Top BigLaw Firms for White Collar Defense in Washington, DC
Every firm in our directory with a Washington, DC office that Chambers USA 2026 ranks for white collar defense in District of Columbia, strongest band first. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP leads with Band 1, one of 6 firms in Band 1.
- Ranked firms
- 41
- Band 1 firms
- 6
- Median first-year base
- $225,000
41 ranked firms for white collar defense in Washington, DC
| # | Firm | Chambers 2026 | First-year base | 2L summer applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Vault #8 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 2, 2026Deadline Feb 5, 2027 |
| 2 | Covington & Burling LLP Vault #12 |
| $225,000 | Not announced (last cycle Dec 1, 2025) |
| 3 | Williams & Connolly LLP Vault #17 |
| $260,000 | Expected late fall 2026 |
| 4 | Paul Hastings LLP Vault #21 |
| $225,000+ | Expected mid-December 2026 |
| 5 | Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP Vault #25 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 6 | Steptoe LLP Vault #79 |
| $225,000+ | Not announced |
| 7 | Latham & Watkins LLP Vault #4 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026Deadline Jan 29, 2027 |
| 8 | Sidley Austin LLP Vault #11 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 9 | Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP Vault #14 |
| $235,000+ | See the job board |
| 10 | Jones Day Vault #26 |
| $240,000 | Not announced (last cycle Oct 27, 2025) |
| 11 | Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Vault #32 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early December 2026 |
| 12 | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Vault #3 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 2, 2026 |
| 13 | Kirkland & Ellis LLP Vault #6 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026 |
| 14 | Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP Vault #7 |
| $225,000+ | Opened Sep 15Deadline Mar 1, 2027 |
| 15 | Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Vault #23 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 16 | Morrison & Foerster LLP Vault #27 |
| $225,000+ | Opened Oct 1Deadline Feb 28, 2027 |
| 17 | Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Vault #30 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early January 2027 |
| 18 | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Vault #38 |
| $225,000+ | Oct 15, 2026 |
| 19 | Vinson & Elkins LLP Vault #53 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026 |
| 20 | Crowell & Moring LLP Vault #65 |
| $215,000 | See the job board |
| 21 | Cozen O'Connor P.C. Vault #88 |
| $180,000 - $215,000 | Expected January 2027 |
| 22 | Ropes & Gray LLP Vault #20 |
| $225,000+ | Expected fall 2026 |
| 23 | Cooley LLP Vault #22 |
| $255,000+ | Expected November 2026 |
| 24 | King & Spalding LLP Vault #36 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 25 | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP Vault #40 |
| $225,000+ | Expected early November 2026 |
| 26 | Jenner & Block LLP Vault #43 |
| $225,000+ | Not announced (last cycle Nov 14, 2025) |
| 27 | Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Vault #5 |
| $235,000+ | Not announced (last cycle Nov 1, 2025) |
| 28 | McDermott Will & Schulte LLP Vault #46 |
| $255,000+ | See the job board |
| 29 | Freshfields US LLP Vault #50 |
| $225,000+ | Not announced |
| 30 | Dechert LLP Vault #51 |
| $225,000 | Expected late October to November 2026 |
| 31 | Linklaters LLP Vault #52 |
| $225,000+ | See the job board |
| 32 | Baker Botts L.L.P. Vault #54 |
| $225,000+ | Not announced |
| 33 | Greenberg Traurig, LLP Vault #55 |
| Varies by office | Not announced |
| 34 | A&O Shearman LLP Vault #56 |
| $225,000+ | See the job board |
| 35 | McGuireWoods LLP Vault #68 |
| $215,000 | See the job board |
| 36 | Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP Vault #85 |
| $225,000 | Not announced |
| 37 | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Vault #16 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026 |
| 38 | O'Melveny & Myers LLP Vault #28 |
| $225,000+ | Opened Oct 1Deadline Jan 31, 2027 |
| 39 | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Vault #37 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 2, 2026 |
| 40 | Alston & Bird LLP Vault #58 |
| $225,000+ | Nov 1, 2026 |
| 41 | Baker & Hostetler LLP Vault #63 |
| $215,000 | Opened Sep 15Deadline Jan 15, 2027 |
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
White Collar Defense in other cities
- White Collar Defense in New York55 firms
- White Collar Defense in Chicago21 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 Washington, DC
- 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
- Corporate / M&A15 firms
- Labor & Employment14 firms
- Insurance / Reinsurance13 firms