DLA Piper

Short answer: if you mean U.S. corporate / M&A / securities work, the “top brands people actually use” are usually Wachtell, Kirkland, Latham, Skadden, Cravath, Simpson Thacher, Davis Polk, Sullivan & Cromwell, Paul Weiss, Debevoise, Weil, Ropes & Gray, Cooley, Wilson Sonsini, Fenwick, Gunderson, Goodwin, DLA Piper, Baker McKenzie, Morgan Lewis — but the best choice depends heavily on the transaction.

Best corporate law firms by use case

My practical top picks

1. Wachtell — best brand for elite public-company M&A, takeover defense and boardroom crisis work.
2. Kirkland & Ellis — the default name for private equity, sponsor-side M&A and high-volume deal work; Vault ranks it #1 for private equity. (legacy.vault.com)
3. Latham & Watkins — probably the best “all-around” global corporate platform: M&A, capital markets, finance, PE and regulatory depth. Bloomberg ranked it #1 in 2025 M&A deal value. (prnewswire.com)
4. Skadden — elite M&A, public company, governance, activism, securities and regulatory-heavy transactions.
5. Cravath — top-tier public M&A, capital markets and blue-chip company counsel.
6. Davis Polk — excellent for capital markets, financial institutions, securities and public-company corporate work.
7. Simpson Thacher — very strong in private equity, M&A, finance and capital markets.
8. Sullivan & Cromwell — strong for complex public-company, financial institution, governance and cross-border work.
9. Paul Weiss — increasingly prominent for public M&A, PE, activism and board-level matters.
10. Cooley / Wilson Sonsini / Fenwick / Gunderson / Goodwin — best cluster for venture-backed startups, tech companies, VC financings and growth-company exits. (legacy.vault.com)

If you mean startup “legal products” people actually use

For simple U.S. startup formation, people often use:

• Clerky — popular for Delaware C-corp startup paperwork; Clerky itself notes it is not a law firm and provides self-help document services. (clerky.com)
• Stripe Atlas — forms Delaware C-corps or LLCs, helps with EIN and related startup setup; Stripe states Atlas is not a law firm and not a substitute for legal advice. (docs.stripe.com)
• Cooley GO — useful free startup resources/templates, but not a substitute for a lawyer on anything nonstandard. (orbit-kb.mit.edu)

Rule of thumb: use Clerky/Stripe Atlas only for clean, standard formation. Hire a real lawyer if you have multiple founders, nonstandard equity, foreign founders, IP issues, a regulated business, investors, debt, SAFEs/notes, acquisition talks, or a cofounder dispute.

How I’d choose

• $1B+ public M&A: Wachtell, Cravath, Skadden, S&C, Davis Polk, Simpson, Paul Weiss.
• PE sponsor deal: Kirkland, Latham, Simpson, Ropes, Paul Weiss, Debevoise, Weil.
• Startup raising VC: Cooley, Wilson Sonsini, Gunderson, Fenwick, Goodwin, Orrick.
• Global transaction: Latham, Skadden, Freshfields, A&O Shearman, Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Baker McKenzie.
• Normal company needing ongoing corporate counsel: DLA Piper, Morgan Lewis, Baker McKenzie, Goodwin, Holland & Knight, Wilson Sonsini, Foley, McGuireWoods.

For expensive legal work, don’t hire the firm name alone — hire the specific partner/team with recent experience in your exact deal type, industry, jurisdiction and counterparty profile.

The best corporate law firms are typically evaluated by prestige, deal volume, market capitalization, and client service metrics. Rather than buying a "product," corporations hire these firms for high-stakes mergers and acquisitions (M&A), corporate governance, private equity, and restructuring.

The top brands that major corporations, investment banks, and private equity funds actually use are grouped into distinct categories below.

The Elite "New York Prestige" Firms

These firms are widely considered the gold standard for high-end corporate governance, premium M&A, and financial transactions. They dominate the Vault Law 100 rankings year after year.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP: Consistently ranked as the #1 firm for general corporate prestige. They are the go-to firm for massive, complex cross-border transactions and boardroom-level advisory work. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz: Renowned as the most exclusive corporate boutique in the world. They handle the most critical hostile takeovers, shareholder activism defense, and monumental M&A transactions. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP: A powerhouse in corporate finance, banking regulations, and traditional M&A, representing premier investment banks and multinational conglomerates. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP: A massive elite firm known for inventing the modern corporate takeover practice. They blend New York prestige with global scale.

The Global Corporate Powerhouses

If a corporation requires thousands of lawyers across multiple continents to execute massive, multi-jurisdictional deals, they look to these market-leading institutions.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP: The largest law firm in the world by revenue. Kirkland is the absolute market dominant force in private equity, large-scale corporate restructurings, and commercial litigation. Latham & Watkins LLP: A global titan that matches Kirkland in scale and revenue. Latham is heavily favored for high-yield corporate finance, capital markets (like tech IPOs), and top-tier energy or infrastructure deals. DLA Piper: An incredibly sprawling international network. They are widely used by mid-to-large-cap corporations that require boots on the ground in dozens of international markets simultaneously.

Direct Comparison of Top Tiers

Are you researching firms for potential legal representation for a business, looking at top firms for career and employment purposes, or looking for a firm in a specific geographic region? Knowing your goal can help me point you toward the right tier or directory.