White & Case LLP - The Inside View

If you’ve made it through law school, clearly, you’re willing to go the distance, so why not go the extra mile – and go global? When we asked associates at White & Case what defines the firm, that was one word that came up again and again: “The singular, core thing was the strength in its global footprint.” This meant that no matter where you’re based, “there are lots of opportunities for where your career can take you; you get a broad exposure to your practice globally,” ambitious juniors determined, “to get a foot in the door, it’s an exciting opportunity for growth.”

A quick glance over at the 250 rankings in Chambers Global  not only confirms the scale but the firm’s best-in-class strengths across capital markets, projects, energy, international arbitration and international trade expertise, alongside recognition for its competition/antitrust, bankruptcy/restructuring, mid-market private equity and international & cross-border disputes know-how. To explore it all in depth, you’ll need to go to chambers.com.

“The singular, core thing was the strength in its global footprint.”

Even with such a footprint, sources felt the scale of investment behind them, from “lots of pro bono opportunities to the emphasis on training and mentorship, the firm makes sure that juniors feel supported.” This translates into a certain kind of culture too: “It’s a welcoming and warm environment.” Providing a snapshot of the interview experience, an insider recalled that “they spoke about cool and interesting stories from their travels and international deals, it seemed wonderful.” Associates are found across the eight offices Stateside. The vast majority of juniors on our list called the New York office home, followed by Washington DC, Houston and Chicago.

Strategy & Future

Eric Leicht, partner of the firm’s executive committee highlights that the firm has launched its 2028 strategy – a three-year plan, made up of three pillars: accelerate growth; run a stronger business; and work better together. 

‘Accelerate growth’ is focused on “four global growth areas: energy, infrastructure, tech, and private capital, with a particular focus on sovereign wealth,” Leicht explains, “one example of that is the data center practice, which sits at the center of energy, infrastructure, tech and private capital on a cross-practice basis.” The private equity group has seen a rebrand to private capital industry encompassing traditional private equity, debt finance and funds. What’s more, lateral talent is to play a significant role: “We’re looking to double the flow of work between the US and the rest of the world over the next three years,” Leicht notes, explaining “we’ll target a majority of our investment in lateral talent in the US” to bolster that objective.

‘Running a stronger business’ is about fiscal responsibility and driving profitability, part of which is about modernizing business services. “We’ve brought on a new Chief Innovation Officer, Isabel Parker, who’s helping lead our AI initiative,” Leicht tells us, “we’ve taken a buy-and-build approach to AI. We’ve launched Atlas, our own chatbot, on a proprietary platform that will enable us to roll out bespoke solutions for our clients.” The firm has also recently engaged Legora as a third-party platform. Associates can go on internal secondment to help maximize the use of these tools, he adds.

As for ‘working better together’ it’s about bringing the best of the firm to its clients: “Lots of firms talk about collaborative culture, but that is a defining characteristic of White & Case. If you’re going to squeeze out the synergies of the global platform, you need to make sure that people know each other, know the clients, and our respective capabilities.” Complimenting this objective, “we have a new business generator training program that we’re rolling out as well as more initiatives around mentorship and coaching to help both associates and junior partners build their careers.”

Read more from our conversation with Eric Leicht under the ‘Get Hired’ tab.

Summer Program

Those joining White & Case’s summer program can try any of the firm’s practices. “I did a lot of first year tasks,” a junior recalled, but the main thing is to “just enjoy it and focus on meeting people. Spend your summer building real connections.” Outside of the work, there are lots of social opportunities to connect as well. We heard that previously on the calendar there have been local baseball and soccer games, concerts (and rumors are Beyonce tickets were on the cards last year) as well as various lunches and dinners hosted by mentors and different practice groups. At the end of the program, summer associates rank their practice area preferences, before finding out their practice placements in August.

The Work

Most of the junior associates could be found in the litigation, corporate/M&A, competition, and EIPAF (energy, infrastructure, projects & finance) practices. A good number were also in debt finance, capital markets, financial restructuring and international arbitration. Most practice groups have their own centralized staffing managers, but there is scope for juniors to pick up assignments through relationships with other associates and partners. Some mentioned that it can take a moment to properly ramp up in the first year. While there were mixed experiences, an insider noted, “staffing is good if you’re slow. Now I have my feet under me, I derive a lot of work organically.”

Starting with White & Case’s litigation practice, it encompasses a variety of general commercial disputes including tech disputes, breaches of contract and class actions, white-collar and investigations, as well as data protection and cyber security matters. “It’s complex and high-stakes issues, some of which haven’t been litigated yet,” an insider quipped, and across a range of industries including finance, tech and life sciences, energy, and bankruptcy litigation. While responsibilities depend on the matter at hand, juniors described rolling up their sleeves with lots of research, memos and diligence tasks: “It can be fact-intensive getting into the nitty gritty and developing the facts, but it’s satisfying – almost like a mystery to solve, figuring out what happened and the evidence that we have.” Alongside this, there’s also room to pick up the pen to draft motions and briefs, “it’s a nice range of hands-on stuff,” they agreed.

Litigation clients: Blackrock, Warner Brothers Discovery, Boy Scouts of America. Represented Morgan Stanley Senior Funding – a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley - against a breach of contract and fraud claim filed in the New York State Court.

“…the first time seeing a matter in the New York Times is always a highlight!”

Moving along to the competition/antitrust practice, it handles both litigation and regulatory matters largely from the New York and DC hubs: “There’s a lot of antitrust class actions in health and life sciences (and also a lot of new work for other industry groups),” a source detailed, “the other big work stream is merger compliance and internal investigations for antitrust competition in the US and globally.” With some high-profile cases, “the first time seeing a matter in the New York Times is always a highlight,” one enthused. Tasks include doc review, legal research, coordinating between stakeholders, drafting motions and reports on antitrust risk, as well as HSR merger filings and second requests. 

Antitrust clients: Pfizer, Samsung Electronics, Taylor & Francis. Represented Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in a pharmaceutical antitrust trial that proceeded all the way to judgment, a rarity in federal court litigation.

“…being responsive and having attention to detail is especially important as a junior – it matters when you’re in the weeds, crossing the ‘t’s and dotting the ‘i’s.”

On the transactional side of the coin, those in the M&A/corporate practice get exposure to the nuts and bolts of “buying and selling. Representing a diverse array of clients from public companies to strategic private clients and private equity firms,” including those in healthcare, technology, energy, infrastructure and the financial services space, often cross-border. Day-to-day, juniors get involved in lots of diligence and drafting. Effectively, as one put it, “as it’s fast-paced, being responsive and having attention to detail is especially important as a junior – it matters when you’re in the weeds, crossing the ‘t’s and dotting the ‘i’s.”

Corporate clients: Arch Capital Group, USA Rare Earth, Shutterstock. Advised technology and networking services provider EchoStar on various matters including its entry into a definitive agreement to sell the company’s spectrum licenses to AT&T.

Over in energy, infrastructure, project and asset finance (EIPAF) the work revolves around projects from oil & gas to the energy transition market, such as renewables and storage. “It’s a full-service energy team, from financing, development and commercial agreements to acquisitions – the triangle of transactions,” one junior explained, “and the disposition of assets,” too. Common tasks include due diligence, research assignments, and drafting ancillaries, progressing to involvement on the main transactional documents. As for client contact, insiders told us juniors were regularly corresponding with clients about work product or queries, as well as (when opportunities arise) attending client dinners: “As a first year you’re given as much responsibility as you can handle, including substantive assignments that are meaningful to the deal,” another rookie praised. 

Energy clients: Chevron, ExxonMobil Corporation, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Represented EOG Resources, one of the largest crude oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the States, on securing a new oil exploration concession in Abu Dhabi.

Career Development

“White & Case is a phenomenal place to start your career, with the level and value of the work, and the expertise of the attorneys,” an insider began. Starting out, newbies attend a week-long induction in New York covering essential skills, with dedicated sessions in third and fifth year to mark the transition to mid-level and senior associate. Aside from the on-the-job learning, there is an “abundance of opportunities” including online resources and lunch & learns. In particular, junior litigators praised “the deposition academy with others as witnesses, taking and defending, with real-time partner feedback before you get that experience.”

“They take an interest in letting me get the reps in!”

As for mentorship, first-year associates participate in a rotational mentoring and shadowing program, which pairs them with partners and senior associates who meet weekly with their mentees. That said, informal mentorship extends far beyond that: “I work with lots of mid-levels, seniors and partners who want to give me experiences, like to the first pass at a draft and then talk it over. They take an interest in letting me get the reps in!” What’s more, first years can take advantage of the shadowing program to receive billable credit for work or career-related discussions. And on that note, “there are a lot of lifers here who started as summers and now are partners; the firm is devoted to having people develop their careers here.”

That said, most juniors agreed that the path to partnership gains transparency further down the line. Alternatively, some observed that secondments are a good avenue to potentially go in-house at some point. Associates also have access to career coaches who have been trained internally to help them navigate their long-term career options too.

Culture

When asked about what stood out about White & Case’s culture, sources agreed that “people are friendly, hardworking and smart, willing to help out.” Another detailed, “people make themselves available and are open to interactions, but you have to take the initiative.” Good thing there is plenty going on to get involved in, from breakfasts and grabbing lunch together to local volunteering events, office-wide happy hours as well as the usual array of seasonal events. In fact, rookies shared that with so much going on during the summer program, “it’s easy to make friends. The class year is small (for each office), there aren't many of us, we’re very close.”

We heard that “the firm has a ‘World Cup’ in Europe once a year, where everyone can come for a weekend of sports and activities. You don’t know who is a partner, counsel or staff. It's awesome you get to meet so many people from different offices,” an insider enthused, “it’s a highlight!”

Inclusion

On the topic of inclusion, an associate was quick to mention that “it’s a big part of the firm’s culture. It’s international.” The eight affinity groups were noted for their informative social events such as an “after-hours tour of the new Met exhibits” and marking cultural and religious occasions. For instance, the Women’s Affinity Network was highlighted for recently hosting a talk “about benefits, parental leave and family building.” As for representation of women, juniors added, “there are a lot of women and mothers which speaks more than anything. If you’re having kids and you’re still here, the firm is doing something right.” Mentorship was another benefit spoken of highly amongst sources: “There are lots of opportunities to engage in small mentoring circles.”

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 2,000 requirement

Associates described the 2,000 billable target as “achievable,” particularly as there is a bucket of 200 non-client billables that counts within it. This can be a mixture of pro bono, recruitment, training, business development, as well as participation in the affinity groups. As a rule of thumb, sources described working around 40 – 50 hours a week. But they also noted with deadlines looming, busier periods can reach upwards of 60 hours.

Associates receive a bonus for hitting the billable target. For those that go above and beyond, there is also a discretionary jumbo bonus up for grabs too. Everybody is expected to be in the office four days a week, Monday to Thursday, a recent increase from the old three day policy.  

Pro Bono

“The work that we do has a tangible impact on someone’s life.”

Associates are expected to complete at least 20 hours of pro bono a year – “that is the goal for everyone,” and up to 200 hours can count towards their billable target. There is the scope in exceptional cases for associates to receive a waiver on that limit as well. From the get-go juniors are assigned their first cases upon joining the firm. Opportunities range from contributing to women’s health and LGBT legal research databases to providing local businesses with advice, immigration and asylum, domestic violence and criminal justice cases. A lot of this comes via the firm’s internal initiative called the White & Case Access to Justice Initiative. As one put it: “The work that we do has a tangible impact on someone’s life,” as well as provides juniors with the opportunity to step up to the plate with additional responsibilities, such as taking depositions and advocating in court.

Pro bono hours:

• For all US attorneys: 56,602
• Average per US attorney: 62

Get Hired 

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus   

White & Case participates in a number OCIs and resume collects at over 30 law schools and job fairs across the US and Canada but the majority of candidates apply directly through the firm’s careers site. For OCI, interviews are primarily conducted by partners or alumni of the school and the questions are usually competency-based but also conversational. For direct applicants, candidates are invited to complete a video interview and answer a common set of questions through a digital platform which serves as a screen interview. “The landscape has changed over the years and our recruitment process continues to evolve to reflect market standards and allow us to expand the universe of qualified candidates. Nearly all of our screen interviews are being conducted on a virtual platform instead of in person. That said, what we hope to achieve during interviews has not changed. We want to assess the tangible qualities of our candidates – their intellect and problem-solving skills as well as their ability to work in teams and to function at a high level in dynamic environments. We also want to convey the ethos of our firm and principles to which we are committed, including, of course, the development of our talent. So, the interview process – the questions interviewers ask and our interactions with candidates are aimed at achieving those objectives,” notes Joseph Brazil, US Hiring Partner.   

Top tips for this stage:   

“We want to meet people who show genuine enthusiasm and interest in us. Come prepared, with a game-plan for what you want to convey about yourself and what you want to learn about White & Case.” – hiring partner Joseph Brazil.   

Callbacks   

Successful candidates will be invited for callback interviews, which are typically conducted by two partners and two associates. While some offices may offer the opportunity to conduct the callback in the office, other offices conduct only virtual callback interviews. The questions at this stage are also competency-based, and “allow us to assess, among other things, a candidate’s intellect, collaboration skills, entrepreneurial mindset and tenacity,” Brazil explains. He adds that “the interview also provides us an opportunity to share with our candidates a bit about what it is like to work at our firm as well as our culture and overall strategy.” Following the callback, we offer many opportunities for candidates to connect in person with our lawyers through dinners, receptions, firm visits and other methods. Brazil adds, “This helps our candidates gain a deeper understanding of who we are so as to select a firm that dovetails with their career objectives.”   

Top tips for this stage:   

“Show an interest in the firm — that you’ve done your research and are prepared. Be engaged in the interview and show confidence and composure.”– hiring partner Joseph Brazil.   

Summer program  

Before the summer program even begins, the firm looks for ways to bring the class together through virtual events, and mentoring assignments to ensure a smooth transition to the firm. During week one, the entire class is invited to the New York office where summer associates across the US have the opportunity to network with their peers and learn more about the firm, its people, values and culture. As Brazil noted: “This is an invaluable opportunity to start to build their network and to connect with the firm’s lawyers that will be resources throughout their careers.” Programming includes various workshops, business skills training, practice area overviews and an opportunity to learn about the firm’s strategy and law firm economics. Over the course of the summer, a centralized staffing manager will allocate “real work for actual clients” and ensure that summer associates receive exposure to various projects in their practice areas of interest. Summer associates will also work with and meet as many of the firm’s lawyers as possible. Typical tasks include writing briefs, legal research, assisting in negotiation sessions, and producing memos and legal documents for clients. The summer program also includes work on at least one pro bono matter: “It is a unique way for our summer associates to start making their mark at White & Case,” says Brazil. An array of social events are available to help foster internal connections and expand networks. The firm also offers a select number of domestic and overseas rotation opportunities during the summer program.   

Top tips for this stage:   

“Opportunities will abound. Be an active participant and take advantage of as many as you can.”– hiring partner Joseph Brazil. 

Interview with Eric Leicht, partner of the Executive Commitee

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?  

Eric Leicht: The biggest differentiator is that we’re a truly global firm. You can see the size of our firm in the US and outside of the US. The Magic Circle firms don’t have the same footprint in the US that we do, and while there are certainly large successful US law firms operating here, they don’t have the same footprint outside of the US. Our whole vision is to be a cohesive global powerhouse that delivers exceptional results, with an emphasis on global collaboration and super high quality. 

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

Leicht: We launched our 2028 strategy several months ago. It’s a three-year strategy — historically we had planned for five years — and that is a purposeful decision as the world is changing rapidly, and it’s hard to see that far out into the future. Our three-year strategy has three pillars, the first of which is ‘accelerate growth’, the second of which is ‘run a stronger business’, and the third of which is ‘work better together’. I’ll touch on each of those pillars.  

‘Accelerate growth’ is really about trying to identify those areas where we think we’re particularly well positioned to capitalize on global client demand. We’ve identified four global growth areas: energy, infrastructure, tech, and private capital, with a particular focus on sovereign wealth. The idea here is to develop connections across our different practices, create opportunities for teams to collaborate, and build strength on strength in some of these areas as well. One example of that is the data center practice, which sits at the center of energy, infrastructure, tech and private capital on a cross-practice basis. Here we see contributions from debt finance, construction, capital markets, real estate and the like. We have also rebranded what used to be our private equity group into a private capital industry group — that now includes traditional private equity, private credit, and funds lawyers who operate in thirty countries.  

These growth areas that I mentioned are not going to replace our practices or industry groups, but they give us an additional lens through which to look at our business and how to grow it. Part of the “accelerating growth” pillar is investing in our capabilities in the US – the US is the largest, most lucrative legal market in the world and having US capabilities benefits the entire firm. We’re looking to double the flow of work between the US and the rest of the world over the next three years. We’ll target a majority of our investment in lateral talent in the US. Importantly, we have the balance sheet to make these types of investments. Our revenue last year was about US$3.5 billion – you need that type of revenue in order to make these critical investments.  

The second prong is about ‘running a stronger business’. This is pretty straightforward — it’s about fiscal discipline, making good financial decisions, and driving profitability, because profitability is key to competitive compensation which helps attract and retain top talent. We also have an initiative underway to modernize our business services. Business services covers a wide range of people, but it includes business development and tech teams that must be fit for purpose. So, for example, we’ve brought on a new Chief Innovation Officer, Isabel Parker, who’s helping lead our AI initiative. We’ve taken a buy-and-build approach to AI. We’ve launched Atlas, our own chatbot, on a proprietary platform that will enable us to roll out bespoke solutions for our clients. But we have also recently engaged Legora as our third-party platform and that is also in the process of being rolled out across all our offices.  

We  have introduced an internal secondment program for different practices where associates from M&A, debt finance, capital markets, etc. will spend time – some of these will be projects and some  full year secondments – digging into AI with our internal team and building bespoke case studies that allow us to maximize the utility of AI tools an exciting opportunity for our associates.  

The last pillar is about ‘working better together’ and it’s really about bringing the best of our firm to our clients. Lots of firms talk about collaborative culture, but that is a defining characteristic of White & Case. If you’re going to squeeze out the synergies of the global platform, you need to make sure that people know each other, know the clients, and our respective capabilities. Over the last ten years, the firm has grown rapidly. We have had exceptional results, but you have to make sure that everyone knows what everyone else’s skills and talents are to make sure that you’re continuing to service clients in the best way. Thomson Reuters has done some research and has shown that super collaborators originate nearly three times as much as lone operators, and bill more than four times as much. Looking at the data metrics, it’s clear to us that this is an important area that we need to continue to push. We have a new business generator training program that we’re rolling out as well as more initiatives around mentorship and coaching to help both associates and junior partners build their careers.  

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? 

Leicht: One significant trend is just how hyper competitive the market is. When I first started, there was not a lot of lateral movement, especially within the partnership ranks, from one firm to another. Now, all firms are looking to bring in new partners laterally and you need to make sure that you’re profitable and building a culture that people like — this becomes absolutely critical from a retention perspective. When asked ‘What’s something you think about when you wake up every day?’: it’s about holding onto your people in a hyper competitive market – more competitive than we’ve ever seen.  

Other trends obviously include AI. Clients are asking how we are utilizing AI and how is it delivering value. I think each firm is on a journey to figure out how to use the new technology in the most effective way for their people and for their clients.  

There have been a number of law firm mergers and a desire to create bigger balance sheets through the acquisition of more revenue. This is not something we’ve had to focus on in the way some of the smaller firms have. And interestingly, looking at some of the mergers, they’re trying to create a more global footprint, similar to ours – but we’re already there. Competitors are combining on a cross-border basis to grow their global platform, and we’ll probably see more of that. It’s both a defensive strategy in terms of making sure you’ve got the size and scale but also a strategy to be able to drive into new territories and have your clients follow you there.  

Inside the Firm 

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

Leicht: Associate engagement and development has been a key focus for us. It is about ensuring that you offer the right mentorship. We have a program called Momentum which provides training at several different levels in an associate’s career. We did an offsite for third to fifth years in Austin, Texas last year. It’s an opportunity to bring all the associates within those classes together to teach them about business development and other skills that are going to be crucial to their careers and prepare the path to partnership.  

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? 

Leicht: AI is here but the full impact has not yet been felt. One of the big questions in the next five years will be the impact on overall headcount required for a given practice? There will be a shakeout in the market. There are going to be firms which are able to invest in the very best technology and exploit that technology for their benefit and the benefit of their clients, and there are going to be other firms that probably don’t have the investment dollars or don’t see the need to lean into AI. There will be an impact across the industry as a result.  

There are always questions about the billable hour. The billable hour has been the standard in the legal world for many years and there will be questions as the technology develops and impacts the practice. Could that change the way in which legal services are priced? It’s hard to know for sure. Five years may be too soon for that, but there’s certainly speculation that it could be an area of fundamental change coming down the road. I also think there will be a lot more consolidation in the legal industry. There’ll be winners and losers; some of the firms that just can’t compete on the same level will feel pressure to merge with other firms that are stronger. The number of firms that have the revenue line that we do now at US$3.5 billion will probably increase as you see more of these mergers coming together in the years ahead.  

CA: How do you predict the rise in AI will affect the ways in which lawyers work? How will it affect the services law firms provide?  

Leicht: AI should create a lot of efficiencies. We’ve already seen some of the benefits. You can put a purchase agreement or a credit agreement through an AI tool that that will do searches and summaries. You can even create drafts of issues lists. A final list requires input from an associate and ultimately a partner, but it’s cutting the time that is necessary to produce a high-quality work product. From a junior associate standpoint, the reality is that historically there has been a lot of time-consuming drudge work, whether that’s grinding through due diligence or combing through credit agreements for specific provisions. If AI is used correctly, I think it will allow our associates to do more high-quality work, to focus on more interesting and substantive workstreams, an outcome which will be beneficial for everyone.  

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? 

Leicht: Pepperoni pizza!  

CA: What was the first concert you attended? 

Leicht: Probably Phil Collins, Genesis.  

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? 

Leicht: I think it’s about digging in, working really hard, and getting a lot of reps because, at the end of the day, the key to being a good lawyer is developing your craft. If you work 2,800 hours as a junior associate, you’re building your knowledge base much more rapidly. We follow an apprenticeship model; if you work with a partner and put in the hours, it’s going to give you the advantage because once you have the skillset and have demonstrated real excellence in your chosen area, then you can focus on the other elements that matter for your career, like business development.