Top BigLaw Firms for White Collar Defense in San Francisco
Every firm in our directory with a San Francisco office that Chambers USA 2026 ranks for white collar defense in California, strongest band first. Latham & Watkins LLP leads with Band 1, one of 3 firms in Band 1.
- Ranked firms
- 20
- Band 1 firms
- 3
- Median first-year base
- $225,000
20 ranked firms for white collar defense in San Francisco
| # | Firm | Chambers 2026 | First-year base | 2L summer applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latham & Watkins LLP Vault #4 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026Deadline Jan 29, 2027 |
| 2 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Vault #8 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 2, 2026Deadline Feb 5, 2027 |
| 3 | Sidley Austin LLP Vault #11 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 4 | Covington & Burling LLP Vault #12 |
| $225,000 | Not announced (last cycle Dec 1, 2025) |
| 5 | Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP Vault #29 |
| $225,000+ | Jan 1, 2027 |
| 6 | King & Spalding LLP Vault #36 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 7 | Winston Taylor LLP Vault #39 |
| $225,000+ | Expected late October to early November 2026 |
| 8 | Jones Day Vault #26 |
| $240,000 | Not announced (last cycle Oct 27, 2025) |
| 9 | O'Melveny & Myers LLP Vault #28 |
| $225,000+ | Opened Oct 1Deadline Jan 31, 2027 |
| 10 | Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP Vault #14 |
| $235,000+ | See the job board |
| 11 | Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Vault #23 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 12 | Morrison & Foerster LLP Vault #27 |
| $225,000+ | Opened Oct 1Deadline Feb 28, 2027 |
| 13 | Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Vault #30 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early January 2027 |
| 14 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP Vault #35 |
| $225,000+ | Expected late November 2026 |
| 15 | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Vault #16 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026 |
| 16 | Cooley LLP Vault #22 |
| $255,000+ | Expected November 2026 |
| 17 | Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP Vault #25 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 18 | Crowell & Moring LLP Vault #65 |
| $215,000 | See the job board |
| 19 | Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP Vault #66 |
| $225,000+ | Not announced |
| 20 | Fenwick & West LLP Vault #71 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026 |
Chambers bands from Chambers USA 2026, California 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 Chicago21 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 San Francisco
- Labor & Employment35 firms
- Intellectual Property (Patent)31 firms
- Commercial Litigation30 firms
- Corporate / M&A22 firms
- Healthcare18 firms
- Technology Transactions18 firms
- Environmental17 firms
- Insurance / Reinsurance17 firms
- Tax17 firms
- Antitrust16 firms
- Entertainment / Media / Sports16 firms
- Securities Litigation16 firms