Mintz - The Inside View

Did you know that Boston is home to the oldest public park in the USA? Boston Common dates all the way back to 1634 and, conveniently, many of the city’s native law firms are also long-established in the area. Mintz, for example, started out in 1933, setting up shop just a short distance from the park. Associates told us that, with the firm having a strong reputation in its Boston hometown, “you get all the perks of a BigLaw firm, but it’s still more of a tight-knit, Midlaw feel because of the way people interact and prioritize their work-life balance.” As one junior put it, “Mintz has always been known as a refuge firm for people who start at other BigLaw firms because we have such a supportive culture. People know that quality of life is valued more here.”

“You get all the perks of a BigLaw firm, but it’s still more of a tight-knit, Midlaw feel…”

It wasn’t just the work-life balance potential that impressed Mintz’s most junior attorneys; the firm’s Chambers USArankings essentially speak for themselves. In particular, the firm gets top-tier recognition for its healthcare, immigration, bankruptcy, public finance, insurance and construction work in its Massachusetts home state. It doesn’t end there, as the firm also comes out top for its white-collar crime and government investigations practice in New York.

With the addition of Miami and Toronto in 2023, the firm is now spread across eight offices in the US and Canada. The majority of Mintz’s associate class is based in its Boston HQ, with New York following in second place. Small groups of juniors also work out of DC, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.

Strategy & Future

Mike Renaud, head of Mintz’s IP division, tells us that the firm will continue with its full-service offering, but “private equity, life sciences, litigation and technology are the places we’ve really been pushing resources – and not just in Boston, the historic hub of the firm.” As an example, last year the firm added a new life sciences patent litigation team in Los Angeles, and the new Toronto office has been thriving. Renaud delights in the Canadian office’s success, revealing, “The secret is that we’re lining up with the markets we’re already serving. We have a really strong life sciences community in the Toronto office, and they’re good at the sophisticated licensing aspects of the practice. We’re lining up the office with our strategic investments and it’s just taken off.”

All of Mintz’s offices are in North America, but Renaud explains that the firm regularly partners with international counsel: “We attend meetings overseas with our partner law firms, presenting at conferences and writing about the multinational aspects of our work.” Renaud also highlights how the firm is proactive about keeping up with industry trends as, “historically, Mintz was simply a reflection of its exciting client base, asking what they need and doing it. Now, we’re much more involved in industries, sectors and markets with our international partners, and monitoring where the work is headed.” Upcoming advances in technology and AI tools will inevitably be a part of this, Renaud explains, as “you’ll fail in the market if all you’re offering is awesome legal services – the market wants more. It’s not good enough to just be a great lawyer, you have to really know your client’s technology and the business of it, too.”

The Work

Corporate, litigation and IP take on the largest portion of Mintz’s junior ranks, and associates in these departments explained how practice group managers help with work assignment. According to insiders, “when you’re getting your feet under you, you communicate with the practice group managers to give them a sense of your interests. That means that when assignments you’d be interested in come through, they can flag those opportunities for you.” However, we heard that once associates establish themselves in their groups, there’s a free market approach to work allocation where “senior associates or partners reach out to juniors and ask them if they want to join their team.” While some rookies enjoyed the flexibility of this “choose-your-own-adventure” system, they were sure to remind us that “you’ll need an entrepreneurial spirit and strong networking skills” to successfully navigate work assignment.

“I’ve been right at the front of a case going through all the initial discovery steps, and I’ve seen later-stage litigations, too.”

Junior litigators get involved in a variety of work, and sources had experience across white-collar defense, insurance and commercial litigation. More specifically, this can involve claims relating to breaches of fiduciary duty, internal investigations, and M&A disputes. We also heard that there are opportunities to get involved in some advisory work. All in all, interviewees were pleased to share, “my work has been varied both in subject matter and procedural posture. I’ve been right at the front of a case going through all the initial discovery steps, and I’ve seen later-stage litigations, too, where we’re much deeper into trial prep and final tasks.” Juniors typically handle document organization and review, but interviewees were still clear that “partners and seniors make an effort to ensure everyone on a case team is really involved in the case. Juniors contribute ideas which are considered, and they want us to participate in the strategy process.” We also heard that teams differ in size, and a source found this helpful as “you might be on a matter with just a partner, or an associate and a partner, which means you get to take the first stab at most things. Or, you could be on a team with five people where you’ll send research emails to the mid-level who’s handling the drafting. Getting a taste of both is great!”

Litigation clients: Uber, Spero Therapeutics, Butterfly Networks. Represented various ex-directors and officers of Viela Bio in a breach of fiduciary lawsuit following the company’s acquisition in 2021.

Over in corporate, associates explained how their work fits into three main buckets: securities, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital. Juniors join the group as generalists and told us that it’s pretty easy to keep their practice broad, though “most people decide they want to do something specific fairly early on.” Interviewees had the chance to work with public companies in the energy sector, and with life sciences, pharma and biotech companies. Juniors typically work on signature packets and ancillary documents on the venture capital side of things, and sources mentioned that securities matters come with “work that feels a bit more substantive off the bat, which is exciting.” In general, interviewees found that junior tasks can “feel a bit administrative at first, but it’s just part of the process. You have to go through that phase to become more familiar with what’s going on so you can take on more substantive work.”

Corporate clients: Campbell Soup, Shiseido, Philips. Advised Standard BioTools on its merger with SomaLogic, valued at $500 million in cash with a $1 billion equity value.

Mintz’s IP practice is spread across two teams, litigation and prosecution, with associates working on both sides. Juniors in these groups told us that their work focuses heavily on the International Trade Commission, with other opportunities to work on arbitrations and disputes in the federal courts. It’s worth noting that some of the work can be quite niche, but juniors are still able to get involved in a variety of tasks, nonetheless. Typical responsibilities here include “standard document review” alongside “opportunities to write motions, draft efficiency letters and complaints, engage in deposition outline drafting, and assist with expert witness prep.”

IP clients: Advanced Micro Devices, Amgen, JUUL Labs. Assisting research institution City of Hope in handling more than 500 patent families, the most of recent of which concern antibody therapies and anti-cancer precision medicine.

Career Development

“… they really care about the quality of training, too.”

According to associates, “there are a lot of training sessions here, and I get the impression that they really care about the quality of training, too.” Though there were mixed reviews about opportunities for development at the firm, a junior appreciated how “the firm is invested in developing associates who are willing to engage with and show enthusiasm for the firm.” We heard that professional development administrators are on hand, too, and “very happy to schedule meetings with you and keep you in the loop.” However, we were also reminded that “a big part of the Mintz culture is encouraging folks to be proactive about things,” so it’s important for associates to take a lead role in pushing their career development to take full advantage of the opportunities on offer at the firm.

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 1,900 target

The firm has recently raised its billable target from 1,850 to 1,900, with 100 hours dedicated to activities such as pro bono, mentoring and recruitment. That said, associates must bill 2,000 hours in order to be eligible for a bonus. An associate explained how this target increase has been accompanied by an increase in the firm’s bonuses to bring them in line with the market. Associates already have a market-rate salary, so interviewees’ response to the 50-hour bump was: “I’m here for it!”

Working hours, meanwhile, can vary depending on the workload of any given day or week – a common feature of BigLaw life. A corporate associate explained how the time of year significantly affects their workload: “When we’re busy, we might be working 7.30am to 9pm most days. But, when bankers go to the Hamptons a little more in the summer, I’ll usually log in at 8.30am and stop at 4pm, sometimes without needing to log on again.” Rookie litigators experienced some variation, too, with one recalling, “There have been 18-hour days during trial, but there are also some really slow, three-hour days. It probably averages out at eight hours for me, but it fluctuates depending on the case flow.” One associate had a particularly reassuring take on this, noting, “it’s all very up and down and it can get brutal, but I’ve never experienced a long stretch of brutal hours.”

Culture

When we asked our interviewees about the culture at Mintz, one reflected, “There’s always a variety of people with different goals in BigLaw. Some people want to go all the way and make partner, others want to go in-house, and some want to do something completely different. At Mintz, however, I’ve never met anyone who wants to lateral to another BigLaw firm – this is as good as it gets!” It’s worth noting that Mintz uses a hoteling desk system but, despite any perceptions about a lack of office attendance, interviewees were grateful that “partners are very approachable, and so many people here are awesome, kind, great to work for and also great to chat with by the coffee machine!”

Mintz is recognized as a Strong Performer for Quality of Life in our 2025 survey.

Pro Bono

“The firm really does celebrate pro bono wins.”

Associates shared that “pro bono is incredibly valued at the firm. I’ve been involved in pro bono work since I was a summer associate, and it’s some of the best experience you can get as a junior.” Insiders especially admired Sue Finegan, the chair of Mintz’s pro bono committee, describing her as the firm’s “golden light of pro bono.” Juniors told us that it was easy to get involved in pro bono work, whether through clinics (to help individuals change their name or seal their criminal records, for example) or through one of the many immigration and asylum matters that circulate the firm. Sources were also happy that pro bono receives plenty of recognition, with one telling us, “The firm really does celebrate pro bono wins. I frequently get emails about things we’ve participated in or cases we’ve won. They also make it clear that, if it’s something we want to do, we’ll have the resources to back us up and help us get the work done.”

Pro bono hours

• For all US attorneys: 20,279
• Average per US attorney: 30

Inclusion

The firm has three affinity groups, available for any and all attorneys at the firm to join: the Women’s Initiative, Mintz Pride, and MIATTY, the firm’s group for all racially diverse attorneys. While there were mixed reviews on racial inclusion at the firm and the true impact of MIATTY members’ suggestions, we heard that the Women’s Initiative was an especially valuable tool. “They have monthly luncheons where they’ll bring partners to share experiences,” a source evidenced, “and they also run a very well-attended program on pathways to partnership for women.”

Get Hired

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus 

OCI applicants interviewed: 30

Interviewees outside OCI: 86

Students hoping to summer at Mintz should apply directly to the firm’s website. Applications and interviews are done on a rolling basis, beginning in April. Mintz engages in OCI at a very limited amount of law schools. Outside of this, the firm participates in resume drops.

Hiring sources tell us that interviewers “look for curious, collaborative, collegial students.” Questions vary by interviewer, but overall, “we aim to find prospective associates who share the same passion for the law as our lawyers do.”

Top tips for this stage: 

“Someone who gave the sense that they were out for themselves would have a hard time getting a good rating!” – a junior associate 

“Think about what you want to convey to an interviewer without scripting the answers. Take the time to learn about the firm – including our people and practice areas.” 

Callbacks 

Applicants invited to second stage interview: 54

Candidates invited to callbacks will interview with four lawyers – again, questions vary person to person. But hiring sources said that interviewers will be interested in a candidate’s interest in the law, their other interests, accomplishments and “how would you like to be challenged!” 

A junior associated went into more detail: “At the end of each interview, there is an evaluation process with about five or six questions like, ‘Is the candidate a team leader? Would you feel comfortable having them meet with clients?’ Naturally, the questions we ask in interview help candidates provide answers to those questions.” 

Top tips for this stage: 

“Focus on being able to make a personal connection. Go beyond just answering questions on what’s on or not on your resume.” – a second-year junior associate 

“Similarly to OCI, students should be prepared. We aim to have an interactive discussion on your future at our firm.” 

Summer program 

Offers: 29

Acceptances: 14

In Mintz’s nine-week program, summers choose a practice area of interest (Corporate, Litigation, or Intellectual Property) and are immersed in that practice area for the duration of the program. Training sessions throughout the summer include a Corporate “Nuts and Bolts” training, a moot court for Litigation Summers, and writing seminars and mentors for the full class. Social events are dotted throughout the program “so our lawyers and students have an opportunity to get to know each other outside of the office.”  The firm tells us summers typically return as first-year associates in the practice area in which they worked during the summer. 

Top tips for this stage: 

“Be enthusiastic; do great work; get to know people; always carry a pen and notepad!” 

Interview with Mike Renaud, Chair of Intellectual Property Division

Commercial strategy, market position and trends

Chambers Associate: How would you define your firm’s current position and identity in the legal market? What differentiates your firm from your peer firms in the market?

Mike Renaud: We’ve had a really strong decade of growth, and the firm has more than doubled its profits during that time. As the result of such a robust financial success, we’ve been able to expand and grow in the key areas we’re interested in. Private equity, life sciences, litigation and technology are the places we’ve really been pushing resources – and not just in Boston, the historic hub of the firm. We’re building across all areas but those focus points are a good example of our growth. That success means that our recruiting’s also going well as we’re able to attract the best lawyers. We’re continuing to ask, “where is the market going, and what active sectors come under litigation, life sciences and tech?” For example, we’re looking at electric vehicle technology and batteries, so we're focusing on a strategic thrust into all of the areas where the work is.

CA: Have there been any developments at the firm over the past year that you’d like law students to know about?

Renaud: The short answer is that we’ve had a really great run of attracting eager, talented associates. We’ve always had a summer program but, as the quality of our work and clients has gone up, we’re attracting more and more first-rate law students who help make the summer program exciting. Since the work is for blue chip, first-rate companies with legal needs that are exciting and cutting-edge, whether it’s a new life sciences company using cell therapy or a company using a new semiconductor, there’s a lot of exciting work. Summer associate investment and quality has gone up as a result. It’s the most exciting work we’ve ever had to offer, so we get vibrant summer associates who are ready and willing to get involved. Their talent is so great that we can deploy them on real legal work right away, which is really exciting.

CA: Are there any domestic or international events/trends that are affecting any of the firm’s practices at the moment? Are there any trends that you think are affecting the business of law firms more generally, and how is that playing out with your firm?

Renaud: With regard to IP, which is where I reside as head of the IP division, the US had tended to create laws and regulations that make it harder to protect your intellectual property. Now, the US is becoming less of a center of gravity when it comes to our IP needs. International licensing rights are becoming increasingly important, as is enforcement and litigation outside of the US, especially with the Unified Patent Court in Europe. Even though we have no offices outside of North America, we partner regularly with European and Asian counsel. There is an increasing number of disputes in South America, too, as a result of evolving international rights. We attend meetings overseas with our partner law firms, presenting at conferences and writing about the multinational aspects of our work. IP has become a multinational platform, notwithstanding the fact that we’re working with other non-US law firms. Privacy is the same; we’ve got web and internet-based platforms across the world, so clients have international privacy and life sciences issues, and disputes are increasingly multinational and are often resolved through arbitration. That’s the number one trend, and it’s not new, but what’s growing is the international nature of what we’re doing.

CA: What is your firm’s commercial strategy focusing on, and how do you expect the next year to unfold?

Renaud: It’s not exclusive to the areas that I mentioned earlier, i.e., life sciences, tech, high-end litigation, and private equity. Those are our pillars but, because we’re a full-service law firm, we’re generally following the work. Historically, Mintz was simply a reflection of its exciting client base, asking what they need and doing it. Now we’re much more involved in industries, sectors and markets with our international partners, and monitoring where the work is headed. There are some areas of work where we’re underrepresented, so now we’re looking to actively go and get those clients. We’re now working with multiple clients in those very active sectors, and we have subject matter experts who truly understand their businesses. When we’re recruiting laterals, summers and first years, we look at their tech background, industry expertise, and how they might fit into these developing markets. Our number one focus is making sure our people can be more than just great lawyers and can really know the context of the industries they’re serving.

CA: Last year we spoke to you about the recent office openings in Miami and Toronto – are there any updates about those offices that you’d like to share?

Renaud: Toronto is growing rapidly. There’s been a lot of press over the last couple of years among Canadian firms saying that it would be a flash in the pan and hard for us to sustain, but the secret is that we’re lining up with the markets we’re already serving. We have a really strong life sciences community in the Toronto office, and they’re good at the sophisticated licensing aspects of the practice. We’re lining up the office with our strategic investments and it’s just taken off. It’s over 30 lawyers now and there are more coming, so it’s been a big success in lining up with our strategic plan. Miami’s been a bit slower in developing; it doesn’t have the same life sciences concentration, so it’s more of a technology and corporate play. We are moving very intentionally in Miami with laterals coming in to support our high-tech and corporate clients.

Inside the Firm

CA: How is the firm evolving to accommodate the needs/expectations of the next generation of lawyers?

Renaud: We have an industry-leading training and mentorship program at the firm. There are over 200 training programs each year and we’re lining them up for our associates. Post-COVID, the more junior members of our team want to make up for the in-person contact they missed out on, so we have a really eager group of associates and staff! Alongside our core training programs, we now offer special niche training, too. If you want to be really sophisticated in a sector, like battery technology or trade-secret litigation for example, niche training would have been hard to offer because you have to have the work to make that investment. We’re busy enough that we have partners and senior associates with expertise in all the sectors where interested associates and staff are raising their hands. We also have internship programs with our clients which means that summer associates can spend two weeks at a partner client. That means that we have lawyers at Mintz who have developed relationships with companies in our key sectors before they even start at the firm. Almost everything we’re doing right now to foster knowledge, training and mentorship is working. Our base for training and mentorship is as rich and as deep as it’s ever been.

CA: What’s the firm’s approach to bolstering diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Renaud: A lot of us managers and senior managers are constantly asking ourselves, “where are we at in terms of how we’re going to advance diversity? Where are we on our recruiting, training and retention?” The trickiest part with good talent is retaining. We’re doing a really good job of recruiting – we offer an Afro Scholars program to recruit Black students from the best law schools in the country, for example – but you’ve got to make an enterprise where people feel welcomed, mentored and advanced. We want to make sure that any barriers to being a lawyer, for diverse attorneys or otherwise, are things we are tackling. We have meetings about retention, and if we lose a talented lawyer then we do a review. The big change is that senior management is driving that process and making sure that mid-level managers are embracing it, so it’s a top-down, fully inclusive approach. I’m regularly involved in discussions on our progress and how we can improve. I don’t want to say it’s becoming easier to climb the hill because it’s something we’re constantly working on, but we now have a system where we’re constantly thinking about it and taking action, and we’re getting much better results because of that.

The Legal Profession

CA: How do you predict the legal profession will change in the next five years? Are there any particular challenges the industry is facing?

Renaud: The changes that have been occurring in the industry mean that you’ll fail in the market if all you’re offering is awesome legal services – the market wants more. It’s not good enough to just be a great lawyer, you have to really know your client’s technology and the business of it, too. So, we’re seconding people, and we’re not charging clients for all our meetings. We’re partnering with them, and they share intimate business information with us so we can respond.  As costs increase, the value of legal services goes up and clients get tired of paying more per hour without getting more in exchange. Investment in teaching, and the knowledge of clients, is going up.

With AI coming in and generating work products, clients are tempted to use it themselves. If you’re not clued in to your client’s business and don’t understand their challenges, business plan and corporate needs, you’re not going to be successful. Even though we’re an AmLaw 100 firm, we can’t rest on our laurels. We have to continue to learn, innovate and train, and that has to line up with clients or we won’t get the work. Clients won’t pay the premium that firms like ours ask for if you don’t give them something they couldn’t get from AI themselves, or from a lawyer working as a sole practitioner. Subject matter expertise and business knowledge are critical today, and will only get more so.

CA: How do you predict the rise in AI will affect the ways in which lawyers work? How will it affect the services law firms provide?

Renaud: I think there’s already a strong downward pressure on rates for over half of the services a BigLaw firm could provide, and AI will continue to place pressure on those services. You’ll see three quarters of the legal services a firm could provide will be vulnerable to being undercut by AI or lawyers from an AI background unless you stay close to your clients’ business management. AI’s going to keep stripping and disaggregating, so clients will turn to a lower-cost solution if you don’t provide something extra. I hate to use the term ‘value added service,’ but if you can’t provide them above and beyond what you would have provided traditionally, you’re increasingly vulnerable to losing clients to a lower-cost solution. I probably spend a quarter of my time learning and teaching myself about my clients’ needs in the market. You need to partner with your client, and that special understanding is the benefit of sending someone on secondment. If you don’t have increasing expertise in the business and tech of your clients, the work will find a lower-cost solution.

The Fun Bit

CA: What was the first car you owned?

Renaud: I owned a Chevy Cavalier, which was a very modest vehicle, but affordable.

CA: What memory/moment has stuck with you from law school?

Renaud: I remember having a wonderful teacher who was teaching European Union law, and she made it clear that the world was not only about US law. The US lawyers focusing on US law alone without integrating other legal paradigms and the needs of their clients really struck me. At the time, the EU was just coming into its own, and there were a series of treaties being put into place. Long story short, my teacher couldn’t have been more right. Her focus wasn’t IP, but it would turn out that my specialization would have the exact predicted trend she gave me, and it reached its pinnacle in the last 18 months with the Unified Patent Court. She was a wonderfully visionary professor, excited in presenting that it wasn’t all about America and she was dead right. That’s paid dividends the entire time for me as a lawyer.

CA: Which actor/actress would you want to play you in a biopic about your life?

Renaud: I used to have a head of red hair, so I used to say it could be Ryan O’Neal or Robert Redford. Now, as an old man, most people probably don’t know who they are, but it would be one of them if they were playing me in my youth. I don’t know who would play me now!