Paul Hastings LLP - The Inside View

Los Angeles has quite the reputation for producing major stars who catapult to the upper echelons of the A-list. These celebs also have an incredible range. Think of Leonardo DiCaprio and the scope of the characters he’s played over the years; you’ve also got the likes of Jodie Foster, Angelina Jolie, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Needless to say, the list goes on. In the world of BigLaw though, it’s LA’s very own Paul Hastings we’re here to shine a spotlight on. “If you look at our three-to-five-year trajectory, we’ve been quickly rising up the ranks,” global managing partner Sherrese Smith highlights, “it’s probably been the fast growth of any of the top 20 elite firms.” Indeed, over the last year along, Paul Hastings sky-rocketed its revenue by 22%, placing the firm at a tidy $2.2 billion. This rapid expansion is similarly reflected in the breadth of the firm’s offerings. “We’re looking to be number one in everything,” Smith tells us of the firm’s diverse practice offering.

“…many superstar lawyers…”

A quick glance at Chambers USA  confirms this. Our sister guide gives the firm top honors for its nationwide banking & finance; capital markets securitization (CLOs); corporate crime & investigations; corporate/M&A; FCPA; financial services regulation (consumer finance enforcement & investigations); international trade (export controls & economic sanctions); labor & employment; leisure & hospitality; and private credit work. It’s no surprise then that, for those we spoke to, Paul Hastings’ renowned practices and “many superstar lawyers” were such a big draw to the firm.

Paul Hastings has a global footprint of 23 offices: 13 of these are stateside and all take on junior associates, though it’s the New York office which takes on the most, followed by DC, and then an even spread across the other offices.

Paul Hastings is recognized as a Strong Performer for Associate Satisfaction and two other categories in our 2025 survey.

Strategy & Future

Across the board insiders at the firm praised the communication of the firm’s strategy to associates: “We’re all looped into the general strategy and vision.” This is in part helped, several juniors told us, by the fact that the managing partners tour the offices twice a year to give presentations to the attorneys, ensuring they are kept in the loop. “We know Houston and Dallas are priority offices to grow,” and the firm is making efforts to grow practices across the board; “they’re doing a good job of picking up strategic partners to build the teams.” Hammering the point home, Smith confirms, “We expect double-digit growth this year, and we’re very proud to be doing it together. We’re all looking to be number one in each of our core practices.”

The Work  

Summers at the firm are able to take on a number of different experiences, which our interviewees greatly appreciated. “I knew I was interested in litigation from the start, butlaw school doesn’t teach you much about the corporate side, so it was good to try that out,” one interviewee shared. Aside from corporate and litigation, Paul Hastings also has an esteemed real estate practice for associates to dive into. In terms of staffing, the firm has a work-flow coordinator on hand to assist summers with work allocation.

“…very entrepreneurial.”

For juniors, in addition to work coordinators, PH has practice managers to assist with work allocation: “They meet with partners and associates to see what we want from our practice,” sources shared. “Only a few months ago they started hiring practice management people full time,” one insider noted, “which I think is telling; the firm is very entrepreneurial, so it rewards a mindset of reaching out on your own to partners.”

M&A, private equity, capital markets and finance are all matters available to associates in the corporate practice. Along with the other West coast offices, “Palo Alto is generally more tech and EC/VC focused,” including ventures into crypto and AI, but “Houston is naturally more oil and gas focused, and New York is a mixture of both, as well as restructuring.”  That said, insiders noted, “Paul Hastings is expanding rapidly,” and as a result, juniors stressed that “the work is intra-office; a lot of the more junior people are staffed interchangeably which gives you that wide breadth of variety to figure out what suits you best.”

Corporate clients: AT&T, Hitachi, and Hewlett Packard. Represented Nokia in the sale of its Device Management and Service Management Platform businesses to Lumine Group.

Finance, sitting within corporate, sees associates working on operations, acquisitions, lending, formation and financing for many of the firm’s clients; leveraged finance, private credit, CLOs, securities and capital markets all make up the group. “Finance can range from commercial banks to alternative lenders to individual borrowers for private equity,” one insider outlined, so “the work ranges broadly with some people specializing in private placement while others work with commercial banks.”  Here, juniors are able to try out the lot, typically reviewing and drafting ancillary documents, checking legal precedents, and being the point of contact for clients and other involved parties,

Finance clients: BlackRock, JP Morgan, The Carlyle Group. Advised Blue Owl Credit, Blackstone Credit, and Ares Capital (among other lenders) on the financing aspects of Permira’s $7.2 billion acquisition of Squarespace, a website design platform.

“They let you practice based on your skills, strengths, and proven capabilities, not your law school transcript.”

Litigation at Paul Hastings encompasses a broad range of groups, including IP, complex litigation, and arbitration. Like the corporate side of the firm, the kind of work associates focus on shifts between offices with those on the West coast naturally leaning more into tech, entertainment, and employment work, while those on the East coast focus more on life sciences and government work. The DC office holds particularly strong white-collar and FCPA investigations teams working in “quite large multijurisdictional cases where you’re working with teams across the US, Europe, and Latin America – so there is also opportunity for travel!” Those we spoke with working on life sciences work tended to source matters from seniors in the New York office, mainly representing medical companies in international arbitrations. “In Texas many of the clients are Fortune 500, so there’s quite a lot of international work with major nationwide and international brands.” Insiders made clear, “You’re not limited on what work you can take on by your year – they let you practice based on your skills, strengths, and proven capabilities, not your law school transcript.”  Day-to-day, though juniors do do their fair share of due diligence, “you’re also able to work on the strategy side, from matter intake to going to court.”

Litigation clients: Live Nation/Ticketmaster, NBCUniversal, boxer Ryan Garcia. Represented Nike in a putative class action alleging gender-based pay and promotion discrimination.

Pro Bono  

The associates we spoke with were fairly satisfied with Paul Hastings’ 100-hour pro bono billable allowance. There are also mentoring and volunteering hours up for grabs, and requests can be made for extensions for associates working on major disputes. Juniors also felt that “the firm would be supportive if I wanted to seek out my own pro bono opportunities,” but did note that the change to pro bono hours was still a bit of a sore point for insiders. “People were definitely upset when they reduced the pro bono cap to 100 hours,” one interviewee explained, as “it’s harder to get additional hours granted now. You can say no to doing a lot of the extra stuff, but it is still a bit disappointing.”

All this being said, interviewees gave the firm two thumbs up for the range of pro bono opportunities on offer. “There’s immigration, housing, veterans, non-profits – there are so many different kinds you can do!” we heard.  One insider did admit, “They don’t have a centralized system where you can organize by time commitment, the kind of work, or by industry, so I would like to see a more centralized organized platform.” That said, there is a pro bono coordinator associates can call on to hop on matters, and a weekly newsletter goes out for insiders to browse opportunities.

Pro bono hours

• For all US attorneys: 35,049
• Average per US attorney: 32

Hours & Compensation  

Billable hours: 2,000 target 

Paul Hastings’ 2,000-hour target for bonus was no trouble for insiders: “It’s not difficult to hit those hours, even without getting concessions for recruiting or CLE.” Admittedly, “if you just want to float and get by, you’re not going to last long,” sources made clear. “People catch on if you float, so you need to be in demand, making your hours.” No need to worry though; we heard that most people “blow past” the target!

Although getting the work was no issue for interviewees, there was no denying that the hours themselves are demanding. However, “There is acknowledgement and recognition of that,” sources noted, reflected through both the firm’s formal policies and the relationships associates develop with their teams. On the former, “They’re committed to making sure we have incentives to pursue non-work incentives through an added $125 a month towards any type of wellness activity like a spa, dog walking, or even a haircut!” juniors highlighted. Outside of this commitment, sources reassured, “we’ve built a strong team, so if I’m on vacation people are going to cover for me.”

Culture  

“Nobody is trying to jockey for consideration from partners…”

Those we talked to at Paul Hastings were generally pretty positive about the firm’s working and social environment. While the firm has seen a lot of growth through lateral acquisitions, “Everyone is on the same team,” one junior reassured, “nobody is trying to jockey for consideration from partners – everyone is working together.” Associates told us that the fact that “everyone is busy and depended on” ensures the environment remains collaborative.

Associates were also keen to highlight that the people at Paul Hastings help to cultivate a positive environment, but “what really stands out,”  interviewees highlighted, “is that even though they’re insanely busy, people still make time for lunch; partners are willing to connect after work and in the day in a personal way that feels intentional and genuine.” Formally, the firm looks to drive this with free lunch on different days, coffees, and even breakfast tacos which we heard, to no surprise, “are always well attended!”  However, although there are also events like happy hours and holiday parties, the general consensus was that “the firm is not super social, so people don’t hang out after work much,” – something that was ultimately considered a positive “because everyone has their own lives!”

Paul Hastings is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Quality of Life in our 2025 survey.

Career Development  

The dominant messaging on Paul Hastings’ approach to developing associates was that, right from the outset, partners and seniors make efforts to ensure associates are given substantive assignments, so “there isn’t a feeling that people are expendable.” Although there is a formal mentorship process in the first year, beyond that, “The onus really is on you to go out and seek those opportunities and feedback from seniors,” juniors made clear. That said, associates also acknowledged that there are opportunities for formal training on practice specific topics: “there will be a month of learning about venture capital work, and they’ll send out calendar invites for that.”  For litigators, “they have instituted the litigation academy where partners come in a talk about different components of litigation.”

“…doesn’t seem like something out of reach.”

When it comes to longer term development at the firm, “there is a mid-level summit here, to teach you to transition from junior to mid-level,” and associates felt “it’s been made quite clear what the expectations of work are, and how to get to partnership,” so “they are invested.”  Although “it’s probably tough odds, getting to partnership,”  we also heard that “you don’t have that feeling of burnout here, so progress at the firm doesn’t seem like something out of reach.”

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 its 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. 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.” –Amy Fredenburg, Managing Director, Talent Acquisition

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 and a half hours and are usually made up 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 says, “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. 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,” says Fredenburg.

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 says.

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 to the rule 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, negotiation skills, 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 says 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. 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,” says Fredenburg.

And finally….    

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