Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP - The Inside View

As any attorney will tell you, making the shift from law school to life as an associate is quite the leap, so it pays to learn from the best early on. For many insiders, this was the sort of education-by-osmosis on offer at Simpson Thacher, citing work with “large cap clients such as KKR and Blackstone, seminal clients like Microsoft with its large corporate acquisition of LinkedIn, and the board of Twitter for the Musk takeover” as evidence of the firm’s “deep bench in sponsor and corporate M&A.”

“…deep bench in sponsor and corporate M&A.”

Indeed, our colleagues over at Chambers USA certainly agree, bestowing the firm with a smattering of top tier nationwide rankings for its transactional work, including banking & finance, capital markets, corporate/M&A, private equity, real estate, and tax. To complement its strong transactional remit, the firm also boasts a number of accolades for its litigious work, including insurance dispute resolution, securities litigation, general commercial litigation, and antitrust.

It’s safe to say there’s expertise in droves at the firm, though it means very little to the junior associate experience if there’s no mentorship and early exposure to high-flying clients and deals. Luckily, for our interviewees, this was also abundant. “You will get a lot of substantive experience early and there is a mentorship culture – from the very beginning that was apparent,” one insider headlined. The firm’s choice of staffing system also proved very popular among associates, who were keen to emphasize its removal of “sharp elbows and internal politics,” and promotion of a “friendly, collegial environment.”

The firm has seven offices across the US, with a further seven internationally. The majority of associates join the firm’s New York office, with the rest spread across DC, Los Angeles, Houston, Boston and the Bay Area (Palo Alto and San Francisco).

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Junior Satisfaction and an Excellent Performer for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Strategy & Future

The firm hosts an annual town hall providing associates with insight into the overarching strategy, including revenue and top clients. Recent headline updates include the largest ever global promotion class of 59 partners, up from 44 the previous year.

“We’re trying to expand into different markets while not sacrificing the culture of the firm,” an associate observed, hinting to the firm’s latest office openings including Luxembourg and Boston, the latter of which strengthens the firm’s reach into the healthcare and tech sectors. The most recent offices (opened only this year) are domiciled in Dallas and Singapore. According to associates, particular practices have also been earmarked for growth, including registered funds, infrastructure M&A, cybersecurity, intellectual property, and tax.

Artificial intelligence was also a hot topic among our sources. “A big push has been made to explore how we can reliably implement AI into our work with new platforms and technologies,” one explained. In a recent development, associates are now able to utilize DeepJudge and Harvey among their growing tech toolkit.

Summer Program

STB’s summer program gives participants the opportunity to explore and take on assignments from a range of practice groups. “Even if you know what you want to do, try and get work form another practice area and take advantage of that opportunity,” an insider advised.

Sources were pleased with the range and quality of work available, which includes anything from research tasks to business development projects. Insiders also advised that summers “speak with juniors about the daily work in their practice groups to get a sense of how their hours are filled.”

Aside from getting familiar with the work, the program is an opportune time to build connections with future colleagues. “There were a lot of cool events,” one junior reminisced, with highlights including a scavenger hunt in the West Village, a trip to Central Park Zoo, Shakespeare in the Park, and cheering on a Yankees game.

The Work

The firm’s corporate department hosts the most junior associates, followed by the litigation, real estate, and tax practices. In all practices, associates find work through a centralized staffing system. There are also work coordinators who check in with juniors each week, and juniors can rate their availability as “hot, warm, or cold.” Staffing also takes into account juniors’ interests and skillsets. Overall, the consensus was that the centralized staffing relieved the stress of sources assignments and managing workloads, and allowed associates to “focus on sharpening skills.”

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is recognized as a Strong Performer for Work Allocation & Autonomy in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Corporate newbies kick off their time in the department by choosing two practice groups to rotate into spending six months within each one. Associates are then able to rank their group preferences from a variety of options, including finance, which encompasses credit, bankruptcy, fund finance, capital markets PCAP and derivatives; M&A, real estate, executive compensation, and investment funds. “I like the rotation system as it allows exposure to a range of practices,” said one junior, “By the end, you have a fairly solid grasp of what working in a group would entail.”

The funds group encompasses the full range, “from big-ticket to middle market.” As a result, juniors told us they “appreciated the variety of and the types of clients exposed to on different types of funds.” This includes everything from private equity and hedge funds, real estate and infrastructure (“which is hot right now”), credit, venture capital, alternative investments, and secondary funds.

Across the lifecycle, associates find themselves working on fund raising, deployment of capital, and portfolio management, to the eventual exit or continuation sale. Project management also shapes up a significant portion of a junior’s responsibility, which includes keeping track of moving documents, reviewing forms, and coordinating with counsel and clients. Juniors are also able to take a first pass at drafting LPAC consents, investor-side letters and management agreements, and even some “substantive free-hand drafting.”

Fund clients: Blackstone, The Carlyle Group, Rockpoint. Represented Silver Lake in relation to its seventh buyout fund valued at $20.5 billion.

“It’s always cool to see a deal go through and read its announcement and think, ‘Oh wow, I was on that!’…”

In the M&A practice, juniors get exposure to the realm of private and public, founder and family-owned companies, as well as investors and special committees, on buy and sell transactions. Juniors reveled in the opportunity to work on headline generating deals: “It’s always cool to see a deal go through and read its announcement and think, ‘Oh wow, I was on that!’ It’s a product of hard work paying off.”

A junior’s role on such matters often includes reviewing checklists and due diligence, coordinating with external counsel and clients, particularly towards signings and closings, and taking a stab at drafting ancillaries. Ultimately, “people are willing to give you as much responsibility as you can take on,” sources concluded, adding “you’re learning and building that muscle memory.”

M&A clients: Dell Technologies, Sony Music Entertainment, Hilton Worldwide. Represented Paramount in relation to its merger with Skydance Media, with the combined company valued at $28 billion.

In the litigation department, work spans complex commercial litigation, class actions, antitrust, regulatory matters, white-collar and congressional investigations, and securities. As generalists, juniors are able to work across all. Although matters are frequently staffed cross-office, sources pointed out “in the DC office, it’s mostly government investigations, and it’s very heavy on the antitrust and CFIUS work.”

As a rule of thumb, juniors are involved with doc review, research tasks, marking up agreements for merger clearance, as well as creating outlines for depositions and assisting with general deposition preparation. “There’s a lot more substantive work than initially expected,” one source beamed.

Litigation clients: Bayer, Bumble, JPMorgan Chase. Represented Travelers in its $2.2 billion summary judgment victory against Johnson & Johnson relating to talc-related tort claims.

Career Development

First years are given a comprehensive STBReady orientation. This is followed by practice specific training and the STBReady Continuous Development Program, featuring sessions led by professors from Columbia Law School. Plenty of training sessions and resources follow; upskilling associates at each stage of their career. As mid-levels, associates go on to participate in STBAdvance, formulated to build upon leadership, management, and client-focused skills.

Newbies are also paired with an associate and a partner mentor for each rotation. The mentorship culture in particular was applauded by juniors, who explained, “Mentors make themselves readily available for questions and guidance, and a lot of them take it very seriously.” Juniors are also provided with a dedicated budget for meetings with their mentors.

As for long-term career progression, juniors were encouraged by the observation that “there are a number of partners who started their careers at the firm.” And ultimately, if their aspirations are elsewhere, there is a career development team on hand to provide support for in-house moves.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is recognized as a Strong Performer for Career Development in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: no requirement

When it comes to hours, juniors reported working around 40 hours per week on average. Of course, this number is subject to ebbs and flows; “On an active deal, it can be 80 hours, easily,” an M&A associate noted.

“…an immensely positive impact on my quality of life!”

With the centralized staffing system to hand, associates were thankful not to have to work to find work. “There is no shortage of work,” an insider made clear, adding, “I literally just bill my time and I don’t have to think about it in any meaningful way; that has an immensely positive impact on my quality of life!”

Associates are expected in the office four days a week, and attendance is encouraged with free breakfasts and lunches. When it comes to matters of compensation, associates receive a market level bonus as long as they are in good standing.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is recognized as The Elite for Benefits & Quality of Life in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Culture

Reflecting on the environment fostered by the firm, associates agreed that the typical hire tends to be “a well-rounded person who is smart, motivated, cares about the law but has interests outside of it, and it willing to help out and see people thrive.” Perhaps most importantly, “it’s not someone who is super-duper competitive,” an insider made clear. Associates cited the firm’s no billable requirement as a major contributing factor to the sense of cohesion among peers: “It’s massive – it takes the pressure off and fosters a good sense of camaraderie among associates.”

In turn, sources found themselves able to enjoy the various opportunities available to them to socialize. This includes practice group happy hours, socials like attending sporting events and concerts, affinity group events, and annual holiday parties. One particular highlight involves the credit group’s annual beer pong tournament; “It’s a lot of fun!” one source reminisced.

At the end of the day, insiders agreed, “When people are friendly and personable, it makes working long hours easier.” Another added, “I love grabbing lunch with those in my class, it’s a really important part of my day; I’ve made some good friends, and we also hang out outside of work too.”

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Culture in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Pro bono

With an unlimited number of creditable pro bono hours available, associates are highly encouraged to complete at least 20 hours annually and are given a reward upon doing so. “The firm has a big pro bono culture,” a source affirmed, adding, “If you’re busy working on a pro bono matter, your non-pro bono workstream will be understanding of that.”

Opportunities available for associates to get involved in include legal clinics, assisting small businesses, asylum and immigration cases, housing matters, felony expungement cases, and veterans’ cases. The firm also partners with organizations like the ALCU, the Innocence Project, and Doctors Without Borders. Juniors are also encouraged to reach out to the pro bono department with potential opportunities to be adopted by the firm.

For many, getting involved in pro bono work provides an avenue to step up to the plate and gain additional skills as a junior. “In my first year, I was able to take a deposition,” said one source, “It was a really valuable experience.”

Pro bono hours

• For all US attorneys: 59,681
• Average per US attorney: 40

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is recognized as a Strong Performer for Pro Bono in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Inclusion

The firm hosts a number of affinity groups that all associates can join, including the Asian Affinity Group, Black Lawyers Network, Colegas (Latinx), the Parent’s Affinity Group, the South Asian Affinity Group, STB Proud (LGBTQ), the Middle Eastern/North African Network, and the Women’s Initiative.

The affinity groups and inclusion networks are open for all to join. During orientation and throughout the year, affinity groups and inclusion networks host social gatherings host talks making it easy to connect.

Get Hired

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus 

OCI applicants interviewed: undisclosed 

Interviewees outside OCI: undisclosed 

Simpson interviews largely from the top 25 schools but encourages applications from all schools,  including regional schools local to its seven US offices.  Students should apply to Simpson directly through the firm’s website. Simpson opens the 2L summer application process in the fall.   

"We ask students to tell us about projects they worked on the previous summer or their experiences analyzing questions of law while clerking with a judge or in law school,” a hiring partner at the firm tells us. Other questions will focus on experience working in teams and involvement in extracurricular activities. “We are determining how they may approach their job, if they are effective communicators, are enthusiastic, and if they would fit into our collegial environment.” In addition, our source explains that it's a good idea to "be honest about what and where you want to practice but also if you aren’t yet sure of either. We understand that many students, especially those who went straight from undergrad to law school, haven’t been exposed to enough real-world work to know in what area they want to practice." 

Top tips for this stage: 

“Through the course of OCIs you will most likely be asked about every single thing on your resume, so be prepared to discuss each one in depth.” – hiring partner. 

Callbacks 

Applicants invited to second-stage interview: undisclosed 

Simpson Thacher offers both in-person and virtual interviews.  During a full round of interviews, candidates meet with four attorneys, including two partners and two associates. Each interview is approximately 20 minutes. Virtual callbacks are conducted via the Flo Recruit platform. A combination of in-person and virtual interviews are offered.

“Our attorneys all have their own style of interviewing and we don’t have scripted questions,” the hiring partner revealed. Typically, though, interviewers, “also discuss the importance of understanding the client business. Candidates who show they understand this have a distinct advantage.” 

“Researching the firm is even more critical at this stage,” our source says. “Understand what our practice areas are and be ready to ask questions related to them.” Candidates should also be ready with questions about their interviewers. “Partners are always impressed when candidates ask about specific deals or cases on which they worked.” A corporate junior echoed this: “You don’t need to memorize what deals I’ve worked on, but being aware of what interviewers do shows us you’re thinking about how you fit into the firm.” However, the hiring partner says: “Don’t panic if there is a last-minute change to your schedule. The replacement attorney with whom you are meeting knows you haven’t had a chance to research them.” The most important thing, no matter who’s interviewing you, is to show enthusiasm.

Top tips for this stage: 

“I value the questions people ask me more than the questions I ask them.” –a junior associate. 

“We expect questions about what people do within each group and what a day in the life might be like in a specific group.” –hiring partner. 

Summer program 

Offers: undisclosed 

Each summer associate has assigning associates who will find assignments matching their interests and help navigate workloads and timelines. “Over [the] summer you can try everything in every group, including all the small groups,” a junior associate divulged. Summers are also invited to attend firm-wide and departmental trainings in addition to summer-specific trainings. “The vast majority of summers return as junior associates, which includes a portion who join after judicial clerkships or fellowship opportunities,” the hiring partner says. “Summer associates will almost always know the practice area they want to join by the end of the summer.” 

Top tips for this stage: 

“Many times a good impression can come from simply asking questions and offering to pitch in with the smallest of tasks.” –a junior associate. 

“We encourage summer associates to work in as many practice areas as possible so they can make an educated decision on what group they would most like to join.” – hiring partner.