Ropes & Gray Highly Lauded in the Financial Times’ 2025 North America Innovative Lawyers Special Report

Ropes & Gray was ranked fifth on the “FT Law Firm Index” as part of the Financial Times’ 2025 North America Innovative Lawyers special report. This table ranks firms according to several metrics, including innovation in legal practice, technology utilization, people policies, social responsibility, and financial growth, combined with each firm’s top-scoring submissions to produce an overall innovation score.

In addition to this ranking, the firm was highly praised as part of the special report’s “Practice of Law” and “Business of Law” case studies, including in the following categories:

• Practice of Law: Dealmaking (Standout): For advising “Nippon Steel on its $14.9 billion acquisition of US Steel, a deal mooted in 2023 but blocked by the Biden administration. By building public support for the purchase through an advocacy campaign and challenging the process behind the Biden decision in court, the firm helped overturn the order. A 'golden share' voting right for the government assuaged its concerns about control.”
• Business of Law: New legal products (Highly commended): In recognition of “the real estate practice at the firm building reusable AI templates in partnership with tech company Hebbia to extract a substantial number of data points from joint venture agreements for a large investment client in the sector. The templates greatly cut the cost of manual processing, and they can be reused for future similar work.”
• Business of Law: People strategy (Highly commended): In recognition of “the firm’s mandatory Thrive program, which offers first-year associates weekly sessions over six months, providing continuous support through its mental wellbeing-based curriculum. This focuses on building personal strengths and healthy behaviors. Launched in 2024, the coaching comprises group sessions, individual guidance and practical education. All 140 or so US first-year associates have taken part in the initiative and plans are under way for a new version for third-year associates in 2026.”
• Practice of Law: Disputes and litigation (Commended): For defending “shareholder voting rules for funds run by investment manager Eaton Vance against legal challenges made by activist hedge fund Saba in 2024.”