Vinson & Elkins LLP - The Inside View

Founded in Houston during the early oil boom in Texas, Vinson & Elkins has since retained its focus on energy, but continues to evolve far beyond the early days, operating across a global platform that includes offices outside the US in London, Brussels, Dubai, Dublin and Tokyo. Associates we spoke to repeatedly returned to a theme you hear less often in BigLaw marketing: scale without the sprawl. Perhaps surprisingly, the firm has about 700 lawyers worldwide, and its smaller size was consistently emphasized as a positive by associates. As one interviewee put it: “It’s a smaller place but it has the resources and ability to compete with firms with a bigger footprint.” Another source drove home the same point in simpler terms: “V&E is smaller than a lot of the firms that pay the same salary, but we have the same size cases, we have the same big clients, and we have a better culture.” Culture-wise, they said, this translates to the lived experience: “You get to know everyone which creates a different culture and experience at the associate level.” Similarly, another associate described “a great blend of people who take their work seriously and want to do a good job, but don’t have super sharp elbows about it.”

“V&E is smaller than a lot of the firms that pay the same salary, but we have the same size cases, we have the same big clients, and we have a better culture.”

Energy, power, and infrastructure is undoubtedly still the jewel in V&E’s crown, with top Chambers USA rankings nationwide in the energy transition, oil & gas litigation and transactions, offshore energy, and projects in both oil & gas and renewables. The biggest cohort of juniors can be found in the firm’s Houston office, followed by Dallas and New York. The remaining associates are split between Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Richmond, and Washington DC.

Strategy & Future

V&E has been visibly investing in platform growth; the firm opened two offices in 2024: a Denver office focused on M&A, securities, tax equity, and project finance transaction, and a Dublin office focused on aviation finance. In 2026, the firm also opened a Brussels office with a focus on antitrust and competition law. Associates also described the firm as moving quickly on technology, noting that it is “quick to adopt new AI tools to stay competitive” and actively encourages lawyers to experiment with platforms such as Harvey, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude. On the transactional side, associates also flagged growing involvement in data center work, reflecting broader infrastructure-related deal flow, as well as related regulatory, tax, and disputes opportunities. Associates shared that they felt updated and in the loop about the firm’s finances and strategy “as much as I feel is significant to me at this point.”

Summer Program

The firm’s summer program was widely described as social, flexible, and designed to give students a genuine feel for both the work and the people. Participants either rotate through three to four practice groups or participate in a free-market system, allowing them to “test-drive” different areas. For some, this exposure proved decisive. One associate explained that although they had always been curious about tax, it was only during the summer, after working closely with the team, that they realized it was the right fit: the decision came down to both “the people and the work itself.” Another associate echoed that it was a deciding factor, saying: “I loved the summer program. It was really great for me to try other practice groups to meet other people even though I knew litigation was where I wanted to be.”

Associates consistently emphasized the program’s sociability. One summer hire shared that they “kept us busy in the evenings!” They had regular lunches and several weekly activities such as baseball games and cooking classes helping summers connect with colleagues across departments. Previous summers told us that the programme’s strong social component helps summer associates build relationships that often continue once they join the firm full time, making the transition into practice smoother and more connected.

The Work

V&E’s work is built around core practices, particularly corporate, finance, restructuring, litigation/regulatory, real estate, environmental, and tax, many of which are closely linked to the energy, power, and infrastructure sectors. Associates say that on the ground, the big work often happens on comparatively lean teams, creating earlier responsibility. As a finance associate put it: “You get as big a team as the work demands for but a lot of the time it’s very lean, sometimes just a partner and an associate because they’re such competent critical thinkers.”

Work allocation at V&E combines a centralized staffing system and relationship-driven staffing from partners directly. One associate explained there is a staffing group which uses a weekly survey to determine associates’ availability. They shared that it “starts with the survey but then it becomes much more organic. Usually – hopefully – you are building these relationships up over time.” Interviewees consistently viewed the system positively, noting that work often flows in from natural relationships they build while still providing a structured backstop if workloads ever slow.

Corporate work as a junior at Vinson & Elkins is frequently described by associates as varied, typically “bundled as M&A, private equity and capital markets.”“I can’t even count how many different types of matters I’ve been on under the umbrella of corporate,” one junior told us, “we have capital markets, private equity, energy projects, and M&A - one time I was the seller, another time I was the buyer.” Some also mentioned that they gradually focussed their practices based on interest and partner relationships. As one associate explained, “I started off doing mostly M&A and a little capital markets, but now I pretty much only do M&A for oil and gas deals because that’s what the partners I gravitate towards the most do.”

“I wanted to support the energy industry — and I felt that they have the clients and the work to allow me to do that the most impactfully.”

Indeed, the firm’s longstanding connection to the energy sector remains visible in the day-to-day corporate workload, with many matters tied to infrastructure, financing and development projects, “I have personally only done energy work, which is why I wanted to work for V&E — because I wanted to support the energy industry — and I felt that they have the clients and the work to allow me to do that the most impactfully.”

In the early stages of practice, corporate juniors typically handle what one associate called “the standard junior stuff,” such as keeping internal documents in check, reviewing and revising agreements, and ensuring comments are incorporated correctly. Training is described as incremental and supportive, but refreshingly informal: associates are first taught the “basic building blocks,” and “once you’ve shown that you can do something then they can level you up,” gradually increasing responsibility as confidence and experience grow. Traits viewed as particularly valuable for success include flexibility, assertiveness, responsiveness and a willingness to work hard – in short, being “proactive and able to work on your feet and take care of things as they come in.”

Corporate clients: Brookfield Infrastructure, Global Infrastructure, EQT Corporation. Advised Plains All American Pipeline in its sale of its Canadian natural gas liquids (NGL) business to Keyera Corp.

The litigation practice at Vinson & Elkins spans the breadth of complex commercial disputes. Interviewees described the work as covering condemnation proceedings, shareholder litigation, restructuring disputes, oil & gas litigation, and technology matters alongside broader complex civil litigation matters. One associate explained that the majority of their work is in the litigation group, but they also assist other practice teams with litigation when disputes arise, contributing to restructuring matters, internal investigations and other cross-practice assignments. 

“I don’t feel like a second-year associate who is only supposed to do research.”

Litigation associates described their experience as structured from the outset, with onboarding designed to bring juniors quickly into active matters. One Texas-based associate reported a “fast start initiative,” meaning that “everyone had a project waiting for them” when they joined. Another described both the substance of the matters and the team dynamic as particularly appealing, explaining that their “case team is super fun” and that “I don’t feel like a second-year associate who is only supposed to do research.”

Associates emphasized that succeeding in the group requires curiosity and perspective, encouraging juniors to think beyond individual assignments and ask themselves, “how is this feeding into the broader case and how is this moving this case and client forward?” Patience and adaptability were also highlighted as important traits, alongside the willingness to work hard and collaborate effectively across teams.

Litigation clients: The National Football League (NFL), NBA Media Ventures, Corporación Eléctrica Nacional and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Represented Janus Henderson in a class action complaint brought in the Colorado federal court by three former Janus employees alleging violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

Career Development

All associates we spoke to reported being paired with both a partner mentor and an associate mentor. This received very positive feedback, as it provided ready access to expertise, as well as “someone who is just a couple years ahead of me who has walked my path before. It’s really, really great.” One junior shared that their mentors had “taken a genuine interest in me,” something that was also reflected informally in the wider culture: “I feel like everyone really cares about me learning and having a great experience at V&E. It’s not just about everyone’s own individual career. People want to help each other out and you’re in a place that cares about you.”

“It’s not just about everyone’s own individual career. People want to help each other out and you’re in a place that cares about you.”

Training at the firm is a blend of formal systems and more informal guidance and people are open to developing professional relationships. One junior credited a partner mentor with staffing: “My partner mentor got me staffed on a shareholder litigation case which has led to a great stream of work.” Of course, as is often the case, it is best to “speak up if you want feedback. You get as much as you give. Anything you want, you can get it, you just have to ask for it. Don’t be quiet,” they advised, as “you get rewarded for proactivity.”

On retention, one New York associate noted: “I’ve been surprised at how few people leave. People are committed to seeing how far they can go,” while others stressed that both partnership and lateral moves are supported.

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 1,900 target

Billable expectations varied slightly by office and framing. Generally, 1,900 was the target to be bonus-eligible, 150 of which can consist of business development, pro bono, mentoring, and recruiting. On the lived experience, corporate ebbs and flows: “I work 40–45-hour weeks, with a fair number of 60 -70-hour weeks and then a few 20 hour weeks sprinkled in.” But they added that this was in line with expectations.

Juniors also flagged leadership presence as a good support factor, sharing that “the partners are right there working our hours with us and I’m not just out there by myself doing it.” While any Big Law firm will expect you to put in the hours, V&E associates seemed happy with the flow of work and felt that the workload was manageable.

On compensation, associates highlighted market-matching salaries, confirming that “it goes up every year, and always matches the Cravath scale, plus if we hit our target hours, we get a bonus.” Associates can expect a salary of $225,000 in their first year, increasing to $235,000 in second year.

Culture

In Texas, we heard that a good fit for the firm is “first and foremost, being social and willing to take the initiative and form relationships with people.” As one junior put it: “I enjoy going there primarily because I get to see my friends every day.” Associates mentioned the summer program along with monthly happy hours as core elements of the firm’s social infrastructure: “I think it’s very easy to make friends here. A lot of us came through the summer associate program so we have friends from that which makes it easier, plus we have monthly happy hours.” Associates also mentioned perks like coffee, Lacroix, and a gym in the building. There’s an ‘open-door policy’ too – quite literally: “The Houston office is a literal glass fish tank,” so the whole building is basically an open door!

“…the culture is about coming into the office because you want to see the people across the hall from you, not just because you have to.”

Over in New York, an associate shared that “someone who walks into the office, shuts the door and works” in isolation is not necessarily the kind of person you’ll find at V&E, “the culture is about coming into the office because you want to see the people across the hall from you, not just because you have to.” Associates reported a general expectation that they should be in the office four days a week, with flexibility to shape individual schedules when needed.

Pro Bono

Pro bono opportunities were described as plentiful and accessible, with praise heaped on “the new pro bono guy!” (although the last person was apparently great too!) Interviewees described receiving emails every week from the firm's full time pro bono counsel, and there are “always lots of opportunities to get involved with.” In litigation, “we do lot of trademark work for non-profits, startups and small businesses,” as well as immigration matters and “a cancellation and removal case for somebody in the Violence Against Women Act which was a very fulfilling, very intense 18-month process.” A corporate associate described a very fulfilling pro bono matter relating to will-writing for an elderly couple who could not otherwise afford it, which was described as particularly meaningful.

Pro bono hours

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

Inclusion

This is an evolving area across the market, and associates reflected that complexity rather than delivering a single neat narrative. In New York, one associate said the firm is “trying to make improvements,” pointing to attorney resource groups and a “once a quarter LGBTQ+ lunch programme over in the New York office.” Juniors highlighted positive experiences in the women’s group in Texas. Frequent events were described as “fun and sweet but intentional,” with activities like flower arranging and a pasta making class providing a supportive environment for women to share their experiences at the firm.

Get Hired

The first stage:

Vinson & Elkins accepts applications from first-year law students for both 1L and 2L summer associate positions beginning in November each year. But recruiting takes place long before our application opens.  V&E attorneys visit more than 30 law school campuses throughout the school year to speak on panels, give presentations, host events, and engage with students.  “We prioritize which schools we visit primarily based on the academic profile of their student bodies, and we also look at other great law schools where we have historical relationships, such as the University of Houston, SMU in Dallas, and Fordham in New York,” said Lande Spottswood, V&E Lead Partner for Recruiting. 

Partners, counsel, and associates representing a variety of offices and practice groups travel around the country to visit with law students. Spottswood states, “all of our attorneys are prepared to talk to students about any of our offices and practices.” 

 Vinson & Elkins uses the Suited Assessment as part of the recruitment and evaluation process. All applicants are encouraged to take the assessment to provide the firm with a more holistic candidate profile that highlights characteristics and potential beyond academic credentials.

We consider student applications on a rolling basis, and interviews begin early in November. “We ask behavioral and personalized questions in our interviews to help us get to know students beyond what we see on their resumes. We look for students who are driven and have been active and/or served in leadership roles in on-campus activities, both in undergrad and in law school.  We also value previous work experience, especially where students have had the opportunity to develop team-oriented skills and demonstrate problem-solving qualities,” said Spottswood. 

 Top tips for this stage: 

“At this stage, students are meeting attorneys from their practice areas of interest, so we are expecting candidates to be able to give more insight into how they became interested in a specific practice area,” Spottswood explained.  “We’re also interested in learning how their prior background and life experiences will translate to the practice of law at a firm like ours.” 

 Most offices have two or three 30-minute interview slots and a lunch (if the interview is in person). Interviews are hosted by partners, counsel, and associates from a student’s practice area(s) of interest. 

“Be yourself, come prepared, be genuine, and take the opportunity to ask good, thoughtful questions.”  – Lande Spottswood

 “I was really impressed with the recruitment process – the Attorney Recruitment team was very invested in each individual candidate that made it to the callback and offer phases, and that was apparent through their outreach and the connections they facilitated with their lawyers.”  –  Second-Year Associate

Summer Program

V&E’s summer program allows students to do substantive work from a variety of practice areas, have direct client contact, and work side-by-side with attorneys who are leaders in their fields on a variety of client matters. 

Summer associates are assigned mentors who meet with them throughout the program, as well as a work coordinator who is responsible for gathering meaningful work projects for the students. It’s worth noting that a couple of offices have a formal rotation system. 

 The training sessions include a writing workshop, programs to build relationships and develop a professional presence, and several inclusion and wellness programs.  “There also are many social and community activities that give students the chance to get to know their colleagues – both fellow summer associates and attorneys – outside the office,” Spottswood added. “We take our work seriously but also enjoy relaxing and getting to know each other on a personal level.” 

 Students receive an offer to join the firm at the end of the program.  In the spring of their 3L year, V&E sends out Practice Group Preference Surveys, which each incoming new lawyer will complete. The firm uses those responses to determine practice group assignments based on client and practice group needs. 

 Top tips for this stage: 

“Remember that the summer program is a multi-week job interview. We want our summer associates to take their projects seriously, do their best work, and meet deadlines. It’s also important that they take advantage of opportunities to get to know our lawyers and each other—who we hope will one day be their colleagues—by joining as many activities and networking events as possible.”  – Lande Spottswood

 “We look for leaders who are problem-solvers, have a business mindset, and are good team players: you cannot be arrogant or condescending.”– Third-Year Associate