Magic Circle (law) - Law Firms

Law Firms

The five law firms which are generally regarded as constituting the Magic Circle are:

  • Allen & Overy
  • Clifford Chance
  • Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
  • Linklaters
  • Slaughter and May

These firms are generally regarded as the most prestigious law firms headquartered in the UK, and consistently have the highest earnings per-partner and earnings per-lawyer among UK-headquartered law firms.

In 2010 four members of the Magic Circle were among the ten largest law firms in the world measured by revenues, with Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Allen & Overy respectively the third-largest, fourth-largest, sixth-largest and seventh-largest by this measurement. In 2010 Slaughter and May was the 48th-largest law firm in the world by this measure, with revenues of $628,500,000.

10 largest law firms in the world measured by 2010 revenues
Rank Firm Revenues Location of headquarters
1 Baker & McKenzie $2,104,000,000 United States
2 Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom $2,100,000,000 United States
3 Clifford Chance $1,874,500,000 United Kingdom
4 Linklaters $1,852,500,000 United Kingdom
5 Latham & Watkins $1,821,000,000 United States
6 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer $1,787,000,000 United Kingdom
7 Allen & Overy $1,644,500,000 United Kingdom
8 Jones Day $1,520,000,000 United States
9 Kirkland & Ellis $1,428,000,000 United States
10 Sidley Austin $1,357,000,000 United States

Those UK-headquartered firms which are commonly regarded as the main competitors of the Magic Circle are often referred to as the "Silver Circle".

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