Top BigLaw Firms for Corporate / M&A in Washington, DC

Every firm in our directory with a Washington, DC office that Chambers USA 2026 ranks for corporate and M&A in District of Columbia, strongest band first. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP leads with Band 1, one of 4 firms in Band 1.

Ranked firms: 15
Band 1 firms: 4
Median first-year base: $225,000

Open in the directory Compare the top 3

15 ranked firms for corporate and M&A in Washington, DC

#	Firm	Chambers 2026	First-year base	2L summer applications
1	Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Vault #3	Band 1 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000+	Nov 2, 2026
2	Latham & Watkins LLP Vault #4	Band 1 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000+	Nov 1, 2026Deadline Jan 29, 2027
3	Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Vault #8	Band 1 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000+	Nov 2, 2026Deadline Feb 5, 2027
4	Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Vault #30	Band 1 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000+	Expected early January 2027
5	Covington & Burling LLP Vault #12	Band 2 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000	Not announced (last cycle Dec 1, 2025)
6	Goodwin Procter LLP Vault #31	Band 2 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$255,000+	Not announced
7	Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP Vault #47	Band 2 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000+	Expected mid-December 2026
8	Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Vault #32	Band 3 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000+	Expected early December 2026
9	DLA Piper LLP (US) Vault #42	Band 3 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000+	Expected early January 2027
10	Crowell & Moring LLP Vault #65	Band 3 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$215,000	See the job board
11	Cooley LLP Vault #22	Band 4 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$255,000+	Expected November 2026
12	Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP Vault #25	Band 4 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000+	Expected early November 2026
13	Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Vault #37	Band 4 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000+	Nov 2, 2026
14	Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP Vault #66	Band 4 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$225,000+	Not announced
15	Venable LLP Vault #69	Band 4 · Corporate/M&A & Private Equity · District of Columbia	$215,000	Not announced

Chambers bands from Chambers USA 2026, District of Columbia tables; Band 1 is the strongest, and a “Highly Regarded” band sits below every “Elite” band. Pay is each firm’s first-year base; summer dates come from each firm’s own page via the BigLaw job board. How rankings work

Corporate / M&A in other cities

Corporate / M&A in New York48 firms
Corporate / M&A in Houston30 firms
Corporate / M&A in Dallas26 firms
Corporate / M&A in Silicon Valley24 firms
Corporate / M&A in San Francisco22 firms
Corporate / M&A in Chicago21 firms
Corporate / M&A in Austin17 firms
Corporate / M&A in Atlanta14 firms
Corporate / M&A in Philadelphia13 firms
Corporate / M&A in Boston13 firms
Corporate / M&A in Los Angeles10 firms
Corporate / M&A in Miami10 firms

Other practices in Washington, DC

White Collar Defense41 firms
Antitrust38 firms
Commercial Litigation36 firms
Healthcare29 firms
Intellectual Property (Patent)29 firms
Environmental21 firms
Government Regulatory / Public Policy21 firms
Tax19 firms
Real Estate17 firms
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation17 firms
Labor & Employment14 firms
Insurance / Reinsurance13 firms

Top corporate and M&A firms nationwide Every BigLaw firm in Washington, DC Summer program dates