Patterson Belknap
1133 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
New York, NY 10036
(212) 336-2000
Overview
Introduction
Firm Stats
Total No. Attorneys (2021)
150 - 250
No. of Partners Named (2021)
3
Featured Rankings
Best Law Firms for Pro Bono
No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2020)
8
Base Salary
All offices
No. of U.S. Offices
1
Vault Verdict
About the Firm
2023 Vault Rankings
Associate Reviews
- “The people are what make Patterson special. My colleagues are kind, personable, and easy to work with. The firm strikes the right balance of having opportunities for attorneys to socialize but not forcing people to spend too much time away from their families to attend work events.”
- “Very collegial. Not in the standard joke that every firm says they're collegial, but in the very real way that people respect boundaries, business hours, and vacation. Accordingly, this is not the biggest party/social firm, but people enjoy coming to work and grabbing coffees. It's professional, polite, and warm.”
- “I joined the firm during the COVID-19 pandemic, so almost all of my interactions have been remote. Based upon those interactions, attorneys at the firm are friendly and caring—even remotely, they go out of their way to check in on workload and how new lawyers are acclimating, and they remember and ask about personal details (e.g., a birthday, the birth of a new family member). …”
- “The firm is staffed with kind, normal people who generally like each other and like working together. People are well-rounded and have lives outside of work, so the firm makes an effort to schedule social activities before people leave the office for the day (back when we were still in the office)—that being said, I have gone out for drinks or dinner with work friends (and, during the pandemic, for walks with neighbor-coworkers) many times.”
Diversity at Patterson Belknap
"Patterson Belknap is dedicated to being the best place in New York to practice law. In pursuit of that goal, the firm works hard to maintain an atmosphere of dignity, civility and respect in which all of its attorneys and staff, whatever their backgrounds, are comfortable and can flourish. Promoting diversity has long been an important element of the firm’s growth and evolution. Over the past several years, the firm has focused additional attention on recruiting and retaining lawyers with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Improving..."
Getting Hired Here
- “In litigation, the firm hires mostly from clerkships. This inherently focuses the hiring on a particular type of associate—academically accomplished, intellectual, and good at writing. The interview process is more substantive than at many firms, as the firm is looking to hire attorneys who can jump into serious legal work, rather than bodies to churn hours.”
- “Because my firm largely hires judicial law clerks, the hiring process is fairly competitive. Nevertheless, it does not appear to limit its hiring to a small handful of law schools, instead prioritizing performance as a law student, clerkships, and personal decency, and collegiality.”
- “For non-litigation, lateral candidates, it seems as though relevant prior work experience and cultural fit are more important than which law school you attended.”
