For the fourth consecutive year, Shearman & Sterling was ranked on Law360’s “Global 20,” an annual list of law firms with the largest global presence. Shearman & Sterling is one of only 12 law firms to make the list every year since the list’s inception in 2011.

The rankings are determined by the breadth, size and complexity of cross-border and foreign legal matters over the past year, the percentage of attorneys and number of offices located outside the firm's home country, and the number of countries in which the firm has offices.

In an article about the rankings, Law360 notes that almost half of the firm’s lawyers practice outside of the U.S. in some of the major commercial centers of the world. “We have successfully combined a highly sophisticated local and regional practice in each of our offices across the globe with very high-end expertise on cross-border matters,” Senior Partner Creighton Condon told Law360. “Add a laser focus on client service and responsiveness and on the business needs of our clients, and you have our recipe for success,” he added.

As an illustration of our exemplary work, Law 360 singled out the historic $50 billion arbitration award the firm’s client Yukos Oil Co. won against the Russian government. “[The Yukos] victory underlines the exceptional nature of our practices and the long history of success associated with the firm,” Condon affirmed.

Law360 observes that the firm’s status as a Global 20 law firm was solidified by a number of other significant matters the firm worked on during the past year. Global Managing Partner David Beveridge attributes this prominence in large part to client service. “Clients expect us to understand their businesses and industries, and to provide sophisticated advice—legal, cultural and strategic—across the globe on their most sophisticated matters, Beveridge asserted. “We focus our efforts on meeting and exceeding those expectations,” he added.