Proskauer Rose LLP - The Inside View

As everybody knows, the grass is greener where you water it, and it’s that exact ethos which brings each generation of associates to Proskauer Rose. “It’s the ideal balance between a commitment to a standard of excellence and a great training ground,” a green-thumbed source determined. Indeed, “there’s a good relationship of letting you get as much experience as you can without it overwhelming you,” juniors agreed. Good relationships also extend to interactions peer-to-peer: “It was as much the people as the work,” one source described of their decision to join Proskauer: “It’s a very culture forward, good work-life balance firm.”

“It was as much the people as the work.”

Of course, the work is certainly not to be downplayed; its standing in Chambers USA with over 50 department rankings speaks for itself. Here, the firm is awarded best-in-class accolades for its work in employee benefits & executive compensation, healthcare, labor & employment, private credit, private equity (secondaries), and sports law nationwide.

With its headquarters in New York, it’ll come as no surprise that the majority of juniors join the Big Apple office, followed by the Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago hubs. The firm’s Washington DC, Boca Raton, and New Orleans offices also take on a handful of associates. Proskauer’s network of offices also extends to Charlotte, with four international bases further afield in Hong Kong, London, Paris, and São Paulo.

Proskauer Rose is recognized as a Strong Performer for Junior Satisfaction and a Strong Performer for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Strategy & Future

“We intend to grow, not to grow for the sake of growth, but to grow in areas where our clients continue to seek our advice and counsel,” chairman Timothy Mungovan tells us. As such, the firm recently expanded its footprint, adding a new office to its ranks for the first time in almost two decades in Charlotte, NC.

Mungovan also emphasizes the importance of recruiting elite talent in order to ensure the firm’s progression: “The continued success of Proskauer is dependent upon ensuring that we're recruiting elite talent who want to practice law at an elite level, and who are open to both learning how to be extraordinary lawyers, but also to adapting to changing conditions and technologies.”

As such, “We’ve tried to really be at the cutting edge of innovation for large law firms as part of our intention to integrate technology into the entire firm,” he tells us, continuing, “We also know that technology will continue to enhance productivity, and so client hour targets will likely continue to evolve as clients will want and expect us to be able to integrate technologies that will enhance productivity to be able to deliver work product that is not just superior, but also done in a more efficient way.”

Read more from our conversation with Timothy Mungovan under the ‘Get Hired’ tab.

Proskauer Rose is recognized as an Excellent Performer for AI Integration in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Summer Program

“I loved being a summer associate – it was the best job I will ever have,” beamed one source. Associates praised Proskauer’s summer program, highlighting that they were given a good mix of substantive work and networking activities: “They do a good job striking the balance of not overworking you and giving you the summer associate experience.”

Summers are able to shadow associates at the firm to get a sense of what working there truly looks like, as well as get involved in lots of research-based work. “Ask as many questions as possible,” an associate advised, while another added, “The whole point is to figure out what you want to do… just keep an open mind!”

At the end of the summer, the firm asks candidates to rank the practice areas in order of where they’d like to be placed. “Most people get their first choice; if not, they will get their second,” an insider noted.

The Work

To get started, associates are assigned work via a centralized staffing system; they also have the opportunity to reach out to partners directly to source work and build relationships as well. Our sources were all fans of this fluid approach, noting: “I find it’s helpful as once you find the people you work well with, you can work with them more, but if you get nervous about hours, you can always fall back on the staffing system.”

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

The firm’s commercial litigation department handles a broad range of disputes, from antitrust work, including HSR filings, to false advertising, product liability and mass torts, real estate, securities, and white-collar matters.

“…you have to have a willingness to engage.”

With such a range, juniors praised the opportunities available to them: “We do real substantive work; you’re drafting motions and preparing depositions – it’s a lot of hands-on work early.” Partaking in legal research, discovery review, and having a go at first drafts are also key examples of work junior litigators find themselves doing. Offering some words of wisdom, one associate advised: “The best you can bring is light and levity. Nobody expects you to have substantive knowledge on a matter, but you have to have a willingness to engage.”

Litigation clients: Major League Soccer, Wells Fargo, AbbVie. Representing Madonna and Live Nation in relation to three high-profile class actions, multiple arbitrations, and small claims court cases alleging false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices.

Proskauer’s corporate department is made up of a multitude of practices including private investment funds, private credit & leveraged finance, and private equity and M&A – to name just a few.

In the private investment funds group in particular, associates explained, “Proskauer has a long history doing venture capital, private equity and credit, and it has also recently ranked highly for its secondaries practice.” The team advises on the full lifecycle of private investment funds, representing investment managers, institutional investors, and all types of asset managers on the structuring, negotiating, and buying and selling of funds on the secondary market.

“We get a lot of exposure to the higher end documents, even as a second year, which is great,” one associate highlighted of their levels of responsibility; “We’re definitely rewarded and noticed for our efforts.”

The firm’s leveraged finance and private credit groups recently joined forces to form the private credit & leveraged finance group. Here, associates noted no two days look the same. “Every day is a new thing, which keeps it lively and fresh so I’m not daunted by the task,” said one insider.

The leveraged finance side primarily focuses on middle market private credit deals, which associates mentioned are much more relationship driven types of finance, as opposed to large offerings. Juniors also noted working on a variety of matters, including credit agreement amendments, middle market CLOs, private credit lending, and representing lenders on private equity transactions. In short, there is plenty of work to go around, and the variety means juniors are never stuck on the same page for long.

Corporate clients: Houlihan Lokey, Fortress Credit Corp., Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Represented QSC in its acquisition by Acuity Brands for a sum of $1.2 billion.

Career Development

Associates praised both the informal and formal development at the firm. In their first year, newbies are assigned an associate mentor to help them acclimatize to firm life and to answer any questions they may have. In their second year, juniors are assigned a partner mentor, who sources agreed truly take the time to sit down with them to explain concepts and bridge the knowledge gaps associates have.

Upon joining the firm, associates also embark on a six-month formal training program with up to two training sessions a day. Alongside the formal training, juniors also highlighted on-the-job training through hands-on experience: “We are brought onto matters immediately, with the caveat that they try and ease you in as best as possible, and that’s mainly through shadowing opportunities.”

In terms of longevity at the firm, the consensus among sources was that if they were to leave the firm, it would be to leave BigLaw entirely, rather than to lateral to another BigLaw firm. As for the path to partnership, associates noted that through conversations with partners and senior mentors, “it’s been made clear.”

Proskauer Rose is recognized as a Strong Performer for Career Development in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Culture

No matter the practice area, sources agreed that Proskauer’s collaborative and approachable culture is a defining factor of the firm. As one quipped, “The culture is the secret sauce!” Take it from this lateral who attested: “It’s night and day how, though everyone is busy and supporting clients, there’s still a general collective of everyone moving in the same direction. It’s a really supportive environment.” Of course, the firm still operates within the BigLaw realm, but noted that their colleagues really made all the difference: “We’re BigLaw, so we play with the big dogs and that means long hours. There are expectations that you’re always available, but the difference is that you’re doing it with people you enjoy working with.”

Across all offices, associates are required to be in person four days a week. To encourage associates to be in, the firm offers free lunch on Wednesdays, snack and drink carts every few weeks, and other impromptu events. The Boston office in particular is undergoing a renovation, which local associates are looking forward to: “It’ll be a nice environment which lends itself to wanting to be in person more.”

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 2,000 target

The firm recently implemented a 2,000 hour productivity target for associates in order to earn a bonus, which includes at least 1,800 development hours (a mix of client billable and a maximum of 100 pro bono and 100 shadowing hours) and 200 engagement hours (which can be additional pro bono and shadowing hours, and a mix of marketing, training, recruiting, and community involvement activities). Associates were keen to reassure that the change hadn’t caused any panic: “It’s easy to reach, I have no worries about not having enough hours.”

First-year associates have a reduced target of 1,800 hours as the firm understands it can often take a while to ramp up. In addition, to support meeting targets, newbies can undertake as much engagement and development work as they like – all of which will be counted towards their hours threshold.

Breaking this down to the day-to-day level, on average, sources reported billing around nine hours a day, though this is caveated with the fact that when matters heat up, they can quickly enter the realm of billing over 200 hours a month. Thankfully though, weekend work can be avoided. “It depends on how you want to set your boundaries,” noted one interviewee, adding, “Partners are respectful of my time.”

“…people are aware it’s a job, not a lifestyle.”

Surprisingly, interviewees’ concerns of having to put in more hours hadn’t materialized: “I thought BigLaw would mean more working around the clock; instead, you have more of a life here, and people are aware it’s a job, not a lifestyle.”

For their toils, associates receive market rate compensation, with the firm also matching the latest special summer bonuses.

Proskauer Rose is recognized as a Strong Performer for Benefits & Quality of Life in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Pro Bono

“We have a great pro bono partner who have great relationships with so many organizations; they always have in-person or remote opportunities,” one associate headlined. Associates are encouraged to undertake at least 50 hours of pro bono; beyond this, there is no limit to how much they can undertake, as long as it doesn’t interfere with their ability to complete their other work.

Associates noted the availability of immigration, gun safety, and veterans’ matters in particular. They’re able to pick up work through the pro bono partner who regularly reaches out with updates on available opportunities, and can also reach out to ask for work that may be of interest.

Pro bono hours

• For all US attorneys: 33,830
• Average per US attorney: 51

Proskauer Rose is recognized as a Strong Performer for Pro Bono in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Get Hired

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus

OCI applicants interviewed: undisclosed

Interviewees outside OCI: undisclosed

The firm encourages students to apply directly through its website as soon as applications open. While the firm does recruit from a wide range of schools, most of the summer class is drawn from schools that are ranked in the US News top 20.

Interviewees should expect questions that go beyond the resume. The goal is to determine whether the person has characteristics and traits that have proven to be successful at the firm.

Top tips for this stage:

Let your personality show. Screening interviews tend to be only 20 minutes long, so candidates who do well are those who convey a sense of who they are and why they are considering joining Proskauer. 

Callbacks

Applicants invited to second stage interview: undisclosed

If you make it back through to the callback phase, expect to do a deeper dive into what was initially discussed during your screening interview. Interviews are conducted by a combination of members of the hiring committee, partners, and associates. If a candidate has expressed an interest in a specific department or practice area, the firm tries to gauge the depth of their interest and learn about experiences they have had that might be helpful to the practice.

Top tips for this stage:

The recommendation is to use the same approach for callbacks as for screening interviews. Candidates should make sure they have done research on the firm and are prepared with thoughtful questions.

Summer program

Offers: undisclosed

Acceptances:  undisclosed

Proskauer’s summer associates can work with a number of departments and gain exposure through assignments, workshops and shadowing without the constraint of a formal rotation process. Work is distributed either by the legal recruiting department or a work coordinator.

Top tips for this stage:

Treat the program like a real job (because it is). Be enthusiastic, on time and participate in the various aspects of the program. While the work is important, so are the other components. Participate in social events, be a good firm citizen and take every opportunity to get to know your colleagues.

And finally…

Your research should start well in advance of your interviews. At the beginning of your job search, determine what firm characteristics are most important to you (e.g., practice, location, prestige, culture) and keep that in mind throughout the process, which can understandably be hectic and stressful.

Interview with Timothy Mungovan, chairman

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?

Timothy Mungovan: We’re an elite New York headquartered law firm with an integrated practice offering covering all of our geographies. Our major geographies include London, Paris, Boston, DC, Charlotte, Chicago, LA, and of course, New York. We are integrated across practices very intentionally so that lawyers in any office will be dealing with lawyers in multiple other offices on a daily basis.

Our offering to clients focuses on asset management, in particular, private capital and specific industries that are focused on engaging in and investing in private capital. For example, we have leading market positions in sports, healthcare, real estate, technology, and media and entertainment showcasing a differentiated offering in the marketplace.

We focus very much on our partnership and retaining our partnership culture as part of our offering to attract and retain talent. Being a partnership means that the way we interact with each other and make decisions is based on consensus building and collaboration with the goal of moving quickly, but with a common understanding of what it is that we're trying to do as an organization.

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

Mungovan: There have been a number of developments at the firm. First, as a headline matter, we are growing rapidly and continue to grow, particularly in our key geographies. In London, in particular, we're now over 200 lawyers; in Paris, we're now over 50 lawyers. In New York, we continue to recruit and attract significant talent at the partner ranks.

We intend to continue to grow, not to grow for the sake of growth, but to grow in areas where our clients continue to seek our advice and counsel.

The other major development in that same vein is we opened a new office for the first time in almost two decades in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte is widely considered the number two financial market in the United States for banking services after New York City. As part of our effort to expand and grow our global finance offering, being in Charlotte made a tremendous amount of sense for us. We were able to identify and attract a leading bank-facing finance team in that market that we're very proud of, and they will serve as a foundation for our continued offering there.

The third thing that we've done as a firm in the last twelve months is continue to focus on integrating artificial intelligence and related technologies into our firm. We've tried to really be at the cutting edge of innovation for large law firms as part of our intention to integrate technology into the entire firm. We had two technology showcase symposiums firm-wide: one in London in January and one in New York City in February, with the goal of both informing our entire firm as to the technologies that we are working on and integrating, but also to inspire people to do more than they are currently doing. We had special guest speakers in both London and New York. In London, we had Richard Susskind who is one of, if not the leading voice, on AI, AI integration, and disruption in the law. Here in New York, we had Professor David Wilkins from Harvard Law School, who is widely considered one of the leading authorities on law firm business and practice management, and increasingly recognized as a leading voice around the integration of technology into law firms and how it will change law firms going forward. Technology has been the third biggest change for our firm in the last year.

CA: Are there any domestic or international events/trends that are affecting any of the firm’s practices at the moment?

Mungovan: The war, unfortunately, that is occurring in the Gulf between the United States, Israel, and Iran has created volatility in the capital markets generally. That has slowed some of our transactional practices while our clients pause to evaluate what is going on in the war and its implications for transactions. It’s very typical that the demand for our time is directly correlated to the activity levels of our clients. The volume and pace of their transactions have obviously slowed, and that has had an impact on us.

However, we have a balanced practice overall, so while some of our practices may be slower, the rest of our firm is doing incredibly well, and we continue to have very strong demand for our time as a firm. We're having a very strong year again, but certainly, the single biggest geopolitical event that is occurring is the war, and it is, of course, having an impact on us.

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

Mungovan: Our commercial strategy is to focus on four key verticals within the firm: global finance, private investment funds, mergers and acquisitions, and trials and investigations.

Each of those practices are both geared to collaborate and work together, but also to be able to drive growth in and of themselves. Then of course, if you invest in those four core areas, you need additional practice areas to be able to support that growth. For example, tax is necessary for both the growth of M&A and the growth of our private funds practice. If we grow M&A and private funds, we need to continue to grow tax.

Similarly, while trials and investigations may not be correlated directly to transactional activity, every major business ultimately has some need for trial skill or investigations capabilities. To make sure that we have leading practices in those areas and to be able to support our clients when they have those needs is critically important to our continued success.

CA: What drove the decision to implement a 2,000-hour billable requirement last year, and how does this tie into the firm’s broader strategic goals for growth and productivity?

Mungovan: Our baseline client chargeable target is 1,600 for the purpose of earning a bonus. Our overall target is 2,000 hours for the purpose of earning a bonus. Those additional 400 hours tie into what we previously talked about, which is engagement and training, and can be pro bono, training, business development, or CLE hours.

We want to train people with a holistic approach to be exceptional practitioners and lawyers, and training extends beyond just doing client work. Client work is a critical component of the training function, but to be fully trained requires additional things. To have the skills and the toolkit to succeed in the 2030s, we know that younger lawyers are going to need additional skills and training in order to have those toolkits, and that's what our hours requirement is intended to reflect.

Inside the Firm

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

Mungovan: Planning for the future of our firm and the future of the legal industry is something that we talk about every single day. The continued success of Proskauer is dependent upon ensuring that we're recruiting elite talent who want to practice law at an elite level, and who are open to both learning how to be extraordinary lawyers, but also to adapting to changing conditions and technologies. Lawyers historically have done an amazing job as an industry when it comes to adapting to challenges and changes in society.

I'm confident that we and our entire industry will adapt to both AI and other technologies to ensure that we can continue to support our clients.

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?

Mungovan: For younger lawyers, industry data shows a decrease over ten years in the number of client chargeable hours they are able to engage in in their first and second year, as fewer clients are prepared to pay for the time of younger lawyers.

In order to ensure that those lawyers are trained, we need to make sure there are other opportunities for them to do work and to do the learning necessary to become exceptional practitioners. This is why we changed our bonus model and the hours requirement around our bonus model.

We also know that technology will continue to enhance productivity, and so client hour targets will likely continue to evolve as clients will want and expect us to be able to integrate technologies that will enhance productivity to be able to deliver work product that is not just superior, but also done in a more efficient way.

We are fully embracing that expected change. As a result of that, the number of hours that younger lawyers are able to charge to clients will likely continue to decline. So, we're going to need new models for being able to identify contributions by younger lawyers that aren't just tied to the billable hour requirement.

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?

Mungovan: I lived at home in law school, and so my mom would make dinner for me. So, I would say whatever it was that my mom was cooking, I would have and crash out.

CA: What was the first concert you attended?

Mungovan: The first concert that I ever attended was UB40 and Fine Young Cannibals in August of 1986.

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?

Mungovan: I believe that successful young lawyers must develop the ability to engage in solving a client's problem in a way that brings empathy and a human touch to developing and conveying the solution. That's true regardless of practice area or focus, because, fundamentally, we are in the business of helping other people and helping them to solve the problems that they face, whatever kind of problem that is.