Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 900
Washington, DC 20037
Suite 900
Washington, DC 20037
Phone number: (202) 955-1500
Visit Website: www.huntonAK.com
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Overview
Introduction
At Hunton Andrews Kurth, associates have work-life balance—but no lack of top-notch, substantive experience. The firm places a heavy emphasis on pro bono, reflected in the 100% attorney pro bono participation rate and broad array of opportunities. The result of 2018’s largest merger, Hunton Andrews Kurth pairs two firms that had been growing by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Mid-Atlantic-based Hunton & Williams brought leading global practices in privacy and cybersecurity, energy, financial ser...
Firm Stats
Total No. Attorneys (2021)
No. of Partners Named (2021)
Featured Rankings
Vault Law 100...
No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2020)
No. of Summer Associates (2021)
Base Salary
All U.S. offices1st year: $202,500...
Vault Verdict
Hunton Andrews Kurth prioritizes grades, extracurriculars, and personality more than what law school a candidate attended. Attorneys here are a close-knit, friendly, and social bunch, but they are able to prioritize their personal lives outside of work. Partners willingly share time and knowledge with associates. On a firmwide level, associates wish there was more insight into decisions like compensation, but some remark that overall transparency is improving. Associates are expected to bill 2,000 hours per year, which includes an allotment for pro bono and other non-client work—all in all, they feel this is manageable, although there are day-to-day fluctuations. There are mixed reactions to compensation, in part because associates feel they lack complete insight, but they note re...
About the Firm
The result of 2018’s largest merger, Hunton Andrews Kurth, pairs two firms—each with over a century of history—that had been growing by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Mid-Atlantic-based Hunton & Williams brought with it leading global practices in privacy and cybersecurity, energy, financial services, and real estate. Houston’s Andrews Kurth Kenyon had recently grown from a Lonestar State stalwart to an international firm renowned for its energy, environmental, IP, and privacy practices.
A Tale of Two Firms
Though founded more than 1,000 miles away, Hunton & Williams and Andrews Kurth Kenyon were in many ways mirror images of one another. Eppa Hunton, Randolph Williams, and two others founded their firm in Richmond, VA, in 1901 and quic...
2022 Vault Rankings
Associate Reviews
- “The attorneys here are great people who enjoy working together. We'll have a floor happy hour every other week just because, along with events to celebrate the personal achievements (engagements, babies, etc.) of the team. It's a great atmosphere that values hard work and team camaraderie.”
- “I find the office culture to be very friendly and social, even with work being exclusively virtual as of now. The firm has weekly office-wide and practice area-wide group Zoom calls that are casual, which I appreciate.”
- “The lawyers and staff in the office form a very close-knit community. Most of the socialization is during the workday due to family and other commitments in the evening, but the after-hours events the office hosts are enjoyable.”
- “The firm's culture is very team dependent. Our team and practice group is extremely collegial, and this extends to staff members and attorneys alike. Most of us have families and don't socialize often outside of work, but operate much like a ‘work family’ while in the office. …”
- “Partner relationships with associates are generally collegial, and it is clear there is an interest in developing talent. The firm is transparent as to firm performance. Performance reviews are conducted at the very end of the first quarter of the fiscal year, and there is less transparency into the metrics for compensation than at many peer firms.”
- “There is an open-door policy between the partners and associates. Partners take a direct interest in the development and mentoring of their associates. Associates are not a number but valued members of the team. There is very good transparency between partners and associates at the team level. HuntonAK is improving its transparency with associates on firm performance, internal promotions, reviews, etc.”
- “Partners individually and collectively have been courteous and have had reasonable expectations of associates. The firm has generally been transparent with financial performance, performance requirements, and promotion. There are formal annual reviews, but associates and partners provide constructive feedback regularly which is the main source of feedback for me.”
- “I feel very close to the partners that I work with. From day one, they have treated me with respect and valued my opinions. They are always willing to take the extra time to mentor me and help me grow as a lawyer.”
- “Relatively speaking, I think there is a good amount of flexibility within my firm and my practice group on when/where I work. The billable-hour ‘requirement’ is reasonable, and overall, the workload is manageable so far.”
- “The partners are really good at listening to us about our workloads. If I feel like I have too much work, they will help me find other associates to help out. If I feel like I could use more hours, they are always happy to send work my way. I also really appreciate the diversity of the work that I do.”
- “Workflow depends on practice group, year, and location. In my [approximately] seven years at the firm, workflow has always been relatively constant, though that isn't true for everyone. Billable-hour requirements are entirely reasonable. Flexibility on work location depends on the partner, but for the most part, partners are fairly accommodating.”
- “I have a fair workload for my year and experience. The work tends to come over several days of long hours followed by a day or two of lower hours. The 2,000-hour annual billable requirement is reasonable, especially given the generous pro bono credit amount.”
- “The firm generally keeps up with other similar firms. Senior associates are placed on a compensation matrix that ties compensation to the fees collected by the firm for the attorney's work. The system is detrimental to transactional attorneys who may not collect fees when a deal dies.”
- “This question is tough to answer as we are currently undergoing a compensation overhaul. We are not a lockstep firm, so it is unclear which/how many associates will meet the firm's criteria to be compensated at a level equal to our peers using a lockstep model.”
- “HuntonAK is extremely generous with compensation. I have received a bonus and a raise every year, even when I did not hit my billable-hours expectation. The firm is really good at considering non-billable commitments such as professional development, pro bono, and diversity work and takes that work into account when determining compensation.”
- “Compensation was just increased to match market. Additionally, we received a ‘special’ bonus like other firms. I am very happy with comp.”
- “On the whole, [work is] pretty substantive. There are some ‘rite of passage’ grunt work assignments that kind of naturally fall to the newest associates, but it’s still important work that adds value to the team.”
- “Associates get a lot of responsibility early in their careers. Cases are staffed leanly, which gives the associates a lot of opportunities to grow.”
- “Yes, I have performed substantive legal work appropriate for my level, and in some cases, work that is probably above my level. I primarily perform legal research and draft motions, including dispositive motions. I also assist with the discovery process by reviewing documents and preparing discovery requests and responses. I have also assisted with preparing for depositions.”
- “I am very satisfied with the level of work that I have been given. Over this past year, I have been given much more responsibility and now feel confident dealing directly with clients and opposing counsel. I am generally responsible for drafting and negotiating all ancillary loan documents and miscellaneous items involved with finance deals, while the partner/upper level associate is responsible for the main loan document.”
- “They've honestly done a very good job but could improve by streamlining tech. We use three different communication platforms (Exchange for email, Skype for IM, and Zoom for calls) and three different file storage services. I applaud the firm for adopting Zoom last year, but they missed a good chance to, for example, phase out Skype.”
- “I think the firm has taken the measures needed to allow lawyers to work efficiently at home. The firm provided additional monitors to use with the firm laptop, a technology purchasing program, and readily accessible IT support.”
- “Remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic has felt like a seamless transition. Our team is functioning well, and it seems like the firm as a whole is too. The firm provides a ton of support for remote work, and it has truly been a non-issue.”
- “I really like our firm's technology and find it easy to work remote when I need to. The firm adapted its technology to accommodate working remotely during COVID, which was very helpful during those first few months of adjustment.”
- “The firm offers a number of initiatives, from counseling, exercise programs, meditation, nutrition education, and others. Aside from the formal announced programs, there is a genuine concern with attorney well-being that I have seen expressed by partners.”
- “The firm has sponsored several programs which include yoga classes, counseling, work-from-home resources, etc. They have made an effort to ensure that folks are well taken care of while working from home.”
- “The firm has provided counseling programs in the past year. I also believe the firm improved its child care and elderly adult care programs in the past year.”
- “The firm has wellness education programs, support services available by phone or email, [and] a COVID work-from-home support center.”
- “Individual associates and more-junior partners have been excellent at providing informal training and advice when working with them on transactions or more discrete assignments. This is supplemented by regular CLE sessions which are on useful topics. There is a formal mentor assigned to each associate; how this mentorship works depends largely on the individual mentor.”
- “We have high-quality in-house CLEs and many informal training opportunities. Associates are encouraged to participate in presentations.”
- “This is very much a ‘learn-as-you-go’ career. Formal training is sporadic through things like lunch-and-learn programs, on-site CLEs, and the like. These are a great plus, but of course the real learning and training is the informal ‘learn-as-you-go’ while working through a new type of transaction for the first time.”
- “Most training is on the job. My team does a nice job with scheduled training sessions every few months, and the litigation practice groups do broader training a few times per year. If you want a mentoring relationship, you need to seek it out on your own, but partners and senior associates are more than willing to mentor.”
- “HuntonAK has something for everyone—partnership for those who are willing to do what it takes to earn it; non-partner senior roles for those who don't (with a variety of options); and great exit opportunities to go in-house at firm clients. The partnership process is fairly transparent—there needs to be a business case, and you need to do good work. …”
- “Promotion to partnership is available at HuntonAK. I think the firm positions associates well for long-term career development, both at HuntonAK or elsewhere.”
- “The leadership on my team has been very transparent about my career trajectory at the firm. I feel like there are opportunities for multiple associates to make partner in the coming years, and I do not feel like we are competing with one another for a select few spots.”
- “Promotion to partnership is realistic for those who would like to make partner, but there are other tracks available for associates who do not want to pursue partnership. Associates and partners in all groups seem to have a wide variety of exit opportunities to in-house positions, other firms, and public service positions.”
- “Every single attorney (including partners) participate in some form of pro bono each year. We are very committed to pro bono, which is great. I recently worked on a guardianship case.”
- “Pro bono work is very, very important to the firm. We are allowed up to 100 hours of billable credit, are encouraged to attend the firm's monthly pro bono meetings, and are offered a wide variety of pro bono opportunities.”
- “Pro bono is hugely important at HuntonAK. There are plenty of pro bono opportunities, and there is something for everyone. There used to be [fewer] opportunities for transactional attorneys, but myself and some other transactional attorneys lobbied to get more pro bono for transactional attorneys, and now there is plenty of variety. I currently volunteer most of my pro bono time to the Innocence Project and the DC Bar Small Business Legal Advice Clinic.”
- “HuntonAK is very committed to pro bono work. There are a lot of resources to assist with pro bono work. During the pandemic, HuntonAK assisted in developing a virtual intake program to facilitate pro bono intake for legal services. …”
- “I am part of the firm's women's committee and have felt endless support from our firm's leadership. As an LGBTQ+ individual, I have felt extremely welcomed and supported by my colleagues. HuntonAK has been extremely supportive of and has encouraged my involvement in LGBTQ+ organizations and events.”
- “The firm offers billable credit for diversity-related activities and has increased efforts to advertise these activities and get more attorneys involved.”
- “HuntonAK gives billable credit for diversity and inclusion activities, a recent change that reflects the firm's commitment to improving its track record on the subject. As is the case with any BigLaw firm, there is still room for improvement, but HuntonAK is really putting in the effort to get where it needs to go.”
- “Our firm is very diverse with respect to women (there are a number of women partners and associates in each section, and we have a ‘Women in the Law’ group which is very active), however, our firm could use a lot of work with diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, LGBTQ, and people with disabilities. Our firm offers 25 billable credit [hours] for diversity-related activities.”
Why Work Here
Hunton Andrews Kurth is a preeminent international law firm formed when Hunton & Williams LLP and Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP combined in April 2018. Our nearly 1,000 lawyers serve clients from 19 offices across the United States, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. We work as “one firm” across all of our offices and offer exceptional work opportunities on a broad array of sophisticated legal matters. Our commitment to diversity is strong, and we recruit a variety of lawyers and staff from many cultures and backgrounds, appreciating the differences they bring to the firm. We are also committed to helping all of our lawyers achieve their potential while supporting each in integrating their work and personal lives.
Diversity at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
"At Hunton Andrews Kurth, we believe a diverse and inclusive workforce allows us to better serve clients and creates a more productive work environment for our lawyers and professional staff. We enthusiastically support a policy of equal employment opportunity that exceeds legal mandates and covers all aspects of the employment process from recruiting and hiring to training and promotion. We also have strong anti-harassment and reporting policies in place to help ensure a collegial and professional working atmosphere. Our firm's..."
Getting Hired Here
- “Grades and personality/fit seem to be the [most] important factors.”
- “The firm looks for hard workers with positive attitudes and [who] are respectful and considerate of others, hungry to learn, have initiative, etc.”
- “Our firm looks for competitive candidates but also looks for people who are friendly, outgoing, and a team player. Our firm is open to most law schools, but grades seem to be extremely important, as well as journal experience and/or moot [court] or mock trial experience. …”
- “The firm rarely emphasizes a candidate's law school attended or more trivial factors such as those—in general, they are looking for competent and likable prospective team members who can handle the workload and can develop the firm's practice.”
- “Tell me about yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What legal experience have you had in the past? How do you help your community? What experience made you grow as a person?”
- “We are hyper focused on the candidate's commitment to the office location. We want to see that you're either from here, have lived here, or have a solid reason for wanting to be here (spouse, partner, etc.).”
- “Most questions were about my work experience and personal questions to make sure I was a cultural fit. No ‘gotchas’ or hypotheticals.”
- “Where does the candidate see the practice that he/she is interested in going in the coming years? Why are they specifically interested in HuntonAK? Examples of how they work as part of a team.”
- “I feel well integrated within the firm and the practice group. About half of the associates I know lateraled, so it is not an unusual situation to be in. At the same time, associates who summered tend to have a closer bond between each other.”
- “I started with the class of new associates and got all the training they did, which was good.”
- “Very little effort at integration to the larger firm, but I fit in with my team quickly, so it didn't matter.”
Practice Area Q&A’s
Kerry McGrath
Partner
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Jenna Rode
Counsel
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Harve Truskett
Partner
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Parker A. Lee
Partner
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Deidre Duncan
Partner
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Perks & Benefits
