Law.com published its National Law Journal (NLJ)Top 500 for 2022, noting Weitz & Luxenberg is in the top 400. W&L has assumed position #398. This moves the firm up 30 places from its previous placement at #428. Given the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, we are thrilled to see our numbers climb.
We are particularly gratified to share this news with our clients. When it comes to selecting a law firm for your injury or negligence case, size matters. The larger the law firm, the greater its resources, knowledge base, expertise, and likelihood of a successful outcome.
W&L attorneys believe “You don’t take a pen knife to a gun fight.” Major corporations whose products kill and maim hire elite law firms, sometimes with dozens of attorneys and more money than you can imagine at their disposal.
To give our clients the best possible chance of receiving the compensation they deserve, we “have to be similarly armed.” When you’re going up against the giants, you need all the legal power you can amass.
Larger Means a Deep Bench
Being named one of the U.S.’s largest firms benefits our clients in another way as well. It means all the other law firms that go up against us know we have a deep bench and the wherewithal to fight hard and in a sustained way.
There is definitely a difference between hiring a small personal injury firm versus hiring a large and dedicated firm. Defendants know that they can’t kick sand in our faces and expect to keep walking on the beach without being kicked in the backside.
Plus, being a larger firm means we attract some of the best attorneys out there. Even better, the attorneys we hire find themselves collaborating with like-minded, highly skilled colleagues who share similar ideals and goals. Once you feel this shared energy, it’s hard to leave.
Our Bottom Line Is About Helping Clients
We feel privileged to be counted among the nation’s largest firms. But this fact holds significance only as it relates to our capabilities.
We’ve always found it ironic that, if you own a small business, you probably cannot afford to hire some Park Avenue legal powerhouse to represent you. But with mass torts personal injury law, you can hire the equivalent to represent you — for no upfront expense.
At W&L, we all want to help people who have been grievously harmed through the negligent actions, and sometimes inactions, of others. This sense of purpose has been our driving force since our firm’s founding in the mid-1980s.
We’ve handled hundreds of cases and represented thousands of clients over the years. Often winning billions of dollars on their behalf. The more clients we help, the more we dig in our heels to keep helping as many clients as possible.
NLJ 500 Methodology
The National Law Journal’s survey of the country’s 500 largest law firms is based on the previous calendar year. We collect data from firms “at the same time as the Am Law financial numbers.” This past year, ALM sent surveys to more than 900 law firms to find out which U.S.-centric law firms were among the top largest 500 firms by headcount. ALM then divided firms smaller than No. 350 into two tiers instead of assigning individual ranks. (1)
NLJ based its lawyer totals on the average number of full-time equivalent (FTE) attorneys from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2021. Some firms did not participate in the survey, but ALM research estimated those lawyer counts based on information available on those firm websites. NLJ then input these numbers in their Legal Compass database. They reduced those numbers by 5% to come up with an estimated average of FTE lawyers for the calendar year. (2)
About the NLJ 500
The NLJ 500 list “tracks the size and geographic reach of the nation’s largest law firms, offering a snapshot into the markets and firms that are experiencing growth and contraction. The detailed data on attorney demographics also allows a clearer picture into the market power of various roles within a firm, from associate through equity partner.” (3)
