The American Lawyer magazine has recognized Husch Blackwell among the top 100 law firms in the United States in its 2021 Am Law 100 rankings, released April 20. The annual ranking is based on gross revenue and includes a variety of other measures of law firm size and profitability. Husch Blackwell placed 95th, a jump of five spots from its 2020 ranking and marking the third time in the last four years the firm has ranked among the top 100.
“Our firm is in select company this year. We were one of only 25 firms in the Am Law 100 to post better than nine percent growth in gross revenue during 2020,” said Husch Blackwell Chair Catherine Hanaway. “Of those 25 firms, only four posted larger percentage increases in overall headcount. That indicates that our growth strategy is both sustainable and in keeping with the increased demand for our services in the marketplace. We anticipate continued growth throughout the coming year.”
Husch Blackwell’s gross revenue increased 9.7 percent in 2020, topping $417 million and outpacing the Am Law 100 average increase of approximately six percent. On a full-time equivalent basis, Husch Blackwell added a net of 48 attorneys during 2020, a nearly eight percent increase year over year. This surge in headcount was highlighted by the January 2020 arrival of a 12-lawyer group in Madison focused on healthcare transactions, hospice and palliative care, higher education, and employment law.
Husch Blackwell’s growth trajectory has continued into the first quarter of 2021. The firm announced on April 1, 2021, the opening of two new offices—in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area—occasioned by the arrival of a 21-lawyer litigation team. Throughout the first quarter, the firm’s Renewable Energy team experienced rapid growth as well, adding a total of seven new attorneys since January 1, 2021, a roughly 20 percent increase in team size since the beginning of the year.
“We can see some light at the end of the tunnel concerning the COVID public health crisis, and as the economy reopens and rebounds more broadly, our firm is actively looking at a variety of growth strategies,” said Hanaway. “We will continue to add to our capabilities and geographies based on what our clients need and where they need it.”