white and case true picture

Still, one assured us that nobody is ever breathing down my neck; as long as I get my work done partners dont care what I do with my time in between. Another added: Ive had days where Ive billed 13 hours and others where Ive billed two. Even with these hours, associates felt able to take a well-earned break with their unlimited amount of vacation, with associates taking an average of around 11 days a year. The firms clients also include Carbon Holdings, Energean, Saudi Aramco, The African Development Bank, and Heirs Oil and Gas. shirt check Brochure: What global means for your career. This firm laid down its roots in the concrete jungle that is NYC in 1901 and has grown into a global behemoth with 44 offices worldwide and an eye-popping $2.39 billion turnover (2020) that positions it comfortably in AmLaws top ten US law firms by revenue. One route into the firm is via the firms three vacation schemes, which take 25 people each.

Before the summer program even begins, the firm looks for ways to bring the class together through virtual events, team-building exercises and mentoring assignments to ensure a smooth transition to the Firm. On the equity side of things, W&C has a strong emerging markets practice, and recently advised the largest payments and fintech company in Kazakhstan, Kaspi.kz, on its multibillion-dollar IPO. This is done through a screen video interview platform called Harver through which all candidates answer a common set of questions. 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 Website www.whitecase.com.

To achieve this, the firm intends to ensure associates receive work that matches their skills and interests; to provide leadership opportunities; and to make sure they have the right skills and training technical, legal, and industry-specific. PODCAST: International secondments at White & Case, The firms offerings in the contentious space cover a lot of what youd expect from a global behemoth: namely, plenty of banking, corporate and commercial disputes. Strong relationships with global financial institutions certainly dont hinder the firms work when it comes to advising on the financing of some of the globes biggest projects. Sticking with numbers, the firm has 33 rankings in Chambers UK alone, with top spots going to W&Cs debt capital markets, international arbitration (in the construction sector), and projects expertise. The firm has a mentoring circle program that links juniors to mentors across the firm, who aren't always necessarily in their practice group. I am proud that my firm values my commitment to these cases and equips us with the tools we need to win. When working on pro bono projects, first-years are uncapped due to their lack of a billing hours target.

drafting a submission directly with the partner that went to the tribunal.. sienna oxide burnt transparent paint colors yellow versus pigments names rose reds iron pigment gray All the resources you need to research law firms and barristers' chambers, https://www.whitecase.com/locations/emea/london, Banking & Finance: Borrowers: Big-Ticket (Band 3), Banking & Finance: Lenders: Big-Ticket (Band 2), Capital Markets: High-Yield Products (Band 3), Capital Markets: Structured Finance (Band 3), Commercial and Corporate Litigation (Band 3), Corporate/M&A: High-end Capability (Band 4), Asset Finance: Aviation Finance (Band 2), Construction: International Arbitration (Band 1), Data Protection & Information Law (Band 4), Energy & Natural Resources: Mining (Band 2), Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas (Band 1), Energy & Natural Resources: Power (Band 3), Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory (Band 4), International Arbitration: Commercial Arbitration (Band 2), International Arbitration: Investor-State Arbitration (Band 3), Private Equity: Buyouts: High-end Capability (Band 3), Transport: Rail: Projects & Infrastructure (Band 3). From their second year onwards, associates can count up to 200 hours of pro bono toward their billables. Half the people on my intake are internationaland thats true of other intakes as well. These intakes are supported by a range of affinity groups for women, minority ethnic lawyers and those who identify as LGBT+. This allows them to develop really strong supervisor and buddy relationships over the two weeks, and to take on more advanced work as the scheme progresses. Barns tells us that during vac schemes, participants can expect to do real client work, which can include drafting memos, legal research, attending meetings and court hearings, for example. The aim, says Barns, is to ensure that participants get exposure to our different practice areas and members of the firm across all levels, allowing them to build their networks both professionally and personally. If thats sounding rather tasty, be aware that the firm gets approximately 3,200 applications, which takes the form of an online application and covering letter.

For direct applicants, there is also a 30-minute telephone interview with a member of the graduate team, and the questions focus on the competencies we look for in our trainee solicitors, says Barns.

The words truly global adorn White & Cases description of itself on its suave website and we certainly wouldnt dispute that characterisation.

PODCAST: Languages and the law with White & Case. Add to this a whole gamut of practice areas and you can see that our sources had a wide range of options to choose from. "As a first-year youre given opportunities to exercise your own thinking from the jump., In litigation, the department covers white-collar investigations, bankruptcy, international arbitration, antitrust, private client, general commercial litigation, and data protection and cybersecurity. We ended the year with 20% revenue growth, which was exceptional. Successful candidates will be invited for callback interviews. Our survey indicated a general level of satisfaction with the seat allocation process, with most third-seaters indicating they had got their first choice. The firm has a well-connected web of 45 global offices, spanning the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, and year on year, many flock to the firm for a chance to delve deeper into legal work with a global flavor. During crunch time, interviewees could be working from 8:30am to 9pm, with corporate being particularly busy as of late.

When sourcing work, opportunities are shared to us through a frequent email blast from the pro bono team. An associate working on an asylum matter enthused: The firm bankrolled experts, and compensated for the travel, accommodation, and witness prep sessions. Interviewees saw a real investment in D&I at W&C, with the overwhelming majority feeling that the firm is doing well at recruiting, promoting and supporting its diverse lawyers. Over the course of the summer, assignment coordinators will dole outreal work for actual clientsand ensure that summers receive exposure to a variety of projects in their practice areas of interest. I did the due diligence, reviewed the corporate governance documents, and helped management with presentations and drafting. Other typical tasks for junior associates include accessing data rooms, coordinating with specialists, drafting ancillary documents and making footnotes on the main deal documents (like subscription agreements and purchase and sale agreements). While the trainee population is fairly large, our sources still felt that they were able to get early responsibility on lean teams throughout the training contract. Our interviewees mentioned doing similar tasks to those on the litigation side, which included managing documents and the process around witness and expert involvement in the case. The firm also offers domestic and overseas rotation opportunities during the summer program. The more finance-oriented seats, like capital markets and asset finance, could come with some long hours, while disputes and international arbitration tended to have steadier hours due to longstanding and more predictable court deadlines (you can see when the deadlines are approaching). For those looking at the above and thinking yeah, Ive heard about those US firms, sources reassured us that the more unsavoury stories you hear about American firms dont happen at W&C. One trope about US BigLaw that did resonate, however, was the hours. Open day deadlines:1 November and 13 November 2021, Vacation scheme deadlines:31 October (winter);15 January 2022 (spring and summer), First-year insight scheme deadline:31 March 2022, Training contract deadline (2021):15 July 2022. Sources explained that the first few months tend to involve a lot of admin, with time spent on document management, citation checking, note taking and proof reading for filings. However, after that, interviewees noted that they were given a lot of substantive work, which involved drafting witness statements, conducting legal research, and, in one instance, drafting a submission directly with the partner that went to the tribunal., a lot of client contact in the contentious seats., Sources told us that disputes is split into litigation and arbitration, but noted a lot of crossovers between the two. We heard that trainees can usually do a bit of both, and partners and associates work across both teams. Interviewees liked that the split between the two gave them plenty of variety in the seat. Theres a huge teaching culture at the firm my mentor is always happy to answer my questions.. On the lender side, pick a bank and its likely that White & Case represents them: Barclays, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, Nordea, and the Royal Bank of Canada all feature on the client list. Although associates were more than happy with the firm's involvement in meaningful projects, some felt internal pressures to prioritize billable work: Pro bono is definitely put on the back burner in my group the hours have been astronomical, one M&A source admitted.

Follow the firm on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Sources explained that you add a narrative to support your choices and have to answer a few questions. Sounds suitably thorough to us. For those applying directly, the firm runs assessment centres, of approximately eight candidates per assessment. As for socials, the firm usually hosts frequent happy hours, holiday parties and a gala over the summer where firm alumni are also invited: The firm wants people to stay connected even when they leave the firm. Still, some felt the social scene had been a little disjointed since the pandemic an issue certainly not exclusive to W&C: "Two of the classes have come onboard virtually so weve not had the chance to mix and mingle with each other. That being said, over 80% of respondents to the survey still felt W&C has a suitably active social scene. However, sources did note that since the start of the pandemic, there have been virtual meditation sessions, as well as workshops on how to manage anxiety.. Due to the pandemic, during the past two years we conducted nearly all our OCIs on a virtual platform instead of in person. Before they answer the questions, theyll have the opportunity to complete a practice question to help them feel more at ease., As with the vac scheme, Barns says face-to-face interviews are an opportunity to meet the team, associates and partners. Sources felt that the culture varies from department to department, and some seats got mixed reviews. One interviewee appreciated that theres a huge teaching culture at the firm my mentor is always happy to answer my questions and help me develop as an associate. Although sources felt partnership was achievable for them, the majority of respondents in the survey werent necessarily aiming to make partner. In banking litigation, the majority of the firms clients are well-known investment banks, like Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank. Seat options: arbitration; capital markets; competition; commercial litigation; construction; corporate M&A; corporate PE; debt finance; EIPAF(asset finance; project finance); employment, compensation & benefits; financial restructuring insolvency; financial services regulatory; intellectual property; real estate; tax; white collar. Some interviewees who on-boarded this year had some frustrations about the late start date: The timings were all off our class start date was really delayed and the work was also coming in slowly. Still, its worth noting many firms this year experienced delays due to ongoing knock-on effects from the pandemic. Be an active participant and take advantage of as many as you can.hiring partner Joseph Brazil. US offices:9 (including Tampa Global Operations Center), Billable hours:2,000 requirement (for bonus eligibility), Famous for:big-ticket international work; truly global presence, America's Best Law firms: The Student's Guide, Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite (Band 4), Intellectual Property: Litigation (Band 5), Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded (Band 1), Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite (Band 2), Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Band 2), Bankruptcy/Restructuring: The Elite (Band 2), Environment: Mainly Transactional (Band 3), Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations: Highly Regarded (Band 2), Capital Markets: Equity: Manager Counsel (Band 3), Capital Markets: High-Yield Debt (Band 4), Capital Markets: Securitization: CLOs (Band 2), Capital Markets: Securitization: Whole Business (Band 1), Energy: Electricity (Transactional) (Band 2), Energy: Mining & Metals (Transactional) (Band 1), Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional) (Band 4), International Arbitration: The Elite (Band 1), International Trade: CFIUS Experts (Band 1), International Trade: Export Controls & Economic Sanctions: The Elite (Band 4), International Trade: Trade Remedies & Trade Policy (Band 2), Private Equity: Buyouts: Mid-Market (Band 2), Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional (Band 2), Transportation: Aviation: Finance (Band 3).

The firm offers 50 training contracts each year, more than any other US-headquartered firm in London. Corporate clients: Sony, Panasonic, and Anthem. White & Case holds two open days in November as well as two, two-day insight schemes in May. Over on the investor-state side of things, the firm also represents Uzbekistan, Belarus and Peru, alongside US energy company TECO. The average hours registered across our W&C survey in the previous week was just over 59, which is at the higher end of the results weve collected during this research round. One interviewee enthused that capital markets left a really good impression on me, while another highlighted that it was a seat where if you show you are capable, youre given a lot of responsibility. Rather than being left to fend for themselves, sources said they received great guidance and teaching, with this trainee explaining that they were exposed to working with the client and other professional advisers I developed really good transactional skills., A lot of commercially-oriented brainstorming work for clients on how to set up a project., W&Cs banking & finance department is also split into several teams including debt finance, bank lending, private credit and direct lending, and borrower finance. Be engaged in the interview, and show confidence and composure.hiring partner Joseph Brazil. The number of students interviewed varies drastically by school, from as few as 20 through to over 100. So, if its debt and its capital markets, then White & Case most likely has it covered. The firms commitment to pro bono was equally highly praised by trainees. >>TOP READ: Becoming an antitrust lawyer, with White & Case. However, if youre not lucky enough to attend one of these, Barns says theyre a stand-alone opportunity and are not part of the application process for a training contract at the firm. However, its not all about the academics and Barns tells us that we are looking for candidates with a broad range of experiences and transferable skills that allow them to thoroughly demonstrate the competencies that we are looking for. Rather than a one size fits all approach, Barns explains, we actively seek out people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to join our equally diverse global teams. To ensure the process is as inclusive as possible, Barns tells us the firm has several measures in place.

As time goes on and we develop a network, work comes more naturally. In smaller bases with fewer juniors, work allocation tends to be more practice-specific. Afterwards, to nab a year-end bonus associates must hit 2,000 hours, 1,750 of which must be client-chargeable. As Brazil noted: This is an invaluable opportunity to start to build their network and to connect with the Firms lawyers that will be resources throughout their careers. Programming also includes various workshops, talks from lawyers and an opportunity to learn about firm strategy and law firm economics. The questions at this stage are also competency-based, and allow us to assess, among other things, a candidates intellect, collaboration skills, entrepreneurial mindset and tenacity, Brazil explains. Common tasks include legal research and analysis, drafting, doc review and handling diligence. Smaller numbers could also be found in Boston, Chicago, and Silicon Valley. This puts all candidates on a level footing during the interview process as the interviewers assess candidates against our set competencies. The firm also has one on one conversations with candidates who notify us that they have a disability or long-term health condition to understand any adjustments they require., White & Case receives around 1,500 applications for the training contract each year, and as with the vac scheme, starts off quite simple with a cover letter and online application form. The firm also gives each staff member a plaque for reaching 20 pro bono hours. The whos-who of financial institutions (The Bank of England and Morgan Stanley, for example) feature on the departments client list, alongside countries like Ghana, Serbia, Suriname, Uzbekistan and Zambia. The firms corporate and commercial litigation team, meanwhile, regularly handles cases that are worth hundreds of millions, if not billions. Where they end up is based on both individual preferences as well as the business needs of the firm. Follow the firm on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter andInsta. First-years have no billing target, easing some of the pressure of settling into firm life. In the larger offices, new full-time associates work in a corporate or litigation pool system for their first year, before joining a more specific practice group in second year. The former, says graduate resourcing & development manager, Gemma Barns, are for penultimate-year students, finalists and graduates from any degree discipline, while the insights schemes are also for any degree discipline, but are aimed at first-year students. Slightly more familiar names on its client list include J.P. Morgan, Barclays, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, and the Qatar Investment Authority. Deal values run into the billions here too: the group represented Encore Capital Group on its $1.5 billion funding structure and advised Blackstone Alternative Credit Advisors on its c. 4 billion finance package to Advent International. W&C has an array of active affinity groups, including a womens network, an LGBTQ+ group, and various associations for different ethnic groups. Come prepared, with a game-plan about what you want to convey about yourself and what you want to learn about White & Case.hiring partner Joseph Brazil. Heather McDevitt, a partner on W&Cs Executive Committee, describes the firms current market position: We are among the elite global law firms, with an international presence in 32 countries across six continents. Theyll have 15 seconds to prepare for each question and 90 seconds to answer. The partnership track was estimated to be about eight years, according to sources. We can also make note of any assignment preferences. White & Case now sits among the top 10 law firms in the AmLaw 100 naturally, many were initially enamored with its reputation and prestige, but often found they stayed for the ability to do this complex work among genuinely kind people.. Sources noted that capital markets is a massive department that makes for a super busy seat. TOP READ: Learn about White & Case's opportunities in the Middle East.

The firm recently represented The Bank of England during its $2 billion debt issuance programme update, as well as the biggest group of Argentinas bondholders (the Ad Hoc Bondholder Group of Argentina) during a $64 billion debt restructuring matter. Associates were over the moon with their experiences in corporate: At White & Case, senior associates and partners are very forthright in wanting junior associates to get client contact as early as possible, which Ive found super rewarding!. From there, its a video interview assessed by the graduate resourcing team followed by a face-to-face interview with a member of the team and one associate, plus a written assessment., For those looking to score the training contract, W&C want-to-be trainees need a solid 2:1, or on track to get one, and an AAB at A level, or equivalent. We want to assess the tangible qualities of our candidates their intellect, problem solving abilities and ability to work in teams and to function at a high level in diverse and dynamic environments. For those looking to stay,qualification starts midway through your fourth seat,we heard. If all is going well or its a quieter time, then closing up any time between 7pm and 9pm was deemed good, but if theres a crucial deadline coming up then trainees could be working until the early hours of the morning. Other areas that are highly rated include energy & natural resources, restructuring/insolvency, aviation finance and big-ticket lender work in the banking & finance space. On this side of the disputes coin, the firm represents Facebook across six continents in 150 countries, as well as the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Minerals & Metals Group (MMG). Corporate M&A, for example, was described by one as having a great culture in the team its very welcoming, while another thought there is a hierarchy in the team, meaning trainees do the most basic work. However, on a broad basis we heard the partners and senior associates are very friendly and approachable, while junior and mid-level associates are extremely helpful and understanding. The term non-hierarchical came up a lot on both the survey and in phone interviews, as did the sentiment that the firm has been particularly strong with diversity and inclusion initiatives. Nearly 80% of survey respondents said they were happy, and elsewhere responses indicated that trainees felt comfortable being themselves at White & Case. The firm recently represented Turkish conglomerate ukurova during a $2 billion dispute over the ownership of a controlling share of Turkcell, Turkeys largest mobile phone operator. Once more comfortable with the basics, training becomes more of a monthly affair. But to keep it short and sweet, Chambers USA celebrates the firms expertise nationwide for its antitrust, banking & finance, bankruptcy, capital markets, energy, international arbitration, international trade, private equity, projects, SPACs and transportation practices.