2023. The Top 10 welcomed two newcomers in 2023 — a firm that soared thanks to a sudden gusher of cash from contingency fee court victories that were years in the making and a firm that has steadily climbed in the rankings since 2019 on a combination of litigation and M&A dealmaking.

June 3, 2024 Mark Curriden & Richard Alm

Texas Lawbook 50: A New No. 1 for Headcounts and a Three-way Tie for 2nd

On an FTE basis, the Texas Lawbook 50 firms increased lawyer employment by 2.6 percent. The new Lawbook 50 extends a winning streak that began with a net-hiring rush in 2019, took a year off for the pandemic in 2020, then roared back even stronger in the past two years. From 2010 to 2018, the annual headcount was essentially flat, with five up years offset by four down ones. However, the new data may point to a downshifting in the law firm labor market after record gains of 301 lawyers in 2021 and 287 in 2022.

In 2023, 29 firms increased headcounts, 20 firms employed fewer lawyers and one firm stayed even. A shakeup at the top of the Lawbook 50 rankings is the result of shifting the way the Lawbook 50 calculates headcounts to a method used by other legal publications.

May 2, 2024 Mark Curriden & Richard Alm

Texas Legacy Firms Finding Footing at Home

With a 16 percent jump in 2022 revenues, Jackson Walker is leading a resurgence of Texas-based firms that are growing revenues and increasing profits in their Texas operations. Fifteen of the 50 corporate law firms in the Texas Lawbook 50 are headquartered in Texas — down from 39 a decade ago. Those 15 Texas legacy firms generated $5.83 billion in 2022 — $3.37 billion from their Texas operations.

Twelve of the 15 Texas-headquartered firms grew revenues in 2022. Four firms increased year-over-year Texas revenues by more than 10 percent. Five additional Texas legacy firms reported annual revenue increases in their Texas offices by five percent or more. More than 42 percent of the revenue generated by Texas legacy firms came from their out-of-state operations. The Texas Lawbook has a full analysis.

June 26, 2023 Mark Curriden & Richard Alm

Two Firms Race to the Top of the Texas Legal Market

Vinson & Elkins vs. Kirkland & Ellis. One is a storied Houston-based firm with deep connections in the Oil Patch that has been a powerhouse in law, energy and politics for more than a century. The other is a Chicago-founded firm that came to Texas just eight years ago with deep pockets, high profits and an aggressive strategic growth plan. Lawyers for the two corporate law giants often sit across the table on some of the biggest mergers and acquisitions involving energy companies and private equity firms. Both firms are always in the top three of The Texas Lawbook's Corporate Deal Tracker scorecard of corporate transactions.

Exclusive new Texas Lawbook 50 data shows that Kirkland and V&E lawyers in Texas achieved record highs in revenues and profits in 2021. The runner up in their battle for No. 1 in Texas has to settle for having their best year ever.

April 25, 2022 Mark Curriden & Richard Alm

‘Feeding Frenzy’ – Texas Corporate Law’s Great Game of Musical Chairs Hits New Heights

Corporate law firms operating in Texas went on a hiring spree in 2021, using six-digit signing bonuses, promises of faster promotions to partner and two hikes in base pay in a high-stakes race to build the staffs needed to meet rising client demand for legal work. The result was the largest – and most expensive – game of musical chairs ever witnessed among the biggest corporate firms in Texas.

Correction: The previous version of this article reported the wrong lawyer count numbers for Kirkland & Ellis. The firm actually grew from 290 Texas lawyers in 2020 to 371 last year. The Lawbook apologizes for this error.

April 21, 2022 Mark Curriden & Richard Alm

Three Middle-Market Law Firms, One Record-Setting Year in Texas Revenues

Three middle-market law firms achieved record revenues and profits in 2021. All three jumped above the $700,000 mark for revenue per lawyer. All three predict 2022 will be even better ― so all three are in expansion mode and looking to grow headcount. And none of the three sees any advantage in merging with an out-of-state law firm. Legal industry analysts say Munsch Hardt, Gray Reed and Munck Wilson sit in a strategic sweet spot.

April 19, 2022 Mark Curriden & Richard Alm

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Features

  • P.S. — DBA Civics Camp Leaves Students Feeling ‘Presidential’ - An inaugural program created to address the civics gap connected more than 130 students from five schools with judges, legislators, and a former U.S. Trade Ambassador for a real life Schoolhouse Rock experience.

    “It is one thing to read about [civics], but it is important for students to learn directly from the leaders who are doing it,” Dallas Bar Association President Jonathan Childers said.
    March 27, 2026Brooks Igo
  • P.S. — Barnes & Thornburg Foundation Awards $50K Grant to Dallas-Area Nonprofit - In this packed edition of P.S., we highlight the charitable giving of the Barnes & Thornburg Foundation, collectively funded by firm lawyers and staff. Each year, five firm offices are selected to direct grants to charities in their local communities. The Dallas office was chosen this year, and it awarded a $50,000 grant to Project XVI, a Dallas-area nonprofit helping children identified as belonging to at-risk communities. Their work addresses problems that most people would drive by, said Barnes & Thornburg Dallas managing partner Thomas Haskins. Read on for more about what drew the firm to Project XVI. 

    Also in P.S., we report on fundraising efforts to endow a scholarship in memory of the 8-year-old twin daughters of attorneys John and Lacy Lawrence who were lost in last summer’s Hill Country floods. 

    Plus, Dallas was the site of the 47th Annual Texas High School Mock Trial Competition, Houston prepares to host Law Rocks and more.
    March 20, 2026Krista Torralva

GCs, Lawyers & Firms

  • Munsch Hardt Hires Dallas Corporate Trio from Conner & Winters - Corporate shareholders Matthew Good and Robert White, as well as associate Sydny Helbert, have lateraled over to Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr from Conner & Winters. The three of them will focus on M&A, aviation transactions and other complex corporate matters.
  • Houston Workplace Safety Partner Added by Fisher Phillips 
  • Veteran Dallas Bankruptcy Partner Laterals to Fox Rothschild
  • Fort Worth Bankruptcy Partner Joins Bonds Ellis 
  • Hilgers Launches New Practice With Dallas Litigator
  • Dallas Litigation Partner Moves to McGinnis Lochridge 
  • Houston Trial Partners Join Sorrels Law
  • Eversheds Sutherland Names Phyllis Young Head of Texas Finance
  • Specialty Dallas Real Estate Partners Move to Bracewell
  • Fort Worth Biz Litigation Partner Laterals to Bonds Ellis
More GCs, Lawyers & Firms

Lawyers in the News

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Chip Babcock
Chris Bankler
Jamie B. Beaber
David J. Beck
Bill Benitez
Jessica Berkowitz
Brent Bernell
Tyler Bexley
Shawn Blackburn
Michael Blankenship
Jeffrey Brill
Anita Brown
Ian Brown
Stuart Campbell
Jack Chadderdon
Paul Clement
Erin Nealy Cox
Scott Craig
Kevin Crews
Shamus Crosby
Hannah M. Crowe
Geoffrey Culbertson
Sean Cunningham
John Daywalt
Rajiv Dharnidharka
James Ducayet
Brian K. Erickson
Scott Everett
Weiru Fang
Elizabeth Freeman
Tad Freese
Melanie Fry
Geoff Gannaway
Paul Genender
John J. Gilluly III
Rodney Gilstrap
Andrew Gorham
John Greer
Joseph Grinstein
Matthew Haddad
Colleen Haile
Breen Haire
Shahmeer Halepota
Dionne Hamilton
Troy Harder
Rusty Hardin
Michael Hawes
Nathan Hecht
Stephen Hessler
Hillary Holmes
Marc Jaffe
Lauren Jenkins
David Jones
Atma Kabad
Susan Kennedy
David Kinder
Justin King
Allan Kirk
Melanie Koltermann
Doug Kubehl
Joe Laurel
Sang Lee
Steven Lockhart
Arthur Lotz
Barbara Lynn
Mike Lynn
Nora McGuffey
Stephanie McPhail
Mark Melton
Jeri Leigh Miller
Kimberly A. Moore
Mark Moore
Shelby Morgan
Alia Moses
Davis Mosmeyer III
Darren Nicholson
Eamon Nolan
Ivy Nowinski
Holland O’Neil
George Padis
Ian Peck
Jonathan Platt
Chase Proctor
Doug Rayburn
Joel Reese
Kevin Richardson
Andrew Rodheim
Seth Rubinson
Mazin Sbaiti
Ana Sanchez
Vincenzo Santini
Jeffrey Scharfstein
Robert Schroeder III
Scott Seidel
Steven Sexton
Ahmed Sidik
Robert Slovak
Emily Smith
Melissa R. Smith
Jonathon Soler
Robert Soza
Lande Spottswood
Craig Stanfield
Justin Stolte
Josh Teahen
Kelly Tidwell
Linda Tieh
Rafael B. de Toledo
Monica Uddin
Rhett Van Syoc
Rahul Vashi
Gabe Vazquez
Patrick Venter
Sarah Walden
Kandace Walter
Kyle Watson
Mikell Alan West
Noël Wise
Meng Xi

Firms in the News

Hover right to show full list

AZA
Baker Botts
The Bandas Law Firm
Beck Redden
Boies Schiller Flexner
Bracewell
Bradley Arant
Burns Charest
Clement & Murphy
Condon & Forsyth
DLA Piper
Dykema
Foley & Lardner
Gibson Dunn
Gillam & Smith
Haynes Boone
Holland & Knight
Jackson Walker
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Lynn Pinker
Mayer Brown
MoloLamken
Pamela Welch PLLC
Patton Tidwell Culbertson
Paul Hastings
Porter Hedges
The Probus Law Firm
Reese Marketos
Rusty Hardin & Associates
Sbaiti & Company
Sidley Austin
Simpson Thacher
Skadden
Squire Patton Boggs
Sullivan & Cromwell
Susman Godfrey
Troutman Pepper Locke
Vinson & Elkins
Weil
Willkie
Winston & Strawn

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