Partner-associate leverage

The Responsibility Factor, AKA the partner-associate ratio

The levels of responsibility associates enjoy (or don't) is not easily summarized in a figure; each firm has its own style of work with its own unique responsibilities. This basic ratio showing how much partner exposure each associate gets favors the firms outside Manhattan, but let's remember that the adrenaline-fueled New York market offers associates no end of high-stakes work. So this table gives a basic idea of how a firm staffs its teams, but for a more nuanced perspective, the Inside View merits a read. It also helps you appreciate the likelihood of making partner. 

Firm  Total partners Total associates Leverage
Cozen O'Connor 497 165 3.01
Fox Rothschild 615 242 2.54
Greenberg Glusker 68 30 2.27
Nelson Mullins 521 258 2.02
Holland & Knight 881 491 1.79
Polsinelli 529 302 1.75
Jackson Walker 281 165 1.70
Fish & Richardson 191 117 1.63
Seyfarth Shaw 425 261 1.63
Wiley Rein 117 75 1.56
Crowell & Moring 237 155 1.53
Duane Morris 353 244 1.45
Waller 156 111 1.41
Venable 367 272 1.35
Greenberg Traurig 990 749 1.32
Katten 291 234 1.24
Dorsey & Whitney 289 233 1.24
Vedder Price 149 121 1.23
Norton Rose Fulbright 305 265 1.15
Akin Gump 249 218 1.14
Bracewell 167 150 1.11
Haynes and Boone 241 218 1.11
K&L Gates 597 542 1.10
Pillsbury 293 268 1.09
Sterne, Kessler 66 63 1.05
Foley & Lardner 486 464 1.05
Brown Rudnick 90 88 1.02
Perkins Coie 538 535 1.01
Irell & Manella 26 26 1.00
Sheppard, Mullin 402 410 0.98
Goulston & Storrs 118 121 0.98
Reed Smith 449 467 0.96
Munger, Tolles & Olson 91 95 0.96
Alston & Bird 359 382 0.94
Mayer Brown 464 496 0.94
DLA Piper 587 651 0.90
Baker Botts 237 263 0.90
Foley Hoag 146 167 0.87
Richards, Layton & Finger 76 88 0.86
Jones Day 601 706 0.85
Mintz Levin 272 321 0.85
Finnegan 108 132 0.82
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius 686 862 0.80
Choate Hall & Stewart 94 119 0.79
Kasowitz 86 110 0.78
Winston & Strawn 368 478 0.77
Hunton Andrews Kurth 388 506 0.77
King & Spalding 457 602 0.76
Hogan Lovells US 334 456 0.73
Kirkland & Ellis  1124 1608 0.70
Holwell Shuster 17 25 0.68
Axinn 33 52 0.63
Seward & Kissel 44 71 0.62
Proskauer Rose 228 370 0.62
Patterson Belknap 52 87 0.60
Orrick 331 561 0.59
Sidley Austin 558 954 0.58
Ashurst  14 24 0.58
Dechert 229 427 0.54
Stroock 88 167 0.53
Goodwin 445 847 0.53
Morrison & Foerster 234 447 0.52
Willkie Farr 261 500 0.52
Paul Hastings 253 507 0.50
Shearman & Sterling 130 261 0.50
Kramer Levin 103 210 0.49
O'Melveny & Myers 237 485 0.49
Cadwalader 90 185 0.49
Freshfields 60 129 0.47
Cahill 69 149 0.46
Allen & Overy 89 193 0.46
Vinson & Elkins 174 381 0.46
Gibson, Dunn 463 1068 0.43
Wilson Sonsini 265 615 0.43
Latham & Watkins 606 1448 0.42
Schulte Roth & Zabel 76 182 0.42
Covington & Burling 276 665 0.42
Cooley 336 847 0.40
WilmerHale 224 585 0.38
Fried, Frank 158 422 0.37
Weil 208 581 0.36
Clifford Chance 76 226 0.34
Skadden 253 784 0.32
Sullivan & Cromwell 137 425 0.32
Milbank 123 419 0.29
Ropes & Gray 272 930 0.29
Simpson Thacher 203 740 0.27
Linklaters 30 111 0.27
Debevoise & Plimpton 117 446 0.26
Cravath 94 360 0.26
Gunderson 42 163 0.26
Davis Polk & Wardwell 141 580 0.24
Paul, Weiss 155 639 0.24
Cleary Gottlieb 91 390 0.23

  

Firms not listed did not disclose their headcount numbers.