Check out New York banking and finance powerhouse Cahill, the firm where neither associate nor client truly feels the pinch.
Cahill Lateral Profile 2025
‘Money, money, money… must be funny,’ sings Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia, though there’s certainly nothing humorous about the topic for associates at Cahill where bonuses are regularly above-market and matters are frequently in the millions. And that’s certainly not where Cahill’s monetary affiliations end. It’s a firm that knows a thing or two about the world of corporate finance. You won’t be surprised to learn then, that when the likes of Wall Street’s top dogs and various Fortune 500 companies find themselves in need of legal representation, Cahill’s often on speed dial. What you may be surprised to hear is that it wasn’t the financial reward which interviewees cited as their reasons for selecting Cahill. “What stood out to me about Cahill was the fact that it’s a small BigLaw firm,” multiple insiders echoed. What this means is the firm is “big enough to get large and complex cases, but not so large that it feels like a factory where you can’t make an impression.” Indeed, the firm’s headcount sits at a modest 300 across a network of just four offices – New York, DC, Delaware and London.
View the firm’s Chambers USA rankings
Read the firm’s Inside View feature on junior associate life
Why did you join your firm? Associates say…
“I was looking for a big law firm with opportunities to work on challenging top-tier deals and with top-tier clients, while also looking for a firm with a smaller firm feel where I could really get to know my colleagues.”
“The people, the culture, the quality of work, and the working relationships facilitated by the size of the firm.”
“I enjoyed meeting and speaking with the partners and associates. The firm seemed to have a good culture with strong practice areas.”
Strategic Recruitment Focuses 2025
Careers at Cahill
The view from the firm: Cahill advises market-leading financial institutions, major corporations and their boards on a wide variety of corporate transactions, including financing transactions and mergers and acquisitions, as well as commercial, securities, white collar, insurance, antitrust, intellectual property, first amendment litigation, regulatory matters and corporate governance matters that are often international ins cope.
Our strategic growth goals include building on past success while expanding into new practice areas, including private credit and direct lending, IP life sciences, digital currently, corporate restructuring, and trading and markets.
Career Development & the Path to Partnership
|
4 |
0.43: 1 |
70% |
||
|
partners made in 2024 |
associate : partner gearing |
of associates intend to make partner |
||
|
65% |
57% |
87% |
||
| felt partnership was achievable for attorneys with childcare/caregiver responsibilities | felt partnership was achievable at the firm | agreed partners are nurturing future leaders |
||
The view from the firm: Close interaction between clients, partners, and associates fosters strong connections and accelerated career development. Our Education and Training Committee has structured timely and specialized training for the work that our lawyers do through our Cahill Academy programming. Programs for junior associates center on core competencies and are designed to help lawyers develop a solid foundation of substantive skills/know-how and professional practice competencies, as well as engage lawyers in the culture and life of the firm and aid them in forming a strong professional network.
More senior lawyers participate in training programs with increasing levels of complexity and difficulty. In partnership with our professional development committee, we also offer career development seminars and leadership exercises through Academy and we host an annual leadership training program sponsored by our Women’s Initiatives Committee. Our Director of Attorney Advancement provides individualized professional development coaching to attorneys to help with goal setting, integration, general performance, and career trajectory. We also offer a formal mentoring program, structure to provide customized support and thoughtful career advice from partners and more senior associates throughout an associate’s career at Cahill.
Hours & Compensation
|
no requirement |
16 |
43.9 |
|
billable hours |
average number of vacation days associates took in one year |
average number of hours associates worked in one week |
|
47% |
100% |
97% |
| agreed they had a good work-life balance |
felt like they could take vacation/annual leave on their own terms |
found the firm's claims around bonus allocation to be authentic |
Salaries
1st year: $225,000
2nd year: $235,000
3rd year: $260,000
4th year: $310,000
5th year: $365,000
6th year: $390,000
7th year: $420,000
8th year: $435,000
The view from the firm: Cahill has no minimum hours requirement, with billable credit for pro bono hours and highly competitive annual salaries and bonuses, often above that of peer firms. Salaries are lockstep based on class year. The firm also offers a hybrid approach to remote work and generous leave policies for new parents.
Is Cahill the right firm for you?
|
89% |
91% |
89% |
|
were happy in their current role |
agreed the work they received was of the right quality |
felt that they chose the right firm |
The view from the firm: Our vision is to do what we do exceptionally well, to be of a size where we can really know one another and build relationships, and to give attorneys the opportunity to learn and grow at a rate that is unmatched in the industry. We value initiative, which translates to trusting out attorneys with responsibilities as they are ready for them. Lateral hires will combine initiative with experience, creativity and intellect to make meaningful contributions to the work of the firm. Roles of all levels, from junior corporate associate to Counsel with significant capital markets and bank lending experience.
Here's what survey respondents had to say about the firm's culture...
“I appreciated the work culture and I enjoyed my interviews more than with other firms. Everyone seemed (and is) personable, and that makes the long hours easier.”
“The culture at Cahill was fantastic, and it didn’t feel like I was in a traditional “stuffy” BigLaw firm.”
Pro Bono
|
undisclosed |
76% |
|
average pro bono |
agreed the firm puts effort towards its commitment to pro bono and social impact activity |
Pro bono highlights: Criminal Justice Act Panel; work in partnership with Sanctuary for Families; work with National Women’s Law Center; representing domestic violence survivors; work with veterans.
Sustainability & CSR
The view from the firm: Like many of our clients, Cahill is committed to an environmental sustainability program within our offices and has undertaken a number of initiatives to reduce consumption and our carbon footprint. Cahill is an active participant in the Law Firm Sustainability Network (LFSN), whose members seek to enhance their environmental efforts through cooperation and sharing of ideas, and to raise awareness of sustainability issues within the law firm community. Beyond our membership in the LFSN and adherence to its principles, Cahill has created the Cahill Greeen and Wellness (CG&W) initiative, which has resulted in various programs and policies to benefit our community by decreasing out environmental impact while promoting wellness for our employees. As part of the work of the Green and Wellness Committee, and the firm’s ongoing commitment to an environment sustainability program in our office, we completed our first greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory at the end of 2024.
We are a key service provider to many of our clients and we are proud that our initiatives will support our clients’ own sustainability goals as well. We measured our emissions data and shared it privately with one of the most widely-used global disclosure systems for environmental data, the CDP platform (formerly known as Carbon Disclosure Project).
Contact
Learn more about opportunities at the firm
Recruitment contact: Cindy Hasson, Director of Legal Recruiting
212.701.3908
chasson@cahill.com