Mayer Brown LLP - The Inside View

"There’s not a lot of dummies in law school,” an associate laughed when discussing Mayer Brown’s hiring practices, “everyone coming out of law school is smart, but here, they’re asking: are these people we want to work with? Is this someone who’s going to be a good colleague?” In case you were wondering, the answer to both of those questions is yes – and it’s an emphatic one at that, but we’ll get to that in a second. The name ‘Mayer Brown’ echoes a whole lot louder than a whisper in the Windy City. For example, nationwide, the firm attracts top accolades for capital markets: securitization and structured products, financial services regulation, outsourcing, product liability, projects, and tax. in Chambers USA. Additionally, the firm’s capital markets, outsourcing, and projects work is also commended by Chambers Global.

“There’s a certain caliber of warmth and personality among Mayer Brown associates.”

As you might expect, the people at Mayer Brown are a big part of the draw: “I found with Mayer Brown that the people were the most genuine,” one insider recalled from their recruitment process, “nobody was hiding the ball or smiling with their teeth clenched. I knew this was somewhere I could enjoy my work as well as the people I worked with.” Others agreed: “There’s a certain caliber of warmth and personality among Mayer Brown associates. It was important for me to pick a place I want to stay, and this is it.” For some of our sources, the entrepreneurial vibe of the firm was the sticking point: “If you want to learn early on about how the business of BigLaw works, then Mayer Brown is a great platform to learn and do those things. I feel very supported in that way.”

With 18 offices internationally and nine stateside, most of our associates were based in Chicago and New York, with the majority of others based between Washington DC and Charlotte.

The Work

During Mayer Brown’s summer program, summer associates are “really encouraged to try tons of practices. You’re not slotted into any position, you’re just going out and trying whatever you want to try,” a junior reminisced. They then put in a request at the end of their summer for their preferred group. Once you start as a first-year, staffing is “technically centralized, but it’s really more of a fallback.” It operates as more of a free market in practice, since “once you find your team and build those relationships, it’s just about who you know.” All our interviewees were pleased with this system for different reasons. “I like it because you have both channels, so you can rely on the coordinator if you’re an introvert,” one shared. Another enthusiastically added, “It incentivizes good skill building! Honestly, selling yourself is something you have to do as a lawyer. There’s a learning curve, but I enjoy it!”

“…selling yourself is something you have to do as a lawyer. There’s a learning curve, but I enjoy it!”

Those in the litigation regulatory enforcement group at Mayer Brown “do all kinds of things… I really like my group because they don’t shoehorn you into a certain group within litigation,” a junior relayed. This source wasn’t joking; we heard of juniors working on breach of contract, product liability, bankruptcy, antitrust, and appellate matters. Clientele here include big-name communications companies, financial institutions, trade associations, and pharmaceutical companies. As is often the case, responsibility in the group is earned – albeit very quickly: “Once you learn the lifecycle of a case and get up to speed a few months in, they try to give you as much they can,” an insider detailed, “not in an overwhelming way, but if they feel like you’re capable, they let you run with it.” What exactly are we running with? Typically, rookies are tasked with brief writing – “a lot of the time, seniors will let me take the first stab at it!” – research, and doc review.

Litigation clients: Google, Yale University, Tiktok. Represented X (formerly Twitter) in the Supreme Court relating to a decision rejecting X’s First Amendment challenge to the Government’s censorship of its transparency report.

Encompassing everything from tech transactions and real estate to capital markets and funds, “we’re a very entrepreneurial group,” a proud corporate & securities junior told us, “you can go and make your own reality.” Like their litigious counterparts, there was no shortage of variety in the types of matters that associates found themselves doing. Those involved in M&A spoke about “doing top-tier work; we’re not taking mid-market cases, but there has been a push to look to private equity work with clients bringing in repeat business.” Speaking of private equity, there’s room for “something as small as a four-million-dollar deal where you’re the only associate, to a billion-dollar-deal on a team of five associates.” Others focused more on areas like digital assets or capital markets, the latter of which is “still very much securities work” involving notes offerings, ATMs, and filings. Juniors, we heard, are afforded “an appropriate amount of substantive work,” gradually working their way up to increased responsibility. Some of the typical tasks our interviewees listed include (but are not limited to): drafting purchase agreements and ancillary documents, due diligence, compiling documents, and helping structure different types of financing alongside partners. “On smaller deal, it’s just me, a partner, and a first year helping out,” one insider told us, “there are lots of deals where I work directly with the partner and a client.”

Corporate clients: National Bank of Canada, CEMEX, Nestlé Health Science. Represented Angel Studios, a movie and television producer, in the $1.5 billion business combination with Southport Acquisition Corp.

Career Development

When asked about career development at Mayer Brown, sources all agreed that “the firm is looking for people who want to be here long-term. They always have that in mind when training and developing associates.” Upon joining the firm, newbies are assigned an associate and partner mentor – “it’s nice to have those contacts when you start” – and we were told that informal mentorship has seen “people take me under their wing and show me what to do. There are folks who are looking out for you.” Most of our interviewees mentioned the “heavy formal education process” at the firm as a highlight, as the sessions are “super valuable when you’re first getting started. There’s a whole first- and second-year curriculum, and that’s throughout the year. A few times a month, you have different training sessions and before you even get to that, there’s a bootcamp when you start, which is a full day program of training!”

“People take me under their wing and show me what to do. There are folks who are looking out for you.”

Regarding the path to partnership, according to our interviewees, “it’s definitely attainable if that’s what you want.” Mayer Brown hosts occasional lunch meetings with a panel of partners discussing their paths to partnership, offering one-on-one sessions for further dialogue on the matter: “The firm tries to be transparent about the partner track,” another source said, “and what you should be doing if you want to be partner.”

Pro Bono

The pro bono minimum at Mayer Brown is 20 hours annually, and this was a breeze for everyone we spoke to: “It’s so accessible,” a junior described, “and there are lots of opportunities out there. Nobody turns their nose up at doing pro bono.” In addition to a “great” pro bono team, Paladin is the centralized pro bono system used to provide pro bono updates to associates. We heard of juniors working on everything from housing and domestic violence cases to fine arts projects and helping small businesses with their contract agreements. “They’re proud of pro bono here,” an associate smiled, “it’s super encouraged and really rewarding work.”

Pro bono hours

• For all US attorneys: 49,468
• Average per US attorney: 47

Culture

“I chose the firm for the people and its culture.”

“The vibe is definitely chill,” an associate explained, “I chose the firm for the people and its culture.” The consensus was that “everyone is so nice and supportive. I haven’t had a single bad experience.” The New York office has benefitted from a brand-new cafeteria which is “really cool and a huge value add!” As one associate put it: “We went from having no cafeteria to having a huge one! It’s a really beautiful space where you can get subsidized buffet lunch every day, and it’s great to meet folks and grab coffee there.” Looking at our insiders’ social calendars, many described Mayer Brown as a “very get-your-work-done kind of place,” but there are regular, well-attended social events such as monthly attorney beers, pizza, and wine; a corporate outing to a Chicago Blackhawks game (a Cubs game too for all our baseball fans), and numerous holiday parties in December. “There’s been a renewed focus on social events,” noted a junior, “they’re trying to get everyone together more often.”

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 2,000 target

Of the 2,000-hour billable hour target, up to 200 of those hours can be attributed to pro bono or thought leadership, though 1,900 of the hours must be client billable. All our interviewees described the target as “achievable – depending on the year that your group is having!” One was quick to highlight their lockstep bonus too: “I’ve hit the bonusevery year without trying too hard!” Hours varied, with some starting as early as 9am and logging off as late as 7pm. There is room for late night and weekend work, but associates were grateful that “there’s no set hours expectation. If the work’s here then great, but if it’s not, then go enjoy yourself because it’s coming!” This flexibility extends to the hybrid working policy where we heard Tuesday through Thursday are the in-office anchor days. Associates are encouraged to come in on other days too, and interviewees shared that “there’s definitely flexibility to accommodate for your personal and work schedule.”

Get Hired

Stage One: Recruitment On and Off Campus    

Mayer Brown takes a national approach to hiring, with dedicated teams focusing on key pipeline schools. The firm also recruits from many regional schools.  Most of the students interviewed at each campus will meet a senior and a junior attorney – often these are alumni of the school and will be able to discuss their track to the firm.    

The firm is primarily looking for interest in their practices and any particular niches the candidate has their eye on. The firm is strong in both transactional and litigation work and has a significant focus on finance companies, funds, asset managers, insurance companies and banks. Transactional practices are a particular focus of the firm’s recruiting. Research is key: approach the interview with a good idea of what Mayer Brown does and doesn't do and tailor your own questions accordingly.     

Top tips for this stage:     

“The most important things to ask about are day-to-day life and what type of responsibilities associates get on matters – get a sense of what life would be like as a junior.”    

“As an interviewer, I ask what the applicants see themselves doing five years from now, which can link to a practice group interest.”    

Prior to interviews with partners or senior attorneys, look your interviewer up on the firm website or LinkedIn to get a sense of their primary practice area. This will help you craft questions specific to your interviewer, and better understand the firm and its practices ahead of and during your interview.  

Stage Two: Callbacks    

When candidates are invited for a callback interview, they'll meet with partners and associates from the practice areas they've expressed an interest in for a series of four or five 20- to 30-minute interviews. In most cases, each applicant will meet a junior associate in order to get the opportunity to talk about starting one’s career at Mayer Brown. Where there is mutual interest, the firm encourages candidates to have additional follow-up meetings and even return for additional introductions over lunches and dinners.    

Engagement and focus are key during callbacks: Mayer Brown wants to hear thoughtful reasons behind the motivation to practice law at the firm. The firm is looking for a long-term relationship as most future partners come for the summer program or join as associates. “The ideal candidates are smart, thoughtful, and care about their work. They are also going to be engaged in the practice of law and client satisfaction,” sources say.    

Top tips for this stage:     

“Some of the process is about trying to figure out life experiences beyond what's on your resume: what are your passions? What experiences do you value?”    

“When I'm interviewing I'm typically just gauging their interest in the firm, and whether they can articulate an interest in Mayer Brown in particular.”    

Stage Three: Summer Program    

Mayer Brown has a ten-week program across the US. Each of our eight US offices develops a summer calendar filled with social events. The social events are designed to help the summer associate build relationships with each other and firm lawyers and also include practice area events. Training is provided through both national and local programs.

While summer associate work assignments can vary by office, the firm works diligently to assign work based on individual practice area interest expressed prior to the summer program and by practice area needs. The summer program committees, HR teams and partner mentors also meet with each summer associate periodically throughout the summer to check in on the summer associate’s satisfaction with the work they are doing and their summer experience in general. Summer associates are also encouraged to regularly connect with their mentors and HR teams to discuss their workload and overall experience. 

Each summer associate is assigned at least two mentors to steer them in the right direction, but the firm takes an autonomous approach and advises they “reach out to partners and associates with whom they have an interest in working.” Members of the recruiting committee and the summer program committee check in with summer associates throughout the process to keep an eye on which practice they'd like to join upon receiving an offer.   

Top tips for this stage:     

“Some summer associates come in with the mindset that they'll get easy assignments – instead, they should approach the work as if they were already full-time associates here.”    

Part of the summer program is learning how to operate as a full-time associate. That said, the firm also offers various resources for support as summer associates grow and develop during their time at the firm. Summer associates are encouraged to leverage their resources, each other, and other associates. Junior associate development is a key priority of the firm. 

And finally...    

An OCI applicant will typically know who their interviewer is in advance, so take the time to research your interviewer’s practice and role in the firm.