Clifford Chance US LLP
31 West 52nd St.
New York, NY 10019
New York, NY 10019
(212) 878-8000
Overview
Introduction
As a global force since its merger in 1987, it’s no surprise Clifford Chance seeks candidates with international aspirations and foreign language skills. This Magic Circle firm offers a welcoming culture and interesting work, and it genuinely supports pro bono and diversity. One might assume that it would be easy to get lost in such a massive enterprise, but employee relations and firm transparency are exceptional.
Firm Stats
Total No. Attorneys (2022)
250 - 500
No. of Partners Named (2022)
4
Featured Rankings
Vault Law 100
No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2022)
26
No. of Summer Associates (2021)
41 total (36 2Ls; 5 1Ls; 1 SEO)
Base Salary
Base Salary (2022)1st year: $ 215,0002nd year: $225,0003rd...
Vault Verdict
From Abu Dhabi to Washington, D.C., and most large metropolitan points in between, Clifford Chance—as one of the largest and most profitable law firms in the world—likely can satisfy your legal needs. Its global reach is attractive to new associates, who generally come from T14 or local law schools. Other important hiring factors include top grades, journal experience, work experience, diversity, and a personality that will mesh well with the rest of the firm. The firm culture is social, supportive, and collaborative, and partners are approachable, accessible, and helpful. Partners make genuine efforts to get to know associates and provide meaningful tutelage. Clifford Chance makes sure lateral and clerk hires assimilate nicely in the firm. Along with senior associates, partners p...
Firm's Response
A law firm’s culture is defined in many ways: geographic reach, substantive strengths, client focus, inclusion, and core values. Candidates carefully weigh these qualities throughout the recruitment process, but once our associates arrive and become a member of the team, a key factor in their development is mentorship. Our partners and sen...
About the Firm
With 2,500 lawyers across more than 30 offices around the globe, Clifford Chance is a legal behemoth. The firm boasts a growing practice in the U.S. and a global reputation that shines.
Brits and Yanks
The modern Clifford Chance was created in 1987 when giant U.K. firms Coward Chance and Clifford Turner merged, creating an entity The Times of London called “the country’s first mega law firm.” Indeed, Clifford Chance was twice as large as the firm that had previously been the U.K.’s largest: Linklaters & Paines. Over the years, Clifford Chance has opened offices and built client lists around the world, adopting a cross-border focus well before such an outlook became commonplace. At the same time, the firm grew from hundreds of attorneys to thousands, which enabled it to take on ...
2023 Vault Rankings
Associate Reviews
- “The atmosphere is second to none. It is sociable, collaborative, understanding, patient...and fun. I have literally never heard an attorney, past or present, at the firm utter a negative remark about anyone. There's no question that we are taken care of as young attorneys.”
- “Clifford Chance provides a friendly and professional work environment. Although the firm is rather large, the practice groups and many attorneys and other staff know each other on a personal level. From my experience, many of the lawyers take the time to get to know as many of the less experienced lawyers as they can in the office and outside the office at firm sponsored events. The firm overall provides a welcoming environment.”
- “Super inclusive, friendly; everyone is brilliant, but they don't take themselves too seriously. The partners are approachable and invest heavily in mentoring.”
Why Work Here
Clifford Chance led the way for international firms when it started practicing US law in the 1990s. Now a thriving, full-service domestic Firm, Clifford Chance US operates from offices in New York and Washington, DC, and we were the first international firm to open an office in Brazil more than 20 years ago. The US Firm's 300 lawyers have a deep understanding of US, Latin American and global markets, and they routinely advise clients on high-profile matters across our transactional and litigation practices.
We offer clients the benefit of seamless access to Clifford Chance's elite global network spanning 32 offices in 22 countries. Collaboration is fundamental to our lockstep culture, and no firm is better placed to advise leading businesses on their complex domestic and cross-border matters.
For our candidates, we offer the opportunity to practice US law at the top level and to work on challenging matters in a supportive team-based environment, where the collective goal is to help our clients – elite US and multinational companies – succeed in a global marketplace.
Diversity at Clifford Chance US LLP
"At Clifford Chance, we are committed to enhancing diversity at the Firm and to fostering a supportive work environment in which all employees - regardless of racial or ethnic background, sexual orientation or gender - can develop to their fullest potential and contribute their best work to the success of the Firm and its clients. The Firm's success is built on the unique skills, perspectives, experience and values of our lawyers and staff. It is the Firm's policy to provide equal opportunity and equal terms and conditions of employment to..."
Getting Hired Here
JOB OPENINGS AT THIS COMPANY
- “I believe our firm is looking for well-rounded, globally-minded candidates, with law school attendance, grades, and diversity as key factors in hiring decisions.”
- “They look for people that will work well within the firm. That often includes an interest in, experience with, or familiarity with international work or study. We hire from the top law schools but also from lower ranked schools in the area or other top schools across the country.”
- “I think the firm wants top students with good grades and journal or work experiences, etc., but I think there's also an emphasis on personality and diversity, just based on the others I work with and the people in my first-year class. Everyone is very different, but the one uniting factor is that these are all genuinely friendly and pleasant people that you want to work and spend time with. As to feeder schools, I know that people from New York schools stand a fair chance, but they also hire from other places, including T14.”
Practice Area Q&A’s
Megan Gordon & Brian Yin
Partner & Associate
Clifford Chance US LLP
Greg Jehle & Jessica Springsteen
Associate & Partner
Clifford Chance US LLP
Kevin Lehpamer
Partner
Clifford Chance US LLP
