Lateral Look: Mayer Brown

The Mayer of Chicago: It’s a firm with a “Midwestern feel,” but a stellar reputation in international finance, corporate and litigation.

Mayer Brown Lateral Profile 2024

Maybe you’re Chicago born and raised, or maybe the draw of a firm with that “Midwestern feel” is just too darn strong. Mayer Brown just has that magic ingredient. “I was looking for somewhere that did interesting work, and here at Mayer Brown, the culture clicked for me,” one finance associate told us. It’s really no shock that this associate (and many others) have found their fit either, given that Mayer Brown bags over 80 Chambers USA rankings, with an extensive collection of top-tier nationwide rankings in capital markets securitization & structured productsfinancial services regulationoutsourcingproduct liabilityprojectstax and technology.

View the firm’s Chambers USA rankings

Read the firm’s Inside View feature on junior associate life


 Strategic Recruitment Focuses 2024

Insurance careers

The view from the firm: Including Insurtech; Projects, Infrastructure and Energy - Including increasingly emphasizing renewables and energy transition and Funds and Asset Management.

 

Disputes careers

The view from the firm: Antitrust, Cybersecurity and data privacy, Industry-focused high-stakes commercial litigation, International arbitration, International Trade (including sanctions), Mass torts, Product liability, Regulatory policy and government affairs, Supreme Court and Appellate, White-Collar enforcement, investigations and tax controversy.

Litigation clients: Boeing Corporation, Yale University, Nespresso.

Recent work highlight: Represented YouTube and its CEO in the dismal of a trademark infringement and false-advertising claims.

 

Capital markets careers

The view from the firm: The practice at Mayer Brown places an emphasis on industry-focused DCM and ECM, and complex specialized capital markets products.

 

M&A careers

The view from the firm: Mainly in targeted industries such as financial services, infrastructure, energy, insurance and tech, and private equity.

Corporate clients:Nestlé, CGX Energy, General Motors.

Recent work highlight: Represented TC Energy Corporation in its $3.9 billion sale of 40 percent interest in Columbia Gas Transmission in a cross-border matter.


  International & Secondment Opportunities

Common secondment destinations: London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, China, Dubai.

Overseas career development opportunities (view from the firm): Mayer Brown supports the career development of our associates by providing long- and short-term secondments to domestic and overseas offices.

Short Term Secondments: Short Term Secondees (STS) are seconded to one of the Firm’s overseas offices or to a client in a country other than their home country for a specific period of time to conduct business on behalf of the Firm, with the intention of returning to their home country upon completion of that secondment. This program will usually be applied to lawyers and staff.

Long Term Secondments: Long Term Secondees (LTS) are seconded to one of the Firm’s overseas offices or to a client in a country other than their home country for a specific period of time to conduct business on behalf of the Firm, with the intention of returning to their home country upon completion of that secondment.


  Career Development & the Path to Partnership

 

30

1.1 : 1

partners made in 2023

associate : partner gearing

 

The view from the firm: Associate Development Programs: The Firm delivers three associate development centers for Junior, Mid-Level, and Senior Associates. The agendas for each development center focuses on communication, relationship building, and management skills targeted at appropriate levels under the Firm’s global associate competencies.

Career Development Coaching: Six complimentary sessions per year is available to all US associates with one of our external professional coaching providers.  The external coaches are particularly suitable for those seeking further career development support and/or on a partnership track.

Group Coaching for Mid-Level & Junior Associates: This offering provides career development support and the opportunity to connect with peers across offices and practice groups.  Participants set the topics each session to ensure the most valuable and relevant coaching experience.

1:1 coaching is offered for US counsel and associates internally from our Career Development Advisor.  Common topics include firm integration and advancement, career transitions, internal and external networking, and business development.


 Hours & Compensation

 

2,000

10.5

49.7

billable hours
target

average number of vacation days associates took in one year

average number of hours associates worked in one week

 

Salaries

1st year: $225,000

2nd year: $235,000

3rd year: $265,000

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: Compensation is paid based on class year.

The firm has a long-standing initiative to have every lawyer perform at least 20 hours of pro bono. Pro bono is a critical component of our profession, and each year, Mayer Brown devotes tens of thousands of hours to providing legal services for the poor and disadvantaged and the organizations that serve them, and to protecting civil liberties and human rights. As a result of this work, our pro bono program has received significant recognition and numerous award.

The Firm’s alternative work schedule policy is designed to strike an appropriate balance between the needs of our Attorneys and the business and economic needs of the Firm, while ensuring that the Firm continues to meet the demands and expectations of our clients. Compensation for Associates and Counsel working on alternative schedules will be established in the same manner as that for Attorneys working a traditional full-time schedule but will be adjusted on a pro rata basis to reflect the percentage of hours agreed upon for the alternative work schedule in the upcoming year. The Firm offers a flexible work schedule with a 3:2 approach taken for most US offices.

Mayer Brown announced that it has signed on to the American Bar Association (ABA)’s Well-Being Pledge to support efforts to improve general wellness, including the reduction substance abuse and mental illness in the legal profession. The firm is committed to fostering a healthy work environment, and it has implemented a well-being initiative that incorporates educational programs to raise awareness and provide resources to all lawyers and staff.


  Is Mayer Brown the right firm for you?

The view from the firm: Mayer Brown hires experienced lawyers to meet the needs of individual offices and practice areas. Our lawyers bring a diversity of personal histories, cultures and experiences, contributing to a dynamic, energizing and inclusive environment in which to practice law. Because we are a large and growing global firm, you'll find expanding local and international opportunities to advise the world’s leading companies and financial institutions on their most complex deals and disputes.

You'll also find colleagues who are ambitious, hard-working and focused but who believe in having lives outside work. A robust array of pro bono work and community and environmental initiatives enhances our lawyers’ careers. Often, these initiatives are started by individual lawyers with a passion for a particular cause.


 Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing

 

25%

34%

of partners are women

of associates identify as ethnically diverse

 

The view from the firm: In response to the many examples of racial injustice in 2020 and increased focus on social justice in the communities in which we live and work, Mayer Brown launched Project Equity, an initiative that is designed to broaden the Firm’s engagement on issues of racial and social justice. Project Equity is managed by a leadership team that includes the Firm’s Chairman and Managing Partner. Through Project Equity, the firm pledged to devote 50,000 hours through 2023 to fight systemic racism and promote racial equity in the United States.

Currently, over 30 affinity groups are active across the US. These groups provide an opportunity for those who share interests, experiences and/or perspectives to participate in and support our DEI initiatives, take advantage of professional development support, and proactively work with the firm to address issues or circumstances that members identify as uniquely affecting a particular group.                                                                       

The firm has a diversity scholarship program that awards $25,000 scholarships each year to law students who are summer associates and have demonstrated a commitment to improving diversity in the legal profession. Students who will have no more than one year remaining in law school after participating in our summer program are eligible to apply for the scholarship. $15,000 of the scholarship will be paid prior to the beginning of the summer associate program and the remaining $10,000 is paid upon joining the firm as a full-time associate.

The firm declared Juneteenth (June 19th) a paid firm-wide holiday in the United States and provided the Mayer Brown community with information and educational resources on race relations in the U.S. Materials updated in 2023 can be found at https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/information/juneteenth. Our LGBTQ+ lawyers and DEI team planned a variety of events across offices to bring everyone together to celebrate Pride Month.

For nearly a decade, Mayer Brown has been a proud sponsor of PALS, an organization dedicated to enhancing the skills and careers of minority law students and early career attorneys through mentoring, career guidance, professional development programming, and networking opportunities. In June 2023, Mayer Brown and PALS hosted a panel discussion for law students in the New York City area with advice from law firm and in-house attorneys on “How to be an Effective Summer Associate or Intern.


 

Pro Bono

 

50

average pro bono
hours 
per US attorney    

 

 

Pro bono highlights: Project Equity; Asian University for Women; Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Arizona Students’ Association (ASA), Arizona Democracy Resource Center (ADRC), Arizona Coalition for Change (ACC), the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA), San Carlos Apache Tribe (voters rights); B Lab (small businesses led by BIPOC).


 Sustainability & CSR

The view from the firm: Our approach to best practice and specifically environmental aspects of this starts from the commitments we have made in our Responsible Business Statement. The main elements of this are based on the principles from the United Nations Compact and Special Development Goals which are most relevant to the business.  These include support for human rights; to work against corruption; poverty alleviation; inclusive and equitable education; affordable clean energy; gender equality/reduction of inequality; responsible consumption/production; equal access to justice; environmental responsibility and climate action.

Working with a highly regarded outside consultant, we are in the process of developing a post-COVID business as usual baseline to measure our global carbon footprint. We will use this as a basis for developing challenging but realistic emissions control and reduction targets relating to our own Scope 1 and 2 operations taking account of the sector in which we operate. Working with our major suppliers we will then formulate an approach to our Scope 3 emissions. As far as is practicable we will base our targets on the methodologies of the science-based targets initiative and similar best practice guidelines.


 Contact

Learn more about opportunities at the firm

Recruitment contact: Brooke Ross: Student Recruitment: bross@mayerbrown.com

Associate & Staff Attorney Hires: Ashley Hamilton: ahamilton@mayerbrown.com

Partner Hires: Nancy Gray: gray@mayerbrown.com