Top BigLaw Firms for White Collar Defense in Chicago
Every firm in our directory with a Chicago office that Chambers USA 2026 ranks for white collar defense in Illinois, strongest band first. Latham & Watkins LLP leads with Band 1, one of 5 firms in Band 1.
- Ranked firms
- 21
- Band 1 firms
- 5
- Median first-year base
- $225,000
21 ranked firms for white collar defense in Chicago
| # | Firm | Chambers 2026 | First-year base | 2L summer applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latham & Watkins LLP Vault #4 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026Deadline Jan 29, 2027 |
| 2 | Kirkland & Ellis LLP Vault #6 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026 |
| 3 | King & Spalding LLP Vault #36 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 4 | Jenner & Block LLP Vault #43 |
| $225,000+ | Not announced (last cycle Nov 14, 2025) |
| 5 | Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP Vault #78 |
| $235,000+ | Expected late fall 2026 |
| 6 | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Vault #3 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 2, 2026 |
| 7 | Sidley Austin LLP Vault #11 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 8 | Jones Day Vault #26 |
| $240,000 | Not announced (last cycle Oct 27, 2025) |
| 9 | Winston Taylor LLP Vault #39 |
| $225,000+ | Expected late October to early November 2026 |
| 10 | Ropes & Gray LLP Vault #20 |
| $225,000+ | Expected fall 2026 |
| 11 | Ashurst Perkins Coie LLP Vault #24 |
| $255,000+ | Expected early January 2027 |
| 12 | Mayer Brown LLP Vault #44 |
| $225,000+ | See the job board |
| 13 | McDermott Will & Schulte LLP Vault #46 |
| $255,000+ | See the job board |
| 14 | Steptoe LLP Vault #79 |
| $225,000+ | Not announced |
| 15 | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Vault #37 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 2, 2026 |
| 16 | DLA Piper LLP (US) Vault #42 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early January 2027 |
| 17 | Baker McKenzie LLP Vault #45 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026Deadline Mar 1, 2027 |
| 18 | Greenberg Traurig, LLP Vault #55 |
| Varies by office | Not announced |
| 19 | Baker & Hostetler LLP Vault #63 |
| $215,000 | Opened Sep 15Deadline Jan 15, 2027 |
| 20 | ArentFox Schiff LLP Vault #80 |
| $215,000 | Not announced (last cycle Sep 28, 2026) |
| 21 | Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP Vault #85 |
| $225,000 | Not announced |
Chambers bands from Chambers USA 2026, Illinois 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
White Collar Defense in other cities
- White Collar Defense in New York55 firms
- White Collar Defense in Washington, DC41 firms
- White Collar Defense in San Francisco20 firms
- White Collar Defense in Los Angeles19 firms
- White Collar Defense in Silicon Valley18 firms
- White Collar Defense in Houston14 firms
- White Collar Defense in Dallas13 firms
- White Collar Defense in Boston12 firms
- White Collar Defense in Philadelphia10 firms
- White Collar Defense in San Diego6 firms
- White Collar Defense in Orange County6 firms
- White Collar Defense in Atlanta6 firms
Other practices in Chicago
- Commercial Litigation25 firms
- Intellectual Property (General / Trademark)23 firms
- Restructuring / Bankruptcy22 firms
- Corporate / M&A21 firms
- Labor & Employment20 firms
- Real Estate18 firms
- Banking & Finance16 firms
- Healthcare13 firms
- Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation13 firms
- Environmental12 firms
- Insurance / Reinsurance12 firms
- Tax10 firms