This year's New York Law Journal 100 lists the 100 largest law offices in New York State. To compile this list, we considered any firm with an office in the state. Where a firm has more than one office, the firm's rank order was determined by the size of its largest office. As in years past, the list includes offices of New York-based as well as branch offices of non-New York-based firms, from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco.

Reflecting the current merger mania, two firms in the NYLJ 100 result from mergers since our 1998 issue. New York's Christy & Viener merged with Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn to form 323-lawyer Salans Hertzfeld Heilbronn Christy & Viener, with 82 lawyers in Manhattan (the firm continues to practice in Europe under the Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn name). And Rochester-based Nixon, Hargrave, Devans & Doyle LLP merged with Boston's Peabody & Brown to form 453-lawyer Nixon Peabody LLP.

As in years past, we also separately rank the 25 largest firms (by total number of attorneys firmwide) claiming New York as their principal office, and the 25 largest Manhattan offices of firms claiming either no principal office or one that is outside of New York City.

What is the general state of the law business in New York this year? There is healthy growth in the firms overall. The largest of the 100 law offices is that of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, with 669 total full-time permanent attorneys, up from 618 lawyers last year, an 8.2 percent change. Right below Skadden is the 519-lawyer office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, up from 484 last year, a 7.2 percent increase. The first entry for a non-New York firm is at number 21, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, a firm that originated in Philadelphia but claims no home office and has 270 attorneys in New York City, up from 241 last year (a 12 percent increase).

The smallest office on the list is Darby & Darby's 67-attorney office, tied with the Manhattan office of Bryan Cave LLP, based in St. Louis. Bryan Cave is also listed on this year's chart of the top 25 Manhattan branches of non-New York-based firms, at number 25. The office grew from 52 lawyers in 1998, a gain of 15, or 28 percent. Law Journal staff reporter Anna Snider takes a look at the substantial amount of double-digit growth in the Manhattan branch offices of non-New York firms in this section.

Top 25 in New York
In addition to topping the NYLJ 100, Skadden also leads the list of the 25 biggest (firmwide) New York-based firms, with 1,403 lawyers, up 146 from 1,257 last year (11.61 percent).

White & Case LLP retained its number-two ranking, up 89 lawyers firmwide (937 from 848, or 10.5 percent), 42 in Manhattan (336 from 294, or 14.3 percent). And Shearman & Sterling moves from four last year to three, showing growth of 124 firmwide (831 from 707, or 17.5 percent), growing from 460 to 517 in Manhattan (up 12.4 percent).

Proskauer Rose LLP exhibited good growth also, advancing from 10 last year to eight, up to 405 from 379 (6.9 percent) in Manhattan and 525 from 479 firmwide (9.6 percent). Rogers & Wells LLP (its merger with Clifford Chance is not effective until Jan. 1) jumped three notches, from 19 to 16, with a 9.8 percent increase firmwide (414 from 377) and a 9.6 increase in Manhattan (308 from 281). But Coudert Brothers leapt even further, from 12 to eight, growing 19.6 percent firmwide (525 from 439), 15.8 percent in Manhattan (161 from 139).

Continuing to outstrip the others in percentage growth, however, as it did last year, is Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, which last year jumped onto the top 25 at number 22, and this year soars to 14. The firm grew by 24.2 percent firmwide, up to 436 from 351, and by 31.3 percent in Manhattan, to 348 from 265.

Unfortunately, not all is rosy. Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson saw a decrease from last year of 6 percent firmwide (to 404 from 430), with a decrease in Manhattan of 8.4 percent (271 from 296). The firm, which fell from 12 to 13 between 1997 and 1998, this year drops to number 18.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher, which dropped from 14 to 16 between 1997 and 1998, now drops to 20, posting no gain or loss in Manhattan and a .74 percent decrease firmwide (400 from 403). Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, which had advanced from 19 to 14 between 1997 and 1998, now falls to 17, holding steady at 411 firmwide and seeing only a 1.1 percent increase in Manhattan (from 277 to 280).

Cravath, Swaine & Moore, which has seen declines both from 1996 to 1997 and from 1997 to 1998, dropped from 20 to 22. The firm increased in Manhattan from last year by 12 lawyers (347 to 359, a 3.5 percent gain) and also by 12 firmwide (367 to 379, a 3.3 percent gain).

One firm is new to the list and one has gone. Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP joins at number 25, with 303 lawyers firmwide (up from 279 last year, an 8.6 percent increase) and 182 in Manhattan (down from 190 last year, a 4.2 percent decrease).Gone is Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, which last year held the number 25 slot. That firm has decreased by 10.6 percent firmwide (296 from 331) and by 7.4 percent in Manhattan (to 174 from 188).

Outside of Manhattan
What is the picture for New York State-based firms whose home offices are outside of New York City? We have six of them, and the results are mixed.

First on the 100 is Buffalo-based Hodgson, Russ, Andrews, Woods & Goodyear LLP, number 48, which grew by 127 to 134 lawyers in the Buffalo office (5.5 percent). Total lawyers firmwide increased from 171 to 176, a 2.9 percent increase.

Also based in Buffalo is number 59, Phillips, Lytle, Hitchcock, Blaine & Huber LLP. The Buffalo office increased from 104 to 112 (7.7 percent increase) while the firm as a whole grew from 153 to 164 (7.2 percent).

Shrinking is Uniondale's Rivkin, Radler & Kremer, also number 59, which decreased from 125 to 112 attorneys in its main office (a 10.4 percent drop) and from 164 to 135 firmwide (17.6 percent).

Rochester has two firms on the list, Harris Beach & Wilcox LLP at number 62 and Harter, Secrest & Emery at number 78. Of the two, Harris Beach saw more growth, increasing from 104 to 108 in the main office (a 3.8 percent increase) and from 172 to 179 firmwide (4.1 percent). Harter Secrest stayed at 88 lawyers in Rochester and decreased from 102 to 97 firmwide (4.9 percent drop).

Between the two Rochester firms falls Syracuse's Bond, Schoeneck & King LLP, at number 73. The firm grew 11.6 percent in its principal office (up to 96 from 86 last year) and 8.2 percent firmwide (up to 145 from 134), some of the healthiest growth seen outside of the city.