Jones Day - The Inside View

With big deals and global capabilities, this corporate heavyweight gets the job done - all Day, every Day.

Searching for a career that goes the distance? Take a look at Jones Day, where global collaboration is at the heart of everything this firm does. For many of the associates on our list, they were surprised by just how much the firm’s ‘One Firm Worldwide’ motto rings true. “It’s amazing being able to work with everyone, because it’s super collaborative,” one source stated, “We fly to different offices to work together – it’s not something you see super often at other law firms!” In fact, our interviewees reported forming close working relationships with fellow attorneys in all corners of the globe, from London to Australia.

“We fly to different offices to work together – it’s not something you see super often at other law firms!”

Firmwide hiring partner Sharyl Reisman attributes this seamless connectivity to the firm’s success in providing excellent client service. “We prioritize understanding their business needs and those are forefront in our minds as we counsel and represent them... That's our job - to be problem solvers and think and plan ahead for clients,” she explains. We don’t doubt it, as this approach has translated into over 100(!) ranked departments in our sister guides Chambers USA and Chambers Global. Among the firm’s top-ranking practice areas are international arbitration, labor and employment, intellectual property, banking and finance, and product liability.

Our sources were based across the country given the firm’s wide location base, with 18 offices across the US and a further 22 abroad. The majority of associates we spoke to were working out of the New York, Chicago, and Cleveland stations.

Strategy & Future

Reisman tells us that the firm will continue to bolster the ‘One Firm Worldwide’ approach: “Our lawyers from day one experience our seamless network around the world... If you talk to lawyers within their first year of joining us most will have worked on or be working on cross-office, cross border and cross-practice matters.” The firm continues to promote this synergy through a lack of origination credits and networking events.

Reisman elaborates further on strategy, telling us that, “This year, we made 28 partners in the US. 64% of those were people who joined us as summer associates. A large majority of our partners are 'up from the ranks'... We've also had some phenomenal lateral hires in the last year. Bottom line, we seek to hire the best and the brightest - and we are looking for long term commitment to our firm, our culture and serving our clients.” The goal, Reisman explains, is “that folks stay with us for the long term. I’ve been here for 31 years, and I’m no exception!”

The Work

In their first year at Jones Day, all newbies join the New Lawyers Group which allows juniors to “explore which areas you’re interested in and try everything to see what you like.” After trying “a bunch of different work from different groups, you can narrow it down to something you want to focus on.” This initiative was applauded by our interviewees: “The firm isn’t trying to crank hours out of us,” one praised, “they allow us time to find a practice area where we can see ourselves fit and thrive in the long term.”

“They allow us time to find a practice area where we can see ourselves fit and thrive in the long term.”

We were told that the work assignment is very structured and purposeful to give associates experience in a good range of practices. However, associates get work in multiple ways beyond this. The firm encourages associates to develop relationships and to seek out what matters interest them. “I’ve always felt like I have a lot of agency over what work I want to do. I can make my own decisions,” a rookie relayed. A major benefit of networking is that “people will begin to send projects your way that they think you might be interested in.” Juniors even reported building relationships with partners on the other side of the country (who can turn into mentors!), but with the sheer size of the firm, it’s no surprise that it has an expert you can approach in every niche you can think of.

One M&A insider explained that the firm has “no one industry focus or type of client.” In typical Jones Day fashion, “there are plenty of really large cross-border clients who we can service well because of the ‘One Firm Worldwide’ policy.” In this department, there are also opportunities to work on large projects such as take-privates and take-publics. Another source pointed out that “there’s a huge misconception about BigLaw that you can’t get substantive experience early on. That’s not true here!” I’ve been managing things and having client contact since I got my bar card.” The consensus was that people are keen to give you “as much responsibility as you can handle.” Hand in hand with this are senior associates and partners who are always ready to provide advice and oversight. When working with smaller companies, such as startups, one associate told us, “The clients want a point of contact, so I end up getting calls directly from the CEO. The exposure is amazing!” Typical tasks here also include drafting, running disclosure schedules, and preparing ancillaries.

M&A clients: Verizon Communications, FirstEnergy Corp, Koch Equity Development. Advised SITE Centers on the spin-off of Curbline Properties Corp. as a separate publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

“The clients want a point of contact, so I end up getting calls directly from the CEO. The exposure is amazing!”

The labor and employment team works on the “full gamut” of matters. There are traditional labor matters such as collective bargaining and negotiations, as well as employment issues that are handled in court (think wage and hour claims, etc.). Juniors are entrusted to assist with the due diligence and running disclosure schedules, as well as providing some counseling and advice to clients. If it’s litigious, the work can vary depending on the size of the matter, as there’s the chance to work on anything from single plaintiff claims to large class actions. One of our insiders’ favorite things about this department was that “I have done everything that I can think of that an attorney does.”  This range also extends to “our clients, which range from not-for-profit food banks up to Fortune 10 companies.”

Labor and employment clients: Bloomberg, International Business Machines Corporation, Blackstone Group. Successfully advised United Airlines on all claims brought by a former pilot.

Career Development

In the true spirit of ‘One Firm Worldwide,’ there are plenty of opportunities to meet your cohort and other attorneys in your practice group. The firm flies in lawyers from “across the world – from Singapore, London, Australia – into DC to do some training, allowing everyone to get to know each other.” A junior was happy to confirm this is due to the firm “being very interested in getting everyone on the same page with professional development and culture.” These meetings early on are “especially important considering the free market nature of the firm; you can find partners who are interested in mentoring you.” One insider also explained that “throughout the New Lawyer’s Group, there are planned trainings, such as negotiations or depositions.” They continued, “There are two or three days when everyone flies into one office to work on a made-up case. They even hire actors so it’s super believable, and that’s just one example!” As this interviewee said, "there are plenty of smaller trainings available for associates within their practice groups."

“…Everyone flies into one office to work on a made-up case. They even hire actors so it’s super believable!”

Jones Day is recognized as a Strong Performer for Career Development and two other categories in our 2025 survey.

Inclusion

According to our interviewees, the firm has a good variety of affinity groups to join that are open to all: Asian Lawyers Affinity Group, Black Lawyers Affinity Group, Hispanic Lawyers Affinity Group, LGBTQ+ Affinity Group, South Asian Affinity Group and Women’s Affinity Group. These group members can also identify pro bono work and initiatives; for example, we were told the firm recently worked on a case representing Vietnamese victims of trafficking. Overall, we were informed that “the firm generally has a strong focus on inclusion up to the partner level too.”

Culture

Jones Day was repeatedly described as family-oriented, in both the way that people have families but also that the firm “feels like one big family.” One associate elaborated, “I hate saying we’re a family; it sounds so cliché, but it feels like we are. We’re all very close and it’s such a supportive culture.” Interviewees reported being able to forge connections with those based further afield: “I reached out to a partner in one of our European offices, as I thought their background was so fascinating. Then, we got to jump on a call to discuss their experiences.” When it comes to the One Firm Worldwide motto, an insider told us that, “I came in cynical about it, but it’s 100% true.” Case in point: at Jones Day, there is no origination credit on any work, so there’s no deterrent to bringing people in on your matters. Therefore, “for any matter, we bring in the best people to solve the problem for the client – no matter where they are.”

The office was described as “a great social outlet,” where people spend “lots of time hanging out in each other’s offices.” Our insiders all agreed that the firm puts its people first; an example of this is “back in 2008 and 2009, there were no layoffs, and all the partners took pay cuts.”

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 2,000 target

Our sources explained that while there is a billable hour requirement, “it’s in no way emphasized in annual reviews.” The firm operates under a “black box” model, so hours are not explicitly tied to bonuses. However, the consensus was that this is more than fair. Those in regional offices also benefited from the fact that Jones Day offers comparatively higher salaries. For example, “in Columbus, we make $80k more than the firm across the street,” a junior mentioned.

“I thought it would be a constant grind… but the hours are more balanced and workable than I thought.”

Most our interviewees stated that the hours are what they expected, if not better: “As a law student, I had no idea what to expect,” one insider explained, “I thought it would be a constant grind – which I was ready for – but the hours are more balanced and workable than I thought.” They added, smiling, “It’s kind of a Choose Your Own Adventure at this firm, because you can take on as much as you want to.” In addition to this, partners were praised for being “very thoughtful,” as well for “consistently checking in on how we’re doing and asking if we need any help.” The firm currently allows employees to work from home two or three days a week, and because the firm was repeatedly remarked upon as “family oriented,” we heard it’s not uncommon for those coming into the office to get in at 9am, leave at 5pm, and log back on for a few extra hours after dinner.

Pro Bono

“I have been surprised at how serious the firm is about pro bono work,” said one associate. All our interviewees stressed that it is something that’s ingrained in firm culture. This makes sense as the majority of associates mentioned the Laredo Project, which is Jones Day’s “marquee cause.” Since 2014, Jones Day has had a fully staffed office in Laredo where lawyers have been representing migrants, primarily women and children, at the US-Mexico border. One junior informed us “that almost every person I know has worked on an asylum case. We’re encouraged to go down to the border for a week and do it in person.” This opportunity is also given to summer associates. Sources also relayed that pro bono hours count as billable, and with two full-time pro bono coordinators, there is plenty of work to choose from!

Pro bono hours

  • For all (US) attorneys: 131,595
  • Average per (US) attorney: undisclosed

Get Hired 

The first stage:  2L recruitment on and off campus   

2L applicants interviewed:  1,378

Jones Day recruits through various sources including OCI, job fairs, and direct applications.  “We cast a wide net to various law schools to capture the best and brightest students and find our future leaders from all regions and all backgrounds,” explains hiring partner Sharyl Reisman.   

The interviews are conducted by partners and associates from across the US offices. “There are no mandatory topics or questions, and questions are not based upon a particular formula,” Reisman explains. Rather, the firm is looking to gain an understanding of candidates, as well as “indications of leadership and commitment.” Reisman continues: “We use our interviews to try to identify those things, get a sense of the student’s passion and commitment to various activities, causes and organizations, and to really get a sense of the person as a person.”   

Top tips at this stage:   

“I always recommend that students try to learn as much about us – our culture, our programs, our structure, and specifically, why we are different. The Jones Day Careers website is a great start and rich with information.” – hiring partner, Sharyl Reisman.   

Callbacks   

2L applicants invited to second stage interview:  516

Successful candidates are invited to callbacks, which consist of individual interviews with a mix of partners and associates (usually four to six lawyers). The interviews generally last 20-30 minutes. At this stage, interviewers are looking to see whether candidates “share our commitment to our clients and client service,” as well as commitment to the firm and its culture. “Our questions combined with what we can see of the candidate's past experience are intended to elicit this information,” says Reisman. Naturally, the firm is also curious as to what it is about Jones Day that has attracted the candidate: “The answer is pretty revealing with respect to what the student has done to research the firm.”   

Top tips at this stage:   

“A candidate catches my attention during the callback interview when she demonstrates by her questions and comments that she has read (or listened to videos/podcasts) about what makes Jones Day different. If she articulates two or three of these differentiators, I’m inclined to think she has researched and understands our culture and is sincere in her interest in Jones Day.” – hiring partner Sharyl Reisman.    

Summer program   

2L offers:  250

2L acceptances:  105

In addition to the 105 acceptances resulting from OCI, job fairs, and direct applications, 21 1Ls will be returning for their 2L summer.  The total number of 2L summer associates in the 2025 Jones Day summer program is 126.

The summer program at Jones Day ties into its famed New Lawyers Group: “Summer associates don’t rotate through practices; instead there are a variety of assignments available, and students can steer themselves to the areas they want to try.” There is usually a work assigner to offer assignments across the practices. The tasks summers get involved in allow them to hone their research and writing skills, while practical trainings cover things like how to take a deposition or how to prepare documents for transactions. Each summer associate is also assigned a partner and an associate mentor.   

Top tips for this stage:   

“Get yourself exposed to as much of the firm as you can and get involved in as much as you can. Don’t treat it as an eight or ten-week program, but as a process of getting to know the people and place.” – hiring partner Sharyl Reisman.  

 

Jones Day

Firm profile
Jones Day is a global law firm with 2,500 lawyers in 40 offices across five continents. The Firm is distinguished by: a singular tradition of client service; the mutual commitment to, and the seamless collaboration of, a true partnership; formidable legal talent across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions; and shared professional values that focus on client needs.

Main areas of work
Jones Day’s practices cover the spectrum of transactional, litigation, regulatory and tax matters. Core practice areas include antitrust, bankruptcy/restructuring, business & tort litigation, corporate/M&A/private equity, cybersecurity, employee benefits & executive compensation, energy, environmental health & safety, financial markets, global disputes, government regulation, health care & life sciences, insurance recovery, intellectual property, investigations & white collar defense, issues and appeals, labor and employment, real estate, securities litigation, state attorney general enforcement, investigations & litigation and tax.

Recruitment
Law Schools attending for OCIs in 2025:
Boston College, Boston University, Case Western, Chicago, Cleveland State University, Columbia, Duke, Florida, Fordham, George Washington, Georgetown, Georgia, Harvard, Howard, Illinois, Miami, Michigan, New York University, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania, San Diego, SMU, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, UC Berkeley, UC Law San Francisco, UCLA, and University of Southern California.

Recruitment outside of OCIs in 2025:
Bay Area Diversity Career Fair, Boston College / Boston University National Job Fair (NY), Boston Lawyers Group Job Fair, Cook County Bar Assn. Minority Law Student Job Fair, Cornell / NY Job Fair, Lavender Law Career Fair, Loyola Patent Interview Program, Southeastern Law School Consortium, Sunbelt Recruitment Program, and UTexas on Tour (Washington, DC).

Summer associate profile
Jones Day provides unlimited opportunities for talented lawyers, not only within the Firm but in boardrooms and courtrooms worldwide. Participation as a summer associate is the best entryway to these opportunities. Our dedication to training and the size of the summer/new lawyer programs enable us to provide summer associates and junior lawyers with substantive and meaningful experiences on cutting-edge legal matters. Because of the Firm’s structure and supportive and collaborative environment, summer associates and junior lawyers also have vast resources at their disposal, not least of which is the Firm's deep and well-regarded bench of more than 2,500 practitioners across the globe. In addition, summer associates join in pro bono projects and community service work with organizations both inside and outside the law to address pressing societal issues, including human trafficking, asylum, clemency, domestic violence and veterans’ affairs, to name a few.

Social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonesDayLawFirm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jones-day/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonesdaylawfirm/

This Firm's Rankings in
USA Guide, 2024

Ranked Departments

    • Antitrust (Band 2)
    • Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Band 3)
    • Construction (Band 2)
    • Healthcare (Band 2)
    • Insurance: Policyholder (Band 3)
    • Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation (Band 4)
    • Intellectual Property: Patent Prosecution (Band 1)
    • Labor & Employment: The Elite (Band 3)
    • Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite (Band 3)
    • Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Band 3)
    • Antitrust (Band 4)
    • Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Band 3)
    • Construction (Band 3)
    • Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Band 4)
    • Healthcare (Band 5)
    • Intellectual Property: Litigation (Band 5)
    • Labor & Employment (Band 1)
    • Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite (Band 4)
    • Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Band 3)
    • Tax (Band 3)
    • Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded (Band 2)
    • Corporate/M&A & Private Equity (Band 4)
    • Banking & Finance (Band 3)
    • Corporate/M&A (Band 1)
    • Labor & Employment (Band 4)
    • Litigation: General Commercial (Band 2)
    • Litigation: Securities (Band 2)
    • Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Band 2)
    • Real Estate (Band 2)
    • Tax (Band 2)
    • Antitrust (Band 2)
    • Banking & Finance (Band 4)
    • Corporate/M&A & Private Equity (Band 4)
    • Healthcare (Band 2)
    • Intellectual Property (Band 3)
    • Labor & Employment: The Elite (Band 2)
    • Litigation: General Commercial (Band 2)
    • Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Band 2)
    • Real Estate (Band 2)
    • Banking & Finance (Band 3)
    • Litigation: General Commercial (Band 3)
    • Litigation: General Commercial (Band 4)
    • Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Band 2)
    • Bankruptcy/Restructuring: The Elite (Band 4)
    • Corporate/M&A: Highly Regarded (Band 1)
    • Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Policyholder (Band 3)
    • Intellectual Property: Patent (Band 4)
    • Labor & Employment: The Elite (Band 2)
    • Labor & Employment: Transactional (Band 1)
    • Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded (Band 1)
    • Litigation: Securities (Band 4)
    • Tax (Band 4)
    • Antitrust (Band 1)
    • Banking & Finance (Band 1)
    • Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Band 1)
    • Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Band 3)
    • Healthcare (Band 1)
    • Insurance: Policyholder (Band 1)
    • Intellectual Property (Band 1)
    • Labor & Employment (Band 5)
    • Litigation: General Commercial (Band 1)
    • Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Band 1)
    • Real Estate (Band 3)
    • Corporate/M&A (Band 1)
    • Construction (Band 2)
    • Insurance (Band 2)
    • Corporate/M&A & Private Equity (Band 1)
    • Litigation: General Commercial (Band 1)
    • Antitrust (Band 1)
    • Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Band 2)
    • Corporate/M&A: The Elite (Band 5)
    • Healthcare (Band 5)
    • Intellectual Property (Band 2)
    • Labor & Employment (Band 3)
    • Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Band 2)
    • Antitrust (Band 2)
    • Antitrust: Cartel (Band 3)
    • Appellate Law (Band 2)
    • Banking & Finance (Band 5)
    • Bankruptcy/Restructuring: The Elite (Band 3)
    • Capital Markets: Investment Grade Debt: Issuer Counsel (Band 4)
    • Construction (Band 2)
    • Corporate Crime & Investigations: The Elite (Band 4)
    • Corporate/M&A: The Elite (Band 5)
    • Derivatives (Band 4)
    • Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Band 5)
    • Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation) (Band 4)
    • Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional) (Band 4)
    • Financial Services Regulation: Broker Dealer (Compliance & Enforcement) (Band 4)
    • Healthcare: The Elite (Band 3)
    • Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Policyholder (Band 3)
    • Intellectual Property (Band 3)
    • International Arbitration: Highly Regarded (Band 1)
    • Labor & Employment (Band 1)
    • Life Sciences (Band 4)
    • Political Law (Band 5)
    • Private Equity: Buyouts: Mid-Market (Band 3)
    • Product Liability & Mass Torts: The Elite (Band 2)
    • Product Liability: Tobacco (Band 1)
    • Projects: PPP (Band 4)
    • Real Estate (Band 4)
    • Retail: Corporate & Transactional (Band 1)
    • Securities: Regulation: Enforcement (Band 4)
    • Tax: Controversy (Band 5)
    • Tax: Corporate & Finance (Band 4)

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