Davis Polk provides the experience and environment that help you develop into an exceptional lawyer, no matter where your career takes you. From your first day, you’ll be involved in complex and meaningful matters, working side by side with some of the best lawyers in the world.
Who We Are
Davis Polk is one of the world’s most admired firms, with top-tier clients and an enviable reputation.
We are proud of our collaborative, close-knit culture. You’ll receive mentoring and training to develop your skills in an atmosphere of respect and support. This is a place of remarkable, accomplished people who work together seamlessly to achieve the best results for our clients.
The Firm’s more than 1,000 lawyers are spread across our offices in New York, Northern California, Washington DC, São Paulo, London, Madrid, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo. Our presence in major financial centers around the world allows us to connect with our international client base on matters spanning borders, languages, cultures and jurisdictions
Your Path
The Davis Polk experience helps you become a world-class lawyer and gives credentials that will open doors throughout your career. Along with early responsibility and impactful work, you’ll receive top-level training, participate in professional development programs and have access to ongoing mentorship. We offer an environment like no other – collaborative, challenging and inspiring – and we give you the skills and knowledge to become a leader in your field.
Our Work
Davis Polk’s top-flight capabilities are grounded in a 170-year distinguished history. Our practices are world-class across the board, and our lawyers collaborate seamlessly across practice groups and geographies to provide clients with exceptional service, sophisticated advice and creative, practical solutions.
- Sophisticated global M&A deals
- Groundbreaking securities offerings
- High-profile leveraged lending transactions
- Complex corporate restructurings around the world
- Corporate governance on critical business matters
- Bet-the-company litigation and enforcement
- Cutting-edge financial regulatory developments
- Innovative fintech matters
- Complex IP and commercial transactions
- Strategic tax transactional advice
Pro Bono
Pro bono work is a critical part of the firm’s culture and ethos. We devote tens of thousands of hours to pro bono cases, and our people are dedicated to corporate social responsibility and volunteering in our communities around the world. Our work spans many areas, including asylum and immigration, civil rights, corporate, criminal justice, domestic violence, LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice. We encourage our associates to get involved in causes and cases that are important to them.
In 2020, we added to our team a Pro Bono Counsel for Racial Justice Initiatives, to develop and supervise matters for our lawyers that will combat racial and social injustice and inequality.
Many organizations have honored the firm and our lawyers for our pro bono work, including the Empire State Counsel Program, the Legal Aid Society and Sanctuary for Families.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We are a firm of unique, well-rounded individuals who are united in our commitment to inclusion, mentoring of the next generation of Davis Polk lawyers and service to society.
At Davis Polk, our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is a core value that permeates everything we do. We believe that diversity of backgrounds, experiences and ideas enriches our workplace culture and enhances our ability to provide creative solutions tailored to our clients’ most challenging business needs. We are proud of the wide range of perspectives and backgrounds our lawyers bring to our work, and the collaborative, empathetic culture that makes each of them feel included and valued. The firm is consistently named a “Gold Standard Firm” by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum. Davis Polk was also named a 2021 “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
- Our lawyers come from more than 40 countries and collectively speak more than 50 languages.
- 35% of our U.S. lawyers are racially/ethnically diverse or LGBTQ+.
- 46% of our associates and 19% of our partners are women.
- 40% of our partners promoted in the past five years are women, diverse or LGBTQ+, including 50% of our 2020 partner class.
- 60% of our firm-wide committees are chaired or co-chaired by a partner who is a woman, racially/ethnically diverse, or LGBTQ+
- Our 2021 summer associate class includes 55% women, and is 60% racially/ethnically diverse and LGBTQ+.
Recent Recognition
We have garnered many awards and top rankings globally, including:
“Private Equity Practice Group of the Year”
Law360, 2020
“Fintech Practice Group of the Year”
Law360, 2020
“Tax Practice Group of the Year”
Law360, 2020
Two partners named “Dealmaker of the Year”
American Lawyer, 2020
“Restructuring Advisory Firm of the Year”
The Deal, 2020
“Equity Team of the Year”
IFLR Americas Awards, 2020
“Debt and Equity-Linked Team of the Year”
IFLR Americas Awards, 2020
As counsel of choice for many of the world’s leading U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, we ranked first in 21 of Bloomberg’s global and U.S. capital markets categories for 2020, more than seven times that of any other firm. In addition, over the past five years, Davis Polk ranks second in global M&A, with approximately $2 trillion in representations, according to Refinitiv. In 2020, we advised on more than 118 syndicated lending deals totaling over $190 billion, ranking the firm in the “Top 5” in nearly every Refinitiv category.
Representative Matters: 2021
- Uber Technologies $8.1 billion SEC-registered IPO and NYSE listing, as well as $3.2 billion aggregate high-yield senior notes offerings
- IHS Markit on its $44 billion merger with S&P Global in the largest deal of 2020
- Lucid Motors on its $24 billion combination with Churchill Capital Corp IV in the largest SPAC deal to date
- Charles Schwab on its $26 billion all-share acquisition of TD Ameritrade
- Gilead Sciences on its $21 billion acquisition of Immunomedics
- Morgan Stanley on its $13 billion acquisition of E*TRADE
- Brookfield Business Partners on the largest LBO financing of 2019, to finance the acquisition of the Power Solutions business of Johnson Controls International
- XP $2.25 billion SEC-registered IPO
- Warner Music Group $1.925 billion SEC-registered IPO and Nasdaq listing
- PG&E $34.35 billion exit bridge financing
- Fiserv $25.5 billion aggregate financings
- Ad hoc group of lenders holding in excess of $1 billion of secured debt of Murray Energy, in connection with Murray’s chapter 11 restructuring
- The administrative agent and other parties on a $2.3 billion debtor-in-possession financing facility for Toys “R” Us and certain of its affiliates
- Representing a blockchain technology company in putative securities class actions arising out of a cryptocurrency token sale.
- Winning the dismissal of multiple successive complaints in a securities class action against Roche relating to disclosures concerning one of its leading breast cancer medications.
- Walmart in a litigation against Tesla arising from fires at Walmart stores caused by Tesla’s solar panel systems.
- Former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Deputy Director David Cohen in connection with an ongoing investigation by U.S. Attorney John Durham into intelligence activities relating to Russian election interference.
- Securing approval from the DOJ’s Antitrust Division of Morgan Stanley’s $13 billion acquisition of E*TRADE.
- Splunk in an action alleging that Splunk’s three-color gradient infringes Deutsche Telekom’s trademarks on the use of magenta in telecommunications.
- Leading Comcast’s global defense in numerous patent litigations initiated by Rovi, including in three trials over the last four years, spanning infringement and invalidity allegations as to 37 patents.
Summer Program
Our summer program is primarily for students who have completed at least two years of law school and are interested in post-law-school employment at Davis Polk. Summer associates are encouraged to work on matters in all of the practice areas of interest to them.
Two associates, who take leave of their regular practices to plan and run the program, coordinate the distribution of work assignments to the summer class. The summer coordinators meet with each summer associate on a regular basis throughout the program to discuss practice areas of interest, and they design a realistic and exciting work experience for each summer associate.
During the summer, select summer associates have the opportunity to spend four weeks working in one of our overseas offices, and some also split their time between New York and Northern California or Washington DC.
Davis Polk’s summer program offers over 20 formal training and practice area programs and overviews. The program also includes a wide range of cultural and social events designed to introduce summer associates to the city at large and foster relationships with lawyers at the firm.
What to expect:
Real work: You’ll work closely with partners and associates on significant cases and transactions that involve well-known companies and financial institutions.
A program tailored to your needs: Two associates take leave of their regular practices to plan and run the program, ensuring you have a range of work assignments and a fulfilling experience overall. You will meet with summer coordinators on a regular basis to discuss practice areas of interest and design a meaningful work experience.
Professional development: Dive into our training programs and practice area overviews—we offer over 20.
Mentoring: All summer associates are matched with both a partner mentor and associate mentor who introduce them to the firm and the work, and provide ongoing professional development guidance.
Cultural and social events: Food and cultural tours, sporting events, dinners, wine tastings— our team plans a range of events designed to give you the chance to get to know your Davis Polk colleagues.
Pro bono opportunities: We work on a wide variety of pro bono matters and we welcome you to get involved in this rewarding effort. We also offer two-week externships at several public interest organizations in New York City.
Travel: Some of our summer associates spend four weeks working in one of our overseas offices, while others split their time between New York and Northern California or Washington DC. Other summer associates have the opportunity to travel on a client matter.
For more information, please visit our website.