PRO BONO
Top five offices Richmond, Va Hq | Washington, D.C. | Atlanta | New York | Dallas
Total attorneys 850
Major departments/practices Corporate/Finance | Litigation
First-year salary $100,000
2001 summer associates 51*
2001 fall first-years 128*
Who to call Christine Tracey, Legal Recruiting Manager, 212-309-1217
Web site hunton.com
At many firms, the pro bono requirement seems like a little bit more than [...]

GENDER EQUALITY
Top five offices San Francisco Hq | New York | Los Angeles | Palo Alto, Ca | Washington, D.C.
Total attorneys 984
Major departments/practices Corporate | Litigation | Environmental Intellectual Property
First-year salary $125,000
2001 summer associates 130
2001 fall first-years 89
Who to call Jane Cooperman, Senior Recruiting Manager, 415-268-7665
Web site mofo.com
Gender equality is a long-term goal [...]

TECHNOLOGY
Top five offices Washington, D.C. Hq | New York | McLean, Va | London | Los Angeles
Total attorneys 473
Major departments/practices Technology/Outsourcing | Regulatory
First-year salary $125,000
2001 summer associates 48
2001 fall first-years 27
Who to call Kathy Kelly, chief recruiting officer, 202-663-8394
Web site http://www.pillsburylaw.com/
Sure, there are firms more closely associated with technology than Washington, D.C.-based Shaw Pittman. But [...]

LOCATION
Top five offices Seattle Hq | Portland | Bellevue, Wa | San Francisco | Los Angeles
Total attorneys 412 93 in Portland
Major departments/practices Corporate/Finance | Litigation | Environmental | Employment
First-year salary $85,000
2001 summer associates 26 7 in Portland
2001 fall first-years 21 7 in Portland
Who to call Leslie Dustin, Recruiting Administrator, 503-241-2300
Web site dwt.com
You [...]

RESULTS
Offices New York
Total attorneys 187
Major departments/practices Corporate/M&A | Complex Commercial Litigation
First-year pay $140,000
2001 summer associates 24
2001 fall first-years 7
Who to call Ruth Ivey, Recruiting Director, 212-403-1374
Web site Wlrk.Com
If your bottom line is the bottom line-that is, if your main concern is pure, unadulterated excellence-consider Wachtell, Lipton.
Results? New York-based Wachtell is one of the top-grossing [...]

DIVERSITY
Arnold & Porter
Top five offices Washington, D.C. Hq | New York | Los Angeles | Denver | London
Total attorneys 662
Major departments/practices Corporate/Finance | Regulatory | Litigation | Intellectual Property
First-year salary $125,000
2001 summer associates 105
2001 fall first-years 105
Who to call Lisa Pavia, Attorney Recruitment Manager, 202-942-5059
Web site Arnoldporter.com
Diversity is a term all law firms toss [...]

GLOBAL PRESENCE
Top five offices New York Hq | London | Menlo Park, Ca | Hong Kong | Tokyo
Total attorneys 656
Major departments/practices Corporate | Tax | Litigation
First-year salary $125,000
2001 summer associates 102
2001 fall first-years 95
Who to call Bonnie Hurry, Director of Recruiting and Legal Staff Services, 212-450-4143
Web site davispolk.com
Got a hankering for Hong Kong? A lust [...]

WORK/LIFE BALANCE
Faegre & Benson
Top five offices Minneapolis Hq | Denver | Boulder | Frankfurt | Des Moines
Total attorneys 442
Major departments/practices Corporate/M&A | Restructuring | Litigation
First-year salary $90,000
2001 summer associates 47
2001 fall first-years 25
Who to call Joanne Jaensch, Director of Legal Personnel Services, 612-766-7000
Web site faegre.com
Shocking but true: There are first-rate law firms that not [...]

Which firms stand out when it comes to work-life balance? Global presence? Diversity? Technology? Herewith, a guide to firms that excel in particular areas. One of them might be right for you.
A cynic may ask: What, pray tell, is a “smart firm”? One that employs only card-carrying Mensa members? Or embeds client-seeking microchips in the [...]