Overview
Introduction
One of DC’s finest, the global megafirm Arnold & Porter is home to nearly 1,000 lawyers practicing across dozens of areas—with antitrust being one of the most notable. The firm focuses heavily on mentoring, with mentoring budgets, shadowing opportunities, and multiple formal mentors for junior associates. Pro bono is a big deal at Arnold & Porter, too, as the firm allows up to 200 hours to count toward the annual billable goal and has won numerous awards for its efforts.
Firm Stats
Total No. Attorneys (2024)
No. of Partners Named (2023)
Featured Rankings
No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2023)
No. of Summer Associates (2024)
Base Salary
Vault Verdict
Arnold & Porter associates appreciate the firm’s warm and down-to-earth culture made up of highly professional and intellectual attorneys who care deeply about maintaining quality of life in a rigorous legal practice. In recruiting, the firm takes a holistic view of candidates with an expectation of both academic excellence and kindness. Compensation is market, and hours are standard for BigLaw with a 2,000-hour billable requirement. Arnold & Porter includes pro bono work as one of the firm’s core values; 200 pro bono hours may be counted for bonus eligibility, and all attorneys are encouraged and supported in taking on pro bono projects. Training is robust and enhanced by a culture of mentorship, and associates are pleased with the amount of highly substantive wor...
About the Firm
Arnold & Porter is home to more than 1,000 lawyers across 15 offices around the globe. The firm practices in more than 40 areas and is particularly well-known for its antitrust and appellate, environmental, and securities litigation practices, as well as its cross-border work.
Let’s Get Together
The Washington, DC, giant firm Arnold & Porter joined New York’s Kaye Scholer in 2017, creating Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP. The merger combined the best of both worlds—a DC firm known for its top-ranked practices, including antitrust, regulatory, and litigation, and a New York firm recognized by Vault and others for its stellar associate quality of life.
Top-Notch
Today, Arnold & Porter contin...
Associate Reviews
- “Arnold & Porter is the softer side of BigLaw. Associates and partners alike are ambitious, intellectual, creative, and hardworking, but, most importantly, empathetic. There is a genuine respect for quality of life and an ongoing effort to prioritize attorney happiness. That said, most senior attorneys (senior associates and above) are both few in rank and focused primarily on their work. The firm sponsors most social events in the office, which makes the events feel like an afterthought.”
Why Work Here
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP has nearly 1,000 lawyers across nine domestic and four international offices. Client-driven and industry-focused, our lawyers practice across 30+ practice areas, including antitrust, bankruptcy, corporate and finance, environmental, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, and tax, to help clients with complex needs stay ahead of the global market, anticipate opportunities, and address issues that impact their businesses. Our global reach, experience, and deep knowledge allow us to work across geographic, cultural, technological, and ideological borders to offer clients forward-looking, results-oriented solutions that resolve their US, international, and cross-border legal needs.
Culture & Inclusion at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP
"Diversity and inclusion are core values for Arnold & Porter. We are committed to cultivating diversity and inclusion in a positive and supportive work environment, where all talent is supported and accorded dignity and respect. We value the contribution that each person makes, enable our colleagues to be comfortable being themselves, and encourage every person to realize their potential. We believe that each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal opportunity. Our firm-wide Diversity &..."
Getting Hired Here
- “The candidates the firm likes to hire seem to be nice, public-interest oriented, academic achievers. [Saying that candidates are from T14 schools] is a safe bet, but the firm also hires from lower-ranked schools for its niche practices. There are significant training/guidelines for how to interview candidates according to firm policies.”
- “The hiring process was similar to other BigLaw firms. The difference was that the people I interviewed with (at Arnold & Porter) seemed more...
Perks & Benefits