McDermott, Will & Emery shows how easy it is to game Firsthand/Vault's "best firm to work for" award

       This year's Vault "Best Law Firm to Work For," "Best Law Firm for Diversity" and "Best Summer Associate Program" rankings came out, and McDermott Will & Emery took the top spot from O'Melveny in all three. Last year, McDermott was ranked #41 in the best firm to work for ranking, and unranked in the other two (meaning its score was so low that it didn't even place in the ranking.) 

       So according to Vault, McDermott went from being a middling place to work, with poor diversity, and a subpar summer associate program, to being the absolute best in all three areas -- in only one year.

       Remember, to win these awards, all McDermott had to do was to tell its own associates to give it the highest score on Vault's survey. I imagine McDermott got tired of being disparaged by Vault's flawed methodology, and decided to mimic O'Melveny's gamesmanship. 

       Well done McDermott; you proved how meaningless these awards are.

       [Addendum: McDermott also took the top spot from O'Melveny in the The American Lawyer’s 2021 Midlevel Associates Survey. Last year, McDermott was ranked #29. Like Vault's best firm to work for award, to win this award, all McDermott had to do was to tell its midlevel associates to give it the highest score on the American Lawyer survey.]

 Firsthand, First hand, These are last year's top 50 best firms to work for, O'Melveny & Myers LLP, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Ropes & Gray LLP, Clifford Chance US LLP, Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP, Paul Hastings LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Proskauer Rose LLP, Goodwin Procter LLP, Lowenstein Sandler LLP, Shearman & Sterling, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Jackson Walker, Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP, White & Case LLP, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Gibbons P.C., WilmerHale, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Dechert LLP, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP Thompson & Knight LLP, BakerHostetler, Goulston & Storrs PC, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Sidley Austin LLP, Cooley LLP, Covington & Burling LLP, Sheppard Mullin, Morrison & Foerster LLP, Milbank LLP, Cozen O'Connor, Fenwick & West LLP, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Foley Hoag LLP, Linklaters LLP, McDermott Will & Emery, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, Crowell & Moring LLP, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Williams & Connolly LLP Robinson & Cole LLP, Carlton Fields, P.A., Kirkland & Ellis