White shoe firm is a phrase used to describe the leading firms in America, particularly firms that have been in existence for more than a century, are staffed by Ivy League graduates, and represent Fortune 500 companies. It frequently (but not always) refers to law firms, and frequently (but not always) refers to firms in New York City.
In other words a nexus of insufferable prigs who think they run the world.
59 posted on 11/15/2005 12:34:59 PM PST by Tijeras_Slim
(Now that taglines are cool, I refuse to have one.)