Best Lawyers Releases 2027 Rankings Amid Record Peer Review Participation

The latest edition features 81,620 lawyers in the flagship list and 25,052 early-career professionals in the Ones to Watch category. Washington, D.C. tops the geographic rankings with 4,119 recognized attorneys, followed by New York City and Chicago. While the total number of honorees remained stable, CEO Phillip Greer noted a 30% increase in first-time recognitions, signaling a turnover in the legal hierarchy fueled by rigorous vetting.

Commercial Litigation remains the dominant practice area, claiming 12,824 spots on the main list. However, data indicates a pivot in legal demand: specialties such as Artificial Intelligence Law, Energy Regulatory Law, and Juvenile Practice saw the sharpest percentage growth. Greer attributes this trend to the increasing complexity of corporate environments, where businesses are forced to navigate rapid technological adoption and evolving mass arbitration strategies.

Gender distribution among honorees highlights a persistent concentration of women in family law and immigration practice, though early-career categories show broader representation across diverse specialties. The selection process involved 32,000 voting lawyers, contributing to a historical database that now exceeds 30 million individual evaluations.