Paul Hastings LLP - The Inside View

If you’re an associate who wants to go places fast, you could do worse than make haste to Paul Hastings. As one source stated, already during the interview “they introduced themselves as leanly staffed, allowing associates to get their hands on real work immediately.” On a bigger scale, the firm itself is making rapid progress in various areas, as shown by its meteoric rise through the national Chambers USA rankings in areas such as banking & finance and high-yield debt. This only adds to its impressive haul of top-tier nationwide rankings, which also includes areas such as real estate, FCPA, and patent trial and appeal board work. Feeling part of a team with this kind of momentum and ambition is something that associates really appreciated; “back when I joined, the global finance team were in tier 4 and now we’re in tier 1,” one told us, “and that improvement and growth is really helpful to me.” Another valued how “in years when total demand for legal services went down, Paul Hastings still increases market share.”

“There’s an expectation of working hard, but it doesn’t get in the way of us being nice people.”

Given Paul Hastings’ ambitions and a client roster known for its exacting standards, the expectations of associates are understandably high. However, this made-in-California firm balances all this with its hierarchy-free West Coast culture. As one associate explained, “there’s an expectation of working hard, but it doesn’t get in the way of us being nice people.” This successful formula has taken the firm well beyond LA. It now boasts 14 US offices, alongside 11 international ones, and the bulk of the sources we spoke to were reporting from New York, Washington DC, and San Francisco.

Paul Hastings is recognized as a Strong Performer for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Strategy & Future

Coming soon...

Summer Program 

Overall, there was plenty of praise from associates for the firm’s summer program. There was some variation in the kind of work associates reported doing, for example, while one interviewee recalled that “they will give you actual work but it’s fairly limited”, another “got a frank upfront conversation that we were so busy that we would be treated like associates instead of summers.” Though summers shouldn’t worry too much about the luck of the draw as there really is plenty to get stuck into; associates reported rotating through different teams to sample the work in each, and being able to tailor their assignments to match their own interests. With the exception of IP summers, all will complete between seven to ten assignments across these groups.

One thing that was consistently highlighted was the importance of networking. As one insider put it, “there’s a lot of people who will readily sacrifice getting more work in to hang out with some summers.” Participation in social events is strongly encouraged; “you need to do it because it’s networking,” one told us, while another warned that “if you isolate yourself and aren’t interested in having relationships with people you work with, Paul Hastings won’t want a relationship with you.” However, this is unlikely to feel like a chore, with activities ranging from cocktail classes to boating and bowling. “It was a really fun summer,” was one associate’s final verdict.

The Work

Paul Hastings offers a centralized staffing system, where each week associates submit a form with their availability. Within the form, they are encouraged to include their specific interests for the staffing team to consider, and we were told that the firm “actually do take that into account during staffing.” However, most of the associates we spoke to highlighted how they receive the bulk of their work through the partners they have built relationships with. Insiders also mentioned not having to do much digging to find work. As one source stated, “thankfully we have so much work, I haven’t had to go out and ask for it: it just came.”

Paul Hastings is recognized as a Strong Performer for Work Allocation & Autonomy in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

As we’ve already covered, the finance group at Paul Hastings has been making quick progress, and associates in the department unsurprisingly highlighted the fast-paced nature of its work. “It’s just the nature of finance practice; we do work on multiple matters at the same time,” noted one insider, before adding that deals can be short and usually close within a month. “You do have to mentally prepare yourself when you have a closing or when it’s heating up,” said one source, but associates generally felt that the firm is supportive when matters get busy. As one junior put it, “they are great at this firm at letting you know when you need to be around late at night or weekend.” As for what the work typically involves, insiders in this practice area discussed mainly working on corporate debt financing, and particularly “all stages of the credit agreement.” However, the growing nature of the practice group brings an expanding range of opportunities; “we are historically into leveraged finance” stated one source, “but as the team gets bigger, and we observe other firms, we now work on other debt-related practices.”

Finance clients:  Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Royal Bank of Canada. Advised the financing sources in providing committed financing for a $17.5 billion Reverse Morris Trust combination between Waters Corporationand the Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions business of BD.

“Once you can prove you can do it, there’s a level playing field in terms of seniority.”

Within Paul Hastings’ intellectual property practice area, associates primarily handle patent litigation, district court work, and matters involving the International Trade Commission (ITC). There is a particular focus on defending patent owners from claims of infringement or potential ownership issues. Associates explained that the work spans a wide variety of technologies, with one junior relating how their work spans from semiconductors to medical devices. Nonetheless, they do have the chance to make a particular kind of matter their specialty. “ITC investigations are slowly becoming my specialty,” one told us, describing how “it’s fast paced and it can be very aggressive, plus it’s all or nothing but I love that.” Within each matter, associates discussed how there is no typical assignment that juniors receive. As one noted, “they’re thrown into the mix as much as anyone else,” while another related that “I was given opportunities to take and defend depositions, and to write real discovery responses” from an early stage, adding that “once you can prove you can do it, there’s a level playing field in terms of seniority.”

Intellectual property clients: BioNTech, Activision Blizzard, Google. Represented Samsung in over a dozen inter partes review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board asserted by Lynk Labs in parallel district court action, and ultimately convinced the Board to find all claims asserted by Lynk Labs unpatentable.

Insiders in the complex litigation & arbitration practice group also reported doing substantive work, even as a junior. “There’s a willingness to not keep the junior associates hidden in the back office, never doing any work anybody sees” noted one source, while another added how “my hand isn’t being held on a lot of these deals.” Sources discussed being able to run small cases, as well as getting the opportunity to lead briefings and to be “intellectually engaged” in all different parts of the work to an extent that is unusual in BigLaw. Associates highlighted how the matters within the practice group span a broad mix of cases. For example, one junior explained how their work fits into the more traditional legal practice of international arbitration, such as going to hearings, writing motions, and reviewing documents to find evidence. Meanwhile, others in the group handle disputes tied to specific sectors, such as environmental energy, where their work on matters arising under both state and federal law reflects the wide breadth of the practice.

Complex litigation & arbitration clients: Abbvie, Chevron, Senator Robert Menendez. Won a complete defense verdict for RWE Renewables after trial, on a $70 million claim filed by Trireme alleging that RWE deliberately delayed construction of a wind farm project in upstate New York.                                           

Career Development

One thing that emerged clearly from speaking with junior associates at the firm is that there’s no shortage of formal training available. A new year-long enhanced associate training initiative delivers practice-specific skills sessions to new lawyers, as well as exploring more general questions such as “How are they thinking about the EQ and emotional intelligence part of this?”“We have vigorous formal training, and usually everything is recorded and put on a portal for you to look back on,” one insider reported. Associates also noted that they have the chance to shape the program with their own feedback and initiatives. “We’ve started building a writing seminar with a lot of input from our juniors, and we will bring in some outside legal writers to really break down what makes good, beautiful, convincing legal writing,” one enthused.

Regarding the path to partnership, there is a sense that Paul Hastings’ associates face stiff competition, with insiders noting that “there are a lot of lateral partners at this firm, which is something associates notice.” However, insiders did report that there may be signs of change on this front, as the firm seems to be promoting more internally. “We did just promote a few homegrown attorneys into partners,” one said, “and I think that’s been a major point of feedback from the associate base.”

Culture

“Senior associates think of themselves as associates, and they are happy to chat, make friends, and learn about your interests.”

Sources praised the teamwork and collaboration between associates at Paul Hastings, with one insider stating that the firm looks for juniors who are “willing to jump on the work and will raise their hands,” as “seeing yourself as part of the team and contributing towards the goals of the team is really valued.” Associates also emphasized the non-hierarchical nature of the firm. As one junior put it, “senior associates think of themselves as associates, and they are happy to chat, make friends, and learn about your interests.” This friendly, informal ethos also extends to partners, whom associates described as very laid back, and there is no culture of yelling or internal pressure.

While this intensely collaborative atmospheremight not be for everyone(“if you are not good at working in a group, it will be very difficult,” one associate told us), it can lead to lasting friendships. “I’ve made the majority of my friends since moving here through the firm,” one source reported, while another described how they are “such good friends with my coworkers, and we spend a lot of time together.” Plenty of that time will be spent in the office, but by no means all of it; the firm has a ‘soft’ in-office policy of three days a week, which seemed to be popular with associates. “I do enjoy going into the office,” one reported, “but I also like the hybrid system which makes it a little less pressured.”

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 2,000 target

“If you don’t hit it, you’re doing it on purpose.”

“If you don’t hit it, you’re doing it on purpose” was one insider’s verdict on the firm’s annual target, underlining how there’s plenty of work to go around. Indeed, all of the associates we spoke to had no trouble hitting their 2,000 billable hour requirement. As one source stated, “we staff leanly and that’s on purpose, and because of that there’s a lot of opportunities to get hours in.” 100 hours of pro bono count towards the requirement, and first year associates can also count 150 client readiness hours – which one associate summed up as “anything that can make you a better attorney”, including educational work and training – towards it as well. Anyone who hits their billable hours target is eligible to receive a bonus, while the firm’s wider compensation model follows the Cravath Scale.

“They can be intense, I don’t want to underplay that” stated one junior when discussing their hours, but although they have experienced 16 hour days before, “those are very few and far between.” Long days are made simpler by the firm encouraging associates to get dinner and expense it, if working past 7pm – whether that be in office or at home. It also provides an Uber business account to make commuting easy at any time of day, which was praised by associates. Those in need of a break after an intense stint will get plenty of opportunity, as associates at Paul Hastings are given unlimited vacation time, and an interviewee confirmed that “if you feel comfortable meeting your hours then you can use that as much as you can.”

Pro Bono

As mentioned above, associates are allowed to put 100 hours of pro bono towards their billable hour requirement. One source reported that “you can do as much as you’re able to,” while others noted how pro bono work is regarded similarly to billables, and we were told that Paul Hastings is “good at granting extensions if you’re working on a time-consuming project.” We also learned that different offices have specialisms in matters that relate to their location (such as addressing the housing crisis in DC).

Pro bono hours

• For all US attorneys: undisclosed
• Average per US attorney: undisclosed

Get Hired

The First Stage: Recruitment On and Off Campus

OCI applicants interviewed: undisclosed

Paul Hastings may interview anywhere between 20 and 200 students at one school, depending on the school’s size. The firm also encourages students interested in interviewing early to apply through their online portal. Applications are reviewed and pursued on a rolling basis. Interviewers may range from mid-level and senior associates to partners. Junior associates get involved in the recruitment as well. 

“I genuinely enjoy getting to know students as they embark on the next chapter of their career, and I welcome the opportunity to speak more about my practice and Paul Hastings,” said Amy Fredenburg, managing director for talent acquisition. “I will always do my best to help students get the answers they need to make informed decisions. I have had such a great experience at Paul Hastings and am truly excited for others to experience the same.”

“At Paul Hastings, we want to identify candidates who will be a great addition to our team. We’re looking for those who are passionate about their work, exceptional in their execution and confident in their ability to grow and learn with the firm. I think it’s important to keep this in mind while interviewing — consider what you would like to see in a colleague and how can you be an asset to the team.”

Top Tips for This Stage

“Before formal interview programs, reach out to law school alumni practicing at Paul Hastings for introductory, informational phone calls. These calls will help you get a sense of what it’s like to practice at the firm as a junior associate. Learning more about the firm before interviewing is a great way to demonstrate your interest.” – a junior associate

Callbacks

Callbacks at Paul Hastings take approximately two hours and usually consist of four 30-minute interviews and an “informational session” with members of the talent acquisition team. Candidates typically meet four attorneys in their preferred department. It’s a bit different in the New York office, where callbacks are conducted in a “super day” format with up to 24 candidates interviewing at the same time. Each student will still meet four attorneys but in a “round-robin” format.  “Individual interview styles may vary,” Fredenburg said, “But the format will generally be conversational with some behavioral questions focused on the candidate’s leadership skills, creativity and business acumen.”

Top Tips for This Stage

“In today’s world of transformative change, leading companies require lawyers who are both legal and business advisors,” Fredenburg said. “We seek high-performing, business-minded law students with diverse backgrounds and strong leadership skills. We also invite those who have achieved success in other disciplines or careers to explore opportunities at our firm.”

Summer Program

Anticipated acceptances: 96

Summer associates can expect substantive and challenging work assignments.  Work allocation varies by office; in some offices summer associates can rotate through departments and do an open rotation, during which they can take on work from any department. Rotations have some flexibility, so summers may also take on work outside of their assigned department. Each department has a designated work assignment attorney liaison who works with the talent acquisition team “to provide summers with a healthy balance of meaningful assignments and shadowing opportunities,” Fredenburg said.

Incoming summers rank their department preferences before rotations are assigned, and associates said pretty much everyone gets their top two choices for rotations. IP is the exception as summers in this group are hired directly into IP.

The firm also provides workshops and trainings throughout the program, focusing on professional development, pro bono, legal writing, and negotiation and deposition skills. Summers are also assigned a junior and senior mentor based on department interest, law school and background.

Offers made at the end of the summer program are general firm offers rather than tied to a particular practice area, but Fredenburg said that “summer associate interest is noted at the end of the program and taken into account when department assignments are made.”

Top Tips for This Stage

“At Paul Hastings, we aim to provide you with a realistic view of practicing law and from day one, give you the tools to take ownership of your career,” Fredenburg said. “Take time over the summer to get to know as many people as possible. Your cohort will be your colleagues for years to come and creating strong relationships with the attorneys in your office will help you hit the ground running as an incoming associate."

“Make time during the summer to meet as many people as possible. Participate in trainings, attend social events, introduce yourself and network.”

And Finally …   

Paul Hastings also offers a $50,000 fellowship open to 1L and 2L law students.