Cleary Gottlieb Lawyers and Practices Earn Outstanding Rankings in Legal 500 USA 2025

Cleary Gottlieb lawyers and practices continue to receive exceptional recognition in the 2025 edition of The Legal 500 USA.

The firm’s lawyers received 9 “Hall of Fame” rankings, 48 “Leading Partner” rankings, 20 “Next Generation Partner” rankings, and 3 “Leading Associate” rankings.

The firm also earned 47 practice rankings, 21 of which were top-tier.

Cleary was recognized as a Tier 1 firm in the following practice areas:

• Antitrust: Cartel
• Antitrust: Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Defense
• Antitrust: Merger Control
• Dispute Resolution: Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense: Advice to Corporates
• Dispute Resolution: e-Discovery
• Dispute Resolution: Financial Services: Litigation
• Dispute Resolution: International Litigation
• Dispute Resolution: Securities Litigation: Defense
• Finance: Capital Markets: Debt Offerings – Advice to Issuers
• Finance: Capital Markets: Debt Offerings – Advice to Underwriters
• Finance: Capital Markets: Global Offerings – Advice to Issuers
• Finance: Capital Markets: Global Offerings – Advice to Underwriters
• Finance: Financial Services: Regulation
• Finance: Structured Finance: Derivatives and Structured Products
• Labor and Employment: Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation and Retirement Plans: Transactional
• M&A/Corporate and Commercial: Corporate Governance
• M&A/Corporate and Commercial: M&A: Large Deals ($1bn+)
• Real Estate: Real Estate Finance
• Tax: Financial Products
• Tax: International Tax
• U.S. Taxes: Non-contentious

Select feedback from clients and peers included:

• Antitrust: Merger control: “‘Extremely deep bench of expertise at Cleary, all the way from merger reviews to litigation.”
• Dispute resolution: General commercial disputes: “Practical approach, combined with best-in-class legal thinking. Team is easy to work with.”
• Dispute resolution: International litigation: “Talented attorneys; careful written advocacy; excellent oral advocacy; practical perspective on disputes and on the issues.”
• Dispute resolution: Securities Litigation: Defense: “The firm has a remarkably strong and competent securities litigation team, characterized by their profound depth of knowledge and exceptional capability.”
• Finance: Capital markets: debt offerings: “Our experience with the team has been outstanding, as they seamlessly work together to leverage their complementary skills.”
• Finance: Commercial lending: “A very knowledgeable and capable team of attorneys.”
• Finance: Restructuring (including bankruptcy): Corporate: “Clear, concise direction. Excellent strategic foresight.”
• Intellectual property: Patents: licensing: “Very pragmatic advice and work in connection with complex and/or novel IP transactions.”
• M&A/corporate and commercial: M&A: large deals ($1bn+): “Awesome professionals, highly skilled, very fast delivery, proactive and cooperative.”
• Media, technology and telecoms: Technology transactions: “They are a true one-stop shop in the sense that there is not a single function or lawyer I’ve worked with who has fallen below the standards of excellence.”
• Tax: International tax: “The team is extraordinary, both technically and in terms of customer relations. The customer is truly put at the center and the advice is informed and strategic.”

View Cleary’s complete results on The Legal 500’s website.