Jenner & Block LLP - The Inside View

Hear the name ‘Jenner’ and your first thought might be of some famous sisters in the Hollywood Hills, but here at Chambers Associate our minds go straight to a litigation superstar – Jenner & Block. Based out of Chicago but with offices across the US, it’s a firm where junior associates can get involved in almost any industry you can think of – media & entertainment, energy, environment, insurance, real estate, technology, education, aerospace, telecoms, food & beverages, transport, the list goes on. Many of them crop up in the Chambers USAguide too, with the firm awarded top rankings across general commercial litigation in California and Illinois, as well as energy and natural resources, insurance: dispute resolution and white-collar crime and government investigations in the firm’s home state. If that wasn’t enough, there’s a top media and entertainment litigation ranking in New York and Native American law: appellate nationwide.

“I liked that the firm was a fair bit smaller than a number of its peer firms doing the same level of work…”

“I liked that the firm was a fair bit smaller than a number of its peer firms doing the same level of work,” one junior associate told us, “it’s often said that Jenner punches above its weight class.” Something else that sources at the firm were quick to highlight was the fact that Jenner has “a reputation for being a nice place with nice people. It was interesting to me how often that was spoken about, even just by law students talking about their interactions with recruiters at the firm.” The firm’s commitment to pro bono and social justice was also a popular talking point with plenty of opportunities available alongside more traditional billable obligations.

Jenner & Block is recognized as a Strong Performer for Associate Satisfaction and two other categories in our 2025 survey.

Strategy & Future

Associates were unanimously positive about the future of the firm, sharing that, “I think the firm is poised for growth, and we are growing in a purposeful way to make sure we’re supporting our clients and our communities in the way that is best suited to them.” As an example of this, they cited the firm’s recently announced ‘tariff taskforce’, a group of litigation partners and associates, former government prosecutors, and subject matter experts working to help clients with navigating tariff litigation as it becomes more prevalent with the current US government. As a junior shared, “that’s just one example of the way in which the firm looks at something on the horizon and says ‘we have people interested in this with a specialism that can impact that area, let’s use that to support our clients in any way we can’.”

The Work

Jenner’s Windy City HQ is home to most of its associates, with smaller groups found in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC. Almost half of the juniors on our list were listed as ‘unassigned associates’ meaning that they can take work from across the firm’s huge litigation offering. The remainder were working in groups including investigations, compliance and defense and corporate, or specifically assigned groups such as aerospace & defense, business litigation, or content, media and entertainment. When associates join the firm, they’re assigned a billable matter and a pro bono matter, both of which match up to their interests and background wherever possible. Sources told us that moving on from this, work assignment comes from a mixture of work allocation and a more free-market approach. “It’s kind of a hybrid approach,” explained a junior, “there’s a system you can go to if you need work and someone can match you with projects or partners that have open opportunities, and there’s also an option of working with people you’ve worked with before. You can cold-email people with project you want to work on.”

Unassigned associates choose their specialism at the end of their second year at the firm. Those we spoke to were particularly fond of the flexibility, as “that unassigned aspect of it allows you to really get to know the different types of work you’d like to do and helps you to become more informed. I came in thinking I wanted to do something specific, but I’ve been able to try way more than that.”

Litigation is the beating heart of Jenner. The practice spans business litigation; investigations, compliance, and defense; appellate and Supreme Court; government controversies; data privacy and cybersecurity; class action; national security and crisis; intellectual property (copyright, patent, trademark, trade secrets); transactional; antitrust; government contracts; and financial litigation. To put it simply, whatever your litigation interests, chances are there’s work for you at Jenner. Juniors can take work from across litigation until the end of their second year, but whatever the subject of a matter, the group offers “a lot of experiences right away, and consistent direct contact with clients.” Associates told us that it came with its fair share of typical junior tasks “like document review and research, but that’s not the only thing you’re doing, and people are thrilled to give you really substantive opportunities right away.” Another was quick to highlight that “I drafted a section of a summary judgment brief for the biggest matter for our biggest client, and I feel very lucky to be able to do that.”

Litigation clients: McDonald’s Corporation, Huawei Technologies, The Kraft Heinz Company. Represented four of the largest food manufacturers in the US – including Nestlé USA and Kellogg – in a jury trial which found that the egg producers they were using and their trade groups had violated antitrust laws by conspiring to inflate the price of eggs.

“What really differs is the kind of client and therefore the kind of activity you’re monitoring…”

In the firm’s investigations, compliance and defense team, juniors shared that they were working mostly on investigations initiated by either clients or the government. We heard that investigations usually follow a pretty similar structure involving conducting interviews, reviewing documents and writing a report or presentation for the government or the client: “What really differs is the kind of client and therefore the kind of activity you’re monitoring,” an interviewee went on to explain; “we’ve had matters in the telecoms space, the aviation space, a company that is broadly a residential landlord, professional sports teams, and companies in motion picture production – it really spans the gamut.” There are opportunities for junior associates to “get involved pretty early on in beginning to draft outlines for interviews. I’ve been able to chime in with questions from time to time!” Juniors will also attend these interviews “and then after the interviews have concluded, we write summary reports and memos for internal team purposes.”

Investigations clients: Albertsons, Jen Psaki. Worked with the New York Philharmonic to launch an independent investigation into the Philharmonic’s culture after allegations of misconduct were made against two players.

Pro Bono

A number of the firm’s current associates cited Jenner’s ethos around pro bono as a big motivator for joining the firm: “Pro bono is everything here. Anything you could possibly want to do, the firm will support.” Our sources had worked on asylum and immigration, civil rights, prisoner rights, criminal defense and veterans' rights, and told us this was only just touching the surface of what pro bono work was available. They also felt the support for pro bono was firmwide, sharing that, “if you speak to attorneys about the pro bono matter they’re working on, they take a lot of pride in what they’re doing and how they’re giving back.”

A real benefit is that these kinds of cases are easy to jump onto if you’re interested: “We have so much coming in that you can just email a couple of partners who specialize in pro bono work and within a few hours you’ll get a response with the type of pro bono.” Attorneys also saw pro bono work as an opportunity to improve their skills by getting exposed to more direct client contact: “Pro bono is also viewed as a way to give significant tasks to training younger lawyers, so that when they come along in billable matters, they are prepared.”

Pro bono hours

• For all (US) attorneys: 89,265
• Average per (US) attorney: 185

Career Development

Career development opportunities at the firm come in the form of CLE courses, mentorship programs, and informal mentorship. While juniors are assigned formal mentors, a source shared that “on the informal side, everyone that I’ve reached out to with questions has been very willing to take the time to give detailed responses, or to meet for lunch or for coffee.” When we dug a little deeper into why associates feel the firm is invested in them, we heard that “my understanding is that when the firm hires you, they’re hiring you hoping you will become a partner. The firm is very intentional about developing people that they want to run Jenner in the future, so there are ample career development opportunities.”

“…when the firm hires you, they’re hiring you hoping you will become a partner.”

The formal career development program at Jenner & Block follows associates from their first year right through to mid-level, management and senior leadership. The content of the programs depends on the stage, but each aims to equip attorneys with the necessary professional, legal and management skills. A further example of the firm’s investment in career development came from the effort they’ve recently put in to making sure that attorneys are up to date with areas of law that could be helpful for them: “Tariff litigation is about to become a large part of some law firms’ work,” noted a junior, “and the firm realized some associates weren’t that familiar with it, so they put on a training led by an absolutely fantastic partner with experience in that area who sat in small groups of associates to train them and to make sure we could troubleshoot.”

Jenner & Block is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Associate Retention in our 2025 survey.

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 1,950 target

The firm’s billable requirement for junior associates is 1,950 hours, with 100 of those allotted for pro bono work, inclusion and engagement contributions, and activities related to professional or business development. Sources felt this target was reasonable and achievable, with busier periods making up for weeks or months which might be a little slower. When it came to working hours, associates weren’t immune to the unpredictable hours of BigLaw: “There is no average day, and sometimes I don’t necessarily know what’s going to be happening when I walk into the office.” Keeping that in mind, a source did share that “I think on a normal day I’m generally here from 9am until 5.30pm or 6pm, then I go home and eat dinner, and log on for a couple of hours in the evening.” While typical hours were pretty manageable, we did hear that “there are times I get here at 7am and don’t leave until 9 or 10pm, but that’s only happened a handful of times and I could have worked from home if I wanted to.” Associates were pleased to report that their compensation structure was lockstep and in line with the market, including in relation to the recent ‘special bonuses’ introduced across Big Law.

Culture

As one source put it: “Jenner truly cares about you as an attorney, but also as a person, as an individual.” We usually stray from using buzzwords words like “collegial” and “collaborative” to describe the culture of any firm, but they came with the caveat that “I’ve seen those words on a lot of law firm websites, so I don’t know how distinguishing they are, but they are true!” Others described the firm as “very warm. The people I’ve worked with have been very excited about their work which is great, and they’re also very welcoming to you when you join a case team. They’re excited you’re on the team.”

We heard that the firm has a weekly happy hour, and that the associate committee recently hosted a trivia night that got rave reviews: “It was fantastic and really fun. There were teams of partners and associates at mixed levels. It was fun to compete with and against other lawyers at the firm for something fun!” Associates loved to get involved but were also pleased that “if you have a family, there’s no shame or pressure or discouragement from taking care of that and really spending your free time with your family.”

Inclusion

Linking to how associates feel cared for by the firm, we heard that “it’s a place that really tries to be inclusive and open, and welcoming to people of different backgrounds.” An associate who identified as having a diverse background told us that “I feel like the firm does value me individually and seeks to make sure that I don’t feel marginalized in any way, and I appreciate that.” We also heard great things about the Black Lawyers’ Forum and the firm’s affinity group for women being places for juniors to connect with more senior attorneys and to attend events with others at the firm.

Get Hired 

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus 

The scope of Jenner’s recruitment includes 16 of the top law schools across the country. However, the firm also tells us that “applications for the Summer Program from candidates at all schools are welcome.” 

“Candidates should be prepared to talk about anything listed on their resume,” with a particular premium placed on those who are “intellectually curious, driven individuals who thrive in a collaborative, high-performance environment.” Jenner welcomes candidates with “strong academic credentials, sound judgment, and a genuine interest in tackling complex, high-stakes matters for top clients.” Jenner values those who are “committed to excellence, eager to learn from top lawyers, and invested in both client service and team success. Interested candidates should be sure to highlight any areas in their backgrounds that point towards those ideals,” the firm emphasizes. 

Callbacks 

While the callback process varies slightly by office, “students can expect to meet with five to six lawyers during their callback interview,” the firm tells us, adding that “depending on the office, one to three of those interviewers are usually associates. At this point, we are interested in learning more about the candidate’s interests and experience. We are also evaluating their leadership ability and initiative.” 

Jenner & Block summer associates can work on both short-term and long-term projects during their summer experience. Assignments are tailored to individual practice area and pro bono interests, subject to client needs and availability. Summer associates have the flexibility to work with various practice teams during the program. The firm also offers a variety of specially designed training opportunities focusing on helping summer associates develop a broader range of skills, including legal writing courses and a communications workshop. 

Summer program 

While most of the firm’s summers return as first-year associates, the firm encourages summers who wish to clerk before joining the firm to do so. For example, the firm tells us that “many, but not all, of our summer associates clerk prior to re-joining us as second- or third-year associates.” Finally, the firm recommends hopefuls consult the firm’s website to learn more.