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Mayer Brown LLP

71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606

Phone number: (312) 782-0600

Visit Website: www.mayerbrown.com

Summer Program: Learn More

Overview

Introduction

Among the largest law firms in the world, Mayer Brown does it all. Among its stand-out practice is appellate litigation—through which the firm has argued more than 250 cases before SCOTUS. The firm has a professional atmosphere where lawyers take control of their workload via the free-market system. Mayer Brown is an international law firm with offices across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East that employs more than 1,600 lawyers—among the 25 largest law firm workforces in the world. Known for its top-flight corporate...

Firm Stats

Total No. Attorneys (2021)

1.5K - 2K

No. of Partners Named (2021)

Featured Rankings

Vault Law 100...

No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2020)

No. of Summer Associates (2021)

75 total (73 2Ls; 2 1Ls)

Base Salary

1st year: $205,000...

Vault Verdict

Given its free-market assignment system, it’s no surprise that Mayer Brown attracts candidates who enjoy building relationships with each other. The firm has a polite, respectful culture that comes from the top. Associates at Mayer Brown take on their fair share of hours, but they feel the firm keeps proper tabs on workflow to avoid burnout. They also note that the firm does not have a big facetime culture—something that was true even before the pandemic. Reviews are mixed on how transparent the firm is, but some have noted a marked improvement in information-sharing of late. Compensation gets high marks—associates feel they are paid according to market and appreciate recent special bonuses. They’re also pleased with the firm’s recent adjustment to the billable bonus requirement. ...

About the Firm

Mayer Brown is an international law firm with offices across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East that employs more than 1,600 lawyers—among the 25 largest law firm workforces in the world. Known for its top-flight corporate, finance, and appellate work, Mayer Brown serves many of the world’s largest companies, including a significant proportion of the Fortune 100, FTSE 100, CAC 40, DAX, Hang Seng, and Nikkei index companies, and more than half of the world’s largest banks.

I’ve Got to See a Man About a Horse

It was the summer of 1879, and a Chicago court was hearing arguments about the sale of a lame horse. The defendant was David Mayer, a wealthy local merchant. His attorney was his younger brother Levy, who had just graduated from Yale Law S...

2022 Vault Rankings

#40

Vault Law 100

#5

Best Law Firms in Chicago

#8

Best Law Firms in the South Atlantic

Associate Reviews

“Polite and professional.”
“From my experience so far, Mayer Brown's culture has been a ‘work-hard and be kind to others’ mentality. There is no political stratification between the lawyers and the staff, everybody is viewed as equals from my experience.”
“Pre-COVID, we had a great culture in the office. The firm sponsors Monday lunches and associates would take daily coffee breaks. We still have a good culture, with options for Zoom happy hours and lunch events. People are very friendly and easy to be around.”
“The culture at Mayer Brown is very nice. Being respectful and considerate towards others is a valued trait at Mayer Brown.”

“Partners are approachable and there was a real emphasis on maintaining connection and engagement during COVID. Reviews are annually conducted, but [it] is not discouraged to reach out for informal reviews.”
“I work directly with partners on a daily basis. Partners are extremely respectful and professional to associates, from my experience. The Management Committee does its best to inform the firm as a whole on finances, etc., but they could do a better job.”
“I have found that more partners are nice to associates and respectful of their time than not, notwithstanding that we are all very busy. In the past year the firm has improved in giving U.S.-wide quarterly updates on firm finances, which is a good improvement.”
“I think this varies partner to partner. I am very fortunate in that I work primarily for two to three partners that could not be better to work for. They treat me with respect, they are mindful of my career trajectory, they are very supportive, and respectful of my personal life. …”

“I am happy with Mayer Brown's work distribution. I have never been given too little work, and I am comfortable turning down additional work when my plate is full.”
“There is a lot of work, but there are frequent check-ins to confirm that the associate is not overwhelmed.”
“My workload can be quite demanding, but is manageable. I have general flexibility over my schedule in terms of both where and when I work. I imagine most people do not enjoy the billable-hour. While I am certainly no different in that I would prefer not to have to track my billable-hours, I find that my firm's requirement is tolerable (at least this year, so far)”
“2020 was a very busy year, even with the pandemic. But as far as BigLaw goes, it is right on par with what is to be expected.”

“Mayer Brown has been competitive with its bonuses during COVID and are on-track to be market with bonuses.”
“Top-shelf compensation. Special pandemic bonuses on top of year-end bonuses for hitting billable targets.”
“The firm recently reevaluated bonus requirements to bring our office back to the market standard. That was very well received.”
“Compensation is competitive and the firm seems to keep up with what's happening in the marketplace.”

“As a junior associate, I have had an excellent combination of work. I have work that is appropriate for my level as well as some work that has pushed me to work on skills that are not typically used as a junior associate. In my first year at the firm, I worked on everything from document review to drafting appellate briefs and taking multiple depositions.”
“Mostly editing documents and due diligence review—very appropriate for a first year like myself.”
“Senior attorneys have been quick to give new attorneys the opportunity to take on (level-appropriate) substantive assignments, and have been great about providing the background, advice, and resources to support success.”
“It is a priority for the firm to make sure work is substantively appropriate to the level of the associate, and my work has always been (even from early days) very substantive, allowing me to be in a position to lead on substantive aspects of deals.”

“The firm was very quick at transitioning to WFH, with very few hiccups. I was impressed by that.”
“The firm's technology and IT personnel are top-notch. The firm is a little bit slow to adapt to new technology, but if you reach out, they have always been able to accommodate new platforms and technologies (so long as it is client-requested).”
“The firm has provided access to Zoom, WebEx, Citrix, Microsoft Teams, etc., and is constantly pushing new technologies.”
“The firm could have been more generous in assisting associates especially in setting up home offices. Many had no monitors, no printers, no work phones, and call forwarding was not always effective. There were transition costs that associates had to take on themselves, which was disappointing.”

“The firm is offering, to all associates, partners and staff members, meditation and yoga classes, additional support for people taking care of children and elderly parents, and small group discussions—all in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm is also offering its regular fitness and nutrition education programs.
“The firm has monthly programming around employee wellness, including counseling, yoga, etc., and they just rolled out a partnership with the meditation app Headspace and have been focusing more on mental well-being initiatives, which is much appreciated. I'm hoping the biggest wellness initiative that all firms adopt is more flexibility on remote working after the immediate danger of the pandemic has subsided.”
“There is always some level of mindfulness or exercise program on the schedule which is awesome. There are also weekly reports that inform us on COVID-19 initiatives.”

“Mentoring at this firm has thus far been largely informal, although my experience even as a fairly introverted person has been that mentors have reached out to me to ensure that I get a chance to learn by experience. I would describe the feeling as one of investment, in which more senior attorneys have shown me patience and initiative time and again as I, in turn, learn and gain the skills required to support them. …”
“We are in training(s) every week, but what I think is actually helpful is that the materials are available after. The firm does a great job with giving us access to the library of materials we need to be successful. I meet with my mentors every week and it has been advantageous to have that level of input and insight when I make career decisions.”
“It is a lot of learning on the job, but feedback is consistent and useful.”
“The firm spends a lot of time on first-year associate training. After that, it is generally mentor driven. Senior associates and partners have all been accommodating to sit down and discuss work product.”

“The partnership process is relatively transparent and seems to be attainable for those interested. We recently had an event where recently-made partners explained the process and offered advice. Also, it seems as though there is a wide-range of exit opportunities, particularly for those looking to move to an in-house role.”
“Making partner seems realistic. Those in my group seem to have been at the firm for many years and are planning to stay for many more to come. The firm has excellent reciprocal relationships with clients for possible in-house exit options.”
“Partnership is realistic for associates who would like to make partner and the process is fairly transparent. I have started attending meetings this year regarding the process. The firm also offers the position of counsel for associates who do not want to make partner or would prefer to wait a year or two due to personal reasons. In addition, the firm has a group that associates can reach out to if they would like to move to an in-house position. This group will provide the associate resources and connections to clients of the firm who are looking for in-house attorneys.”
“There is good transparency about whether associates are desiring to be partner or counsel, and both tracks are respected decisions. Also, the firm encourages outside networking that has helped set people up well with future positions outside.”

“We count up to 100 pro bono hours as billable and another 100 by application. The firm offers many pro bono opportunities for those looking.”
“The firm works toward a goal of 20 pro bono hours a year for each associate and partner. We have a pro bono director who sources a vast amount of pro bono projects that associates can pick from. If associates have ideas for pro bono projects they can reach out to the director for approval. … I am currently working on a pro bono project that is a 50 state survey of emancipation and marriage statutes and how they tie together for parties who are under the age of majority at the time of their marriage.”
“The firm has a pro bono coordinator and there are always really interesting pro bono opportunities, ranging from individual client representations, to policy-oriented work, to Supreme Court amicus brief projects and high impact litigation on voting rights, criminal justice, and other civil rights issues. …”
“… . I helped draft employment agreements for an NGO and a university in Iraq.”

“The firm is trying very hard to improve in these areas. I think it's trending in the right direction.”
“We've had several programs on being Black in America and other initiatives that demonstrate how seriously the firm is taking race issues lately. The chairman's weekly emails always highlight work by attorneys that advances the cause of minorities and women, and I believe the firm is continuously striving to promote diverse attorneys. Male partners discuss the importance of business development with us women associates, and, rather than ignore the realities of being a woman in the legal field, they've acknowledged the existence of certain barriers to entry for women attorneys in the legal field, repeatedly highlighting opportunities they consider worthwhile for us.”
“Mayer Brown has launched Project Equity, which provides billable credit for diversity-related work. They could do more to retain diverse associates.”
“The firm is taking a lot of steps to up its diversity and inclusion initiatives, including certain hiring/promoting benchmarks, speaker series, and time dedicated to pro bono/equity matters.”

Why Work Here

Mayer Brown is a distinctively global law firm, uniquely positioned to advise the world’s leading companies and financial institutions on their most complex deals and disputes.

With extensive reach across four continents, we are the only integrated law firm in the world with approximately 200 lawyers in each of the world’s three largest financial centers—New York, London and Hong Kong—the backbone of the global economy.

We have deep experience in high-stakes litigation and complex transactions across industry sectors, including our signature strength, the global financial services industry.

Diversity at Mayer Brown LLP

"Mayer Brown is a place where the ability to grow and prosper is contingent only upon each individual's ability and commitment, a place where we celebrate and transcend our differences, and a place where our shared values of excellence and teamwork unite us. Diversity broadens our knowledge and skills and equips us to respond to the challenges of serving a clientele that spans the globe. We view the attainment of diversity at all levels of our organization as crucial to-and a natural result of-building a cohesive, successful law..."

Read the Diversity Report

Getting Hired Here

“I'd say it's fairly competitive. There is a strong emphasis on grades and prior experience. There are no particular feeder schools.”
“The firm is looking for diverse candidates with resumes that demonstrate a strong work ethic, creative thinking, and good judgment. I think those are all things that make for a good lawyer. The firm also looks for lawyers who are outgoing and enjoy building relationships with one another.”
“… The firm looks for the usual (grades, law school and journal experience), but the firm also has strong focus on diversity and personality. We take pride in our firm culture and look for people who we think will be an excellent fit for our culture. We spend a lot of time together so it is important that people can work well together and get along.”

“Why [city]? Why Mayer Brown? Why law? General resume/cover letter questions.”
“Why Mayer Brown? What are you looking for in a law firm? What are some past projects you've worked on?”
“I got a lot of questions about how I approach my work. I also got questions that required me to discuss a legal problem with the interviewer.”