Polsinelli PC - The Inside View

Follow the yellow brick road and you’ll quickly find one of the fastest growing US-only firms: Kansas City’s very own Polsinelli. “We’re not necessarily trying to be the largest law firm in the world, but be at the heart of American business,” CEO Chase Simmons headlines. Of course, there was no magic involved in Polsinelli’s growth, nor was it driven by mega-mergers. “We’ve had a lot of growth that’s been spurred by not mergers, but people wanting to join our organization and be part of what we’re up to,” says Simmons. Polsinelli can be found in Missouri and consists of a 27-office network across the States, serving mid-market companies across the healthcare, financial services, real estate, life sciences, and technology industries.

Our colleagues over at Chambers USA certainly acknowledge Polsinelli’s expertise, with tips of the hat for the firm’s work across healthcare, real estate, tax, employee benefits & executive compensation, insurance, intellectual property, and labor & employment in Missouri, as well as nods to corporate/M&A and litigation: general commercial. Nationwide, Polsinelli is recognized as top tier for its healthcare privacy & data security know-how.

"I summered here and the culture of the firm was so fantastic I wanted to come back.”

It’s no secret that brains aren’t hard to find in BigLaw, but Polsinelli’s associates were seeking out a different edge to complement the expertise on offer. “I didn’t want to work somewhere where I’m not valued as an individual or employee,” an insider shared, “I summered here and the culture of the firm was so fantastic I wanted to come back.” This is coupled with notable mentions of “investment of time and capital into training up young attorneys,” mentorship, and the eight-year track to non-equity partnership. On top of it all, the firm’s increasingly competitive compensation model is “a very welcome change,” associates highlighted.

Most junior associates on our list could be found in Missouri with other notable hubs including St Louis, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, and Nashville.

Strategy & Future

Among the ever-changing landscape of law, “the most notable thing for us is we’ve stuck to our values,” Simmons shares, explaining, “We had our best year ever last year: a ton of growth, profitability growth and client growth, so we feel great about all those things whilst navigating all this uncertainty.”

Polsinelli’s strategy is to continue on its trajectory. This includes focusing on the mid-market corporate realm, healthcare, financial services, real estate, life sciences, and technology industries, as Simmons outlines. A particular development in recent years has been the growth of “the data center practice which is really a combination of our tech, real estate and energy practices,” Simmons highlights, “There is a lot of data center work and related to that is there is a lot of AI work on the intellectual property front.”

Internally, the firm has been focused on the implementation of artificial intelligence as well. “The way of thinking about using the tools is important, so we’ve also invested a lot in that aspect,” Simmons tells us. Most importantly, he emphasizes the importance of “making sure we’re still developing excellent lawyers with great judgement, critical thinking, morals and ethics, all while utilizing these tools.”

The investment was certainly appreciated by associates, who highlighted “constant training sessions and reminders to keep us up to speed with developments.” Tools are readily available throughout practices, as Simmons notes, “I believe 90% of our lawyers used AI in client service last year and over 50% use it every single day...One of our associates invented a tool that’s used in M&A for project management, which we utilize a lot.”

Read more from our conversation with Chase Simmons under the ‘Get Hired’ tab.

Polsinelli is recognized as The Elite for AI Integration in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Summer Program

Polsinelli’s ten-week summer program was described by many appreciative associates as the result of “a lot of time and effort.” During their stint at the firm, summers are able to explore the various practices on offer. Assignments are handed out through a centralized staffing system which allows associates to pick up a range of work. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted my career to look like, so I took work from a bunch of different areas,” an associate shared. As a result, participants are able to get an insight into what legal work really looks like, while simultaneously getting a feel for what it means to be an associate at the firm. Summers get to work with associates and shareholders on client matters, drafting legal docs such as motions and memos, interpreting laws and rulings, as well as analyzing legal and business data.

Alongside assignments, there are also a ton of social events summers attend to get to know others at the firm. The biggest is a retreat in Kansas City where all summer associates are flown to meet shareholders and attend a variety of welcome events. For future participants, an associate imparted some wisdom: “I would say soak up as much of the experience as you can – it’s not intended to be stressful. Learn and meet as many people as possible!”

The Work

Associates typically find work through a free-market system, though associates in some departments noted this is also accompanied by a form to fill out indicating capacity. The general sentiment among interviewees was appreciation for the flexibility the system allowed them to pursue their interests while also building relationships with those they enjoy working with. Sources noted that while it takes some time to “learn how to manage a workflow and expectations, you’re able to find out what you can realistically handle.”

Business is one of Polsinelli’s largest legal departments, and is made up of a multitude of practices including tax, venture capital, energy, data privacy, and private equity & M&A. The private equity & M&A practice in particular primarily handles mid-market buy-side deals, though there are some sell-side ones to dabble in as well.

The majority of clients here tend to come from the healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing and industrials, transportation, consumer products, and financial services sectors. “I’ve had a lot of experience with roll up strategies, and acquisitions for a healthcare services platform,” a rookie shared, “You get to do everything with partner oversight, so it’s the perfect training ground,” particularly when placed on deals with a lower dollar value.

Of course, associates also get hands-on experience on larger transactions with more traditional team structures. Typically, juniors are expected to “keep the deal on the train tracks” with project management tasks, communicate with clients and manage specialists, handle due diligence, and pick up the pen to draft ancillaries.

Private equity & M&A clients: NextGen Holdings, Warshaw Holdings, Precision Practice Management. Represented Eleconnex in its acquisition of Structured Cable Products and SIMPLY 45.

The firm’s renowned healthcare & public policy practice consists of regulatory compliance, litigation, and transactional offerings, and advises hospitals and healthcare service providers nationwide. As such, the work spans counseling clients on various state laws and assisting on healthcare transactions to disputes which often revolve around commercial insurance reimbursement.

In turn, junior associate responsibilities vary depending on the matter at hand. For instance, tasks can include researching various laws to determine what is required for compliance and producing risk memorandums for potential ventures, assisting on transactions with due diligence, and verifying licenses and accreditation by doing a deep dive into what the seller is purchasing. “It’s like buying a used car – you don’t want a bad car!” an associate quipped on the latter. For disputes, responsibilities run the gamut, from research and due diligence, to helping develop strategy and drafting motions.

Healthcare clients: Westside Children’s Therapy, BrightSpring Health Services. Advised Amedisys, the second largest home health/hospice company in the US, on its merger with Optum/United Health.

Over in the real estate & financial services practice, the firm represents developers, investors, and institutions on built environment matters. With a range of residential, commercial, industrial, data center, and other larger economic development work on offer, associates described being able to “work on the biggest and most exciting projects.”

Delving into the work in more depth: the real estate side of the team handles the ‘dirt’ adjacent work of acquisitions and dispositions of properties, as well as licensing, zoning, and environmental matters. On a day-to-day basis, associates working on transactions can expect project management duties, which means “making sure we know where everything is, looking ahead, and guiding that process along,” in addition to carrying out due diligence and taking a stab at purchase and sale agreements and other documents required for closing.

On the flip side, those in financial services assist with financing projects, and juniors are able to “take the first cut of almost everything that comes across our desks,” one explained. The team’s scope also includes capital markets and tackling various related bankruptcy and disputes work.

Real estate clients:  Kansas City Chiefs, Beale Infrastructure Group, Sunflower Redevelopment. Advises the Kansas City Chiefs franchise across various commercial transactions, real estate, incentives, tax, litigation, intellectual property, and operational matters.

Career Development

Juniors were pleased with the structures put in place to assist their professional development. One common highlight was the mentorship available, as one source said, “Most lawyer training is like an apprenticeship with partners (and associates), and that has been great.” Interviewees spoke highly of the formal and organic mentor relationships they’d built with others at the firm. To support efforts towards mentoring, first and second year associates can count up to 35 hours of mentor-time (25 of which contributes towards shadowing with the remaining 10 allocated for mindfulness training), which counts towards their billable targets.

Associates also have access to Polsinelli University, a training platform with a multitude of resources. To bolster this, practices host their own training sessions as well. To give a flavor of what is covered: those in the real estate practice recently had a session about client development, while litigators had a how-to on motions, covering “practical advice, best strategies and common pitfalls.” This group also has a trial academy to look forward to.

In terms of career progression, the firm has a designated program known as the Polsinelli Path to provide associates with guidance on their long-term career goals, whether it be working towards the eight-year non-equity partnership track, or making counsel, or even have the firm help you find a role working in-house. “It’s something I’m looking forward to,” one junior enthused. As part of the program, in their fourth year, associates select a designated ‘pathfinder’ (a career mentor), who is either a shareholder or a practice group leader (with whispers that someone was bold enough to request the firm’s CEO as their pathfinder!).

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 1,900 target

Interviewees reckoned the 1,900 hour target was achievable. “It’s about a 40-hour work week, with some cushion, so I’ve found it reasonable,” one source calculated. Within the target are buckets of up to 25 hours shadowing, and 10 hours of mindfulness programs, for first and second years and laterals. Pro bono hours are uncapped.

At the fourth year mark, associates can opt to either continue on the 1,800 or 2,000 billable target pathways. “You’re able to take a bit of a step back, and the firm meets people where they are at,” said one associate. Up until that point, all associates receive market rate lockstep compensation; thereafter, salary is dependent on the market where an associate is based and their billable track. Bonuses are lockstep for first to third-year associates, and are discretionary from fourth year onwards.

As for the ability to take vacation, sources reassured, “It’s completely fine.” Ultimately, “people are willing to help shoulder the burden when you’re gone as they will also want to take a trip at some point – it speaks to the broader culture,” an insider divulged.

Culture

With offices spread across the nation, the firm’s roots are on display in varying degrees. “As a whole, people are nice and enjoyable to be around and work with,” shared one associate, adding, “I’ve made more friends than I thought I would, and I have friends in other offices from talking so frequently over the phone!” This cohesive culture goes hand in hand with the firm’s emphasis on mentorship, according to our sources: “The firm does a great job with mentoring and training associates up.”

The firm recently introduced an in-office policy requiring junior associates to be in-office on a full-time basis, which received mixed reactions from associates due to the shift in flexibility. That said, juniors acknowledged, “It’s a collaborative environment. It allows you to be in someone’s office asking a question, strategizing, or listening to a call – it provides that mentorship towards becoming a lawyer.” Additionally, as associates gain seniority, there is more flexibility provided on in-office time depending on practice group and client needs.

Pro Bono

Associates can count an unlimited amount of pro bono towards their billable targets. “Pro bono is encouraged,” an insider enthused, adding “People have ribbons add to their office doors for being pro bono champions.” Sources did caveat, however, that your availability to take on pro bono depended on how busy you were with other work, and whether or not the shareholders you work with take on pro bono as well. As a source explained, “If they are active, it’s easy – if not, it’s a little harder.”

Pro bono opportunities are circulated weekly and range from advising non-profits, small businesses, and underrepresented founders, to assisting at legal clinics, improving healthcare access for underserved and vulnerable communities, and supporting community redevelopment and neighborhood revitalization initiatives. The firm’s recent addition of a dedicated pro bono counsel was seen as a positive step, with insiders noting: “The firm is looking to put more into pro bono. It’s going to be easier to get involved with a more structured process.”

Pro bono hours

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

Get Hired

OCIs and Callbacks   

Polsinelli recruits law students from a wide range of law schools nationwide through a combination of direct applications and participation in select law school recruiting programs and job fairs. Screening interviews are conducted by members of the firm’s Summer Associate Recruiting Committee, law school alumni, and recruiting team members. This initial stage allows candidates to learn more about the firm’s practice areas, culture, and people, while giving the firm an opportunity to assess candidates’ interests, experiences, and overall fit. 

Candidates invited to advance participate in callback interviews with partners and associates from the relevant office’s Summer Associate Recruiting Committee. Callbacks may be conducted in-person or virtually, depending on scheduling and location, and are designed to provide meaningful exposure to the firm’s work and attorneys. The callback process emphasizes thoughtful, two-way conversation, with discussions focused on candidates’ academic and professional experiences, practice interests, and approach to collaboration and problem-solving. Throughout this stage, candidates also have the opportunity to engage with attorneys at various stages of their careers and gain insight into the firm’s mentorship, professional development, and collaborative, team-oriented culture. 

Top tips:  

“Approach the interview process as a two-way conversation. Be prepared to discuss your experiences and interests thoughtfully, ask questions, and engage with interviewers to learn more about the firm’s practices, people, and culture.” 

“Highlight collaboration and initiative. Polsinelli values candidates who work well with others, take ownership of their work, and demonstrate a proactive mindset through academic, professional, or leadership experiences.” 

“Be authentic and personable. Strong academics and writing skills matter, but interviewers also appreciate well-rounded candidates who communicate clearly, are confident in their abilities, and bring genuine enthusiasm to their interactions.” 

Summer program 

Offers 2025: 35 

Summer associates at Polsinelli participate in a ten-week program designed to provide meaningful exposure to substantive legal work across a range of practice areas. Summer associates work alongside associates and partners, contributing to client matters and gaining insight into the firm’s approach to legal problem-solving and client service. 

In addition to client work, the program includes structured training, professional development programming, and a robust schedule of networking and social events that support connection and integration across the firm. The summer associate program emphasizes initiative, collaboration, and real-world experience, offering participants a realistic and engaging introduction to law firm practice. Polsinelli also maintains a strong track record of extending full-time offers to summer associates. 

Interview with Chase Simmons, CEO

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?  

Chase Simmons: We really enjoy the mid-market AmLaw 50 space. We think the US market is the most vibrant in the world; all our lawyers are in the US. We have got lots of great partnerships internationally, but we’re really focused on the US market. It’s what I would call a ‘young at heart’ organization. We’ve had a lot of growth that’s been spurred by not mergers, but people wanting to join our organization and be part of what we’re up to. It’s a vibrant, people first, growth-oriented firm. We’re not necessarily trying to be the largest law firm in the world but be at the heart of American business – that is where we’re mainly focused.  

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

Simmons: I don’t think this year was particularly different from any other year. Obviously there have been things that focus on law firms in the US from a regulatory standpoint and from the government etc. The most notable thing for us is we’ve stuck to our values and have stayed right in the middle of the road and not dramatically changed anything. We’re used to a fairly fluid world that is subject to constant disruption. And so, that’s more of what we reflect on as we’ve continued to grow in spite of, and maybe even because of, the disruption.  

I think being, to some extent, a newer firm on the scene maybe allows us to see some of these things that come at us from the world, and it’s just no problem; we just keep powering through them. So that’s probably the most notable thing combined with the fact that we had our best year ever last year: a ton of growth, profitability growth and client growth, so we feel great about all those things whilst navigating all this uncertainty.   

Our core practices are the biggest part of who we are. We’re all busy in that mid-market private equity and M&A space. Our real estate practice was very strong, our finance practice was very strong, and our healthcare practice was very strong. I’d say some outliers that have been big drivers that weren’t necessarily on the radar five years ago, is the data center practice which is really a combination of our tech, real estate, and energy practices. There is a lot of data center work, and related to that is there is a lot of AI work on the intellectual property front – that is an area we’ve got some premier clients in.   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? 

Simmons: I could give a litany of things that are going on but certainly the tariff situation – tariffs and trade.  This change in political dynamic in the US has been a bigger change than maybe we’ve seen in past administrative changes, even with the first Trump administration.  Because it’s impacting our clients – the things you see when you turn on nightly news or open the Wall Street Journal app – it is impacting firms as well. Early in the year, some US firms were subject to various outreach from the administration and that has continued in various areas through the year, and it’s not unusual for our client industries to go through that. It’s just a little new for our industry to go through it. Those are all things that have been the backdrop for the year.  

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

Simmons: I expect to see continued growth in all the key areas that we’ve historically focused on over the past five to ten years. I mentioned some of them earlier: that includes in the mid-market corporate space, healthcare, financial services, real estate, life sciences, and tech. Those are big practices and big industries. There are all sorts of different practices that labor and employment lawyers work in, and litigators that are specializing in various parts of that. But I’d say if you step back strategically, we expect to see continued growth in all those areas; even if a particular year is slow for one of them, it doesn’t change our trajectory, and we’ll continue to invest in those areas.  

Inside the Firm 

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

Simmons: The biggest two things for us over the last five years have been figuring out the right way to do hybrid work and accommodate the people that need to be remote, and the other is just really taking a deep look at professional development. We put Polsinelli Path in place about five years ago and at its heart it has a mentoring aspect to it, but really, it’s full-on career planning. It’s an opportunity to map out, ‘What are my options in my career?’ You don’t need to come in and act like you want to be a partner or be at Polsinelli for 40 years. You can come in and say I’d like to do X instead. I’m a ‘pathfinder’ myself for one of our associates; we’re all willing to do it, and I didn’t think anyone would take me up on it, but they did! He wants to be a CEO of a corporation ultimately and doesn’t want to practice law forever. Over the years, we’ve put together a list of the things he can do to prepare for that while doing a great job and being a great lawyer. And if he changes his mind about being partner, he’ll be prepared for that too. It’s pretty unique thinking using the tenants of organizational psychology; that is something we’ve really leaned into. We know that every generation has a lot of similarities to the generation before, but also it has a lot of differences and so we’re trying to be really attuned to that.  

And then on hybrid work, it’s kind of a subset of generational changes. It’s just something that early in our careers my generation didn’t have to deal with. Now it’s an option for people, but we also think really strongly that particularly at the beginning of people’s careers they benefit from being in the office and helping build an office culture. We work on those things every single day at Polsinelli. 

The third that is emerging now is AI and really learning how to use it and not use it, because it’s more of a state of mind and overall skill set. The actual tools are changing so quickly that whatever you teach is useful in the moment, but it’s not going to impact an attorney’s whole career. The way of thinking about using the tools is important, so we’ve also invested a lot in that aspect – more on the people side rather than on the buying tech side. I’ve found it’s somewhat specific to each practice; the litigators are going to use different tools from the real estate and M&A lawyers, and the IP lawyers with some patent drafting tools. We had one of our associates invent a tool that’s used in M&A for project management, which we utilize a lot. I believe 90% of our lawyers used AI in client service last year and over 50% use it every single day.  

CA: We heard from associates that the firm has recently appointed official pro bono counsel. Can you tell us more about what addition means for Polsinelli’s pro bono offering? 

Simmons: Historically, we handled it through some really dedicated leaders – lawyers that are full-time practicing with other leadership positions, who ran our pro bono program. Those people are still involved; we’ve got Farah Nicol and Brendan McPherson at the national level, and then pro bono leaders by market. Part of it is just the scale; we felt that we were ready to take the next step, and it was time to have somebody who has the skillset to really pull the full thing together and focus exclusively on that. The other part is that Kate Nolen joining us brings us closer to making sure that we’re working on this every single day. As number one we treat pro bono clients as full-fledged clients. There are certain areas where we feel we’ve got very deep expertise and connections and can really add something and oftentimes that’s in partnership with our clients. And so, that’s access to healthcare for disadvantaged populations, entrepreneurship from underrepresented populations, and community redevelopment.  

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? 

Simmons: The biggest challenge and opportunity is AI. I think like many other tools, it’s going to be a game changer as it’s going to allow smart, dedicated, hardworking people to do even more interesting work and leverage themselves more. I could be wrong, it could be different, but I have a feeling it’s going to be akin to the internet and e-mail. During those periods, there is always disruption but it’s usually for good; I think the slight difference here is the extent it takes away some of the work that might be considered busy or training work and allows people to accelerate through those stages quicker. There’s a question about how they really get trained in the way that we’re used to training lawyers. It doesn’t mean it’s not possible – we’re just not used to doing it that way. That’s making sure we’re still developing excellent lawyers with great judgement, critical thinking, morals and ethics, all while utilizing these tools, which is a challenge. I’m not pessimistic about it at all, I’m very optimistic about it, but I do think that’s the challenge.  

The Fun Bit  CA: Throwing it back to law school: it's been a long day of classes and studying. What's your go-to easy meal to have before you crash? 

Simmons: Easy meal in law school: there were like these Lipton rice-like packets that you could pop in the microwave for 90 seconds; I ate a lot of those with some cucumbers. Sound good?  

CA: What was the first concert you attended? 

Simmons: First concert I ever attended was Guns N' Roses opening for Aerosmith – that was a good one.  

CA: Thinking about the ways in which the legal profession is developing, what is the one skill you have learnt in your career that you think is key for young attorneys to learn? 

Simmons: Curiosity. I think that's both a character trait, but it's a skill that you can lean into. I think particularly with the things we've talked about today, curiosity about the world is absolutely critical.