The ranking is based on feedback from interviews conducted by BTI Consulting Group, a Wellesley, Mass.-based independent law firm consultancy, with nearly 700 corporate counsel at companies with annual revenue of at least $1 billion.

In BTI’s report, corporate counsel name Reed Smith among the 28 law firms with substantially better brands than all other firms as demonstrated through nine factors driving brand preference. Reed Smith’s staying power among the BTI Brand Elite is attributed in part to the firm’s “Best of the Best” performance on client service delivery for the second year running.