With its generalist model leaving you “uninhibited by a label,” these elite New Yorkers “look for the person beyond the lawyer!”
Sullivan & Cromwell Lateral Profile 2024
It’s safe to say that the name Sullivan & Cromwell will prick up a few ears in most law schools. A well recognized name both in the US and globally, the associates we spoke to were quick to highlight the benefits that come with working at such a famous name. “The sense of prestige, the opportunity to be at such a well-known firm, and the chance to engage in groundbreaking work” was highlighted by one as too good an opportunity to turn down. Born out of New York City’s famous Financial District, the firm’s reputation has historically revolved around all things corporate, but the firm’s ‘generalist’ practice was another major attraction among the current crop of associates: “Some people know exactly what they want to do before they even go to law school, but that was not me!” By steering away from specializing in a specific type of work, the generalist model gives associates the opportunity to “do everything under the sun in order to make a more informed decision about your career and practice.” The general consensus too was that the model offered a fast-track to a well-rounded legal education.
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…
“Junior associates are considered to be competent and are not forced to only do menial/administrative tasks. Good work is rewarded with more work and responsibility, which is great for junior associates hoping to learn as much as they can.”
“Shared values in intellectual curiosity, excellence and professionalism means that the focus is on being a good team and provide excellent legal representation for clients, no matter who the client is, rather than inter-office competition or social expectations. Having said that, I also very much like the people I work with and feel supported to socialize with my colleagues.”
“I was very impressed by how collaborative the firm was. More senior lawyers wanted us to have substantive opinions and contribute to strategy and analysis.”
Career Development & the Path to Partnership
|
undisclosed |
3.2 : 1 |
54% |
||
|
partners made in 2023 |
associate : partner gearing |
of associates intend to make partner |
||
|
59% |
29% |
78% |
||
| felt partnership was achievable for attorneys with children | felt partnership was achievable at the firm | agreed partners are nurturing future leaders |
||
Hours & Compensation
|
no requirement |
12.4 |
48.4 |
|
billable hours |
average number of vacation days associates took in one year |
average number of hours associates worked in one week |
|
61% |
64% |
80% |
| agreed they had a good work-life balance |
said the benefits package makes the workload worthwhile |
found the bonus allocation fair and transparent |
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
Is Sullivan & Cromwell the right firm for you?
|
88% |
94% |
79% |
|
were happy in their current role |
agreed the work is interesting |
felt comfortable being themselves at work |
Here's what survey respondents had to say about the firm's culture...
“Teamwork, sophistication, and the ability to socialize. S&C is a place where everyone is incredibly bright and works very hard to be as close to perfect for our clients. My teams have great camaraderie, and I think this is due to an emphasis on allowing everyone to socialize as they want such as with weekly library receptions. There is no forced need to be social, but most lawyers want to interact with each other outside of assignments.”
“The culture is warm, hardworking, welcoming, and mentoring. I have not met a single person who was unkind, rude, or disrespectful to me. The firm is nerdy--a bunch of lawyers who love the law. The client is the focus, and I believe that this leads to better work product, higher efficiency, and more collaboration.”
“Incredibly eclectic yet ordered, people all really come here to be a part of a team and contribute.”
Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing
|
60% |
27.4% |
46.1% |
||
|
reported diverse staffing on teams/cases/matters |
of partners are women |
of associates identify as ethnically diverse |
||
The view from the firm: The firm’s Diversity Committee is charged with developing, implementing and coordinating the Firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) initiatives. Our Diversity Committee is co-chaired by partners from the firm’s Litigation and General Practice groups and is comprised of lawyers who hold positions of leadership and influence within the Firm. Members include the firm’s Senior Chair (and a quarter of the members of our Management Committee), practice group managing partners, hiring partners, work assignment partners, and special counsel and associates who have expressed a commitment to, and have taken on leadership roles in the Firm’s DEI initiatives. We also have a five-member Diversity Management Department (“DMD”), that implements our internal and external DEI-focused initiatives based on guidance from our Diversity Committee, and with support from the firm’s affinity networks and other departments within the firm.
As part of our continued efforts to provide professional development opportunities for our affinity network members, last year we launched our Affinity Network Leadership Series for members of the Asian Associates Network, LGBTQ+ Network and Network of Black and Latinx Lawyers. The networks are open to all lawyers, and the training sessions are led by an external consultant on topics such as: What It Takes to Build Winning Relationships; Refining Your Leadership Style & Executive Presence; and Mastering Strategic Thinking + Resilience. We asked that the same consultant facilitate each session in the series to develop a candid rapport and an ongoing dialogue with the associates. We host a networking reception following the substantive discussion to allow our associates to interact directly with the consultant and ask questions in a less formal and more personal setting. We have received feedback from several associates that this additional time with the consultant has been extremely helpful to building their knowledge base. In addition to our internal trainings, for the past several years we have partnered with the New York City Bar Association at the Premier level, which—among other benefits—enables us to nominate up to five associates to participate in the association’s Associate Leadership Institute, a series of intensive development training programs for fourth- through ninth-year associates. Each year, we have fully utilized all of our allotted nominations, sending five associates to participate in the Institute. Additionally, we also partner with the New York City Bar Association’s Associate Leadership Institute LITE which provides professional development programming for first- through third-year associates.
Pro Bono
|
64 |
83% |
|
average pro bono |
agreed the firm is committed to pro bono |
Pro bono highlights: Sullivan & Cromwell encourages associates to bring new pro bono matters to the firm that reflect their individual interests. We also have a range of interesting, ongoing pro bono opportunities, including: litigation of criminal defense matters in federal court through the Criminal Justice Act Panel, asylum applications, impact litigation on behalf of transgender youth, compassionate release cases, representation of survivors of domestic violence, reproductive rights matters, work on behalf of veterans, due process hearings for students with special needs, estate planning for HIV positive patients through a program the firm has run at New York Presbyterian Hospital for more than 25 years, transgender name changes, voting call centers, advising non-profit organizations, prisoners’ rights matters and housing repair cases for low-income tenants living in uninhabitable conditions.
Sustainability & CSR
The view from the firm: Across our offices, we have implemented a variety of initiatives to reduce our environmental impact, including ongoing upgrades and installations of smarter building technology:
- For more than 10 years, S&C has committed to green cleaning products that meet the Green Seal GS-37 standard
- Our reliance on motion light sensors has reduced our electricity consumption
- We annually disclose our greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-related impact through CDP, which enhances our ability to continue to monitor and manage such impact
- We partner with organizations that align with our sustainability efforts, including donating food to City Harvest to help food deprived communities and working with New York City based nonprofit organization the Billion Oyster Project to restore the oyster population in New York Harbor
- At our New York headquarters, we have partnered with Emerald to source compostable disposable products made with renewable resources and divert waste from landfills
- Our General Practice Group transitioned to online-only research documents and eliminated hard copy paper handouts in Firm presentations, and we use double-sided printing when hard copies are required
- We also reduced our consumption of disposable plastic water bottles with the addition of several hydration stations on each floor of our New York headquarters and throughout our recently renovated café
- Our engineering staff have completed a training and certification program to enhance our building operations and reinforce our energy reduction efforts
- We have earned other certifications that recognize energy conservation and efforts to create healthy, efficient and cost-saving green buildings.