About Patterson Belknap
Patterson Belknap’s success over the last 100 years is rooted in five core values: Excellence, Integrity, Accountability, Inclusion, and Service. These core values are demonstrated each day by our attorneys and staff, and are fundamental to how we work with each other and our clients. In celebration of the Firm’s centennial anniversary, we asked some of the people who have helped make the Firm what it is today to reflect on their experiences:
https://vimeo.com/493480612/95eac78966
We work on intellectually challenging and important cases. Clients come to us for their “bet-the-company” matters. Cases on our docket today have billions of dollars on the line and impact public policy as well as complex monetary issues. From Supreme Court briefs and en banc issues before courts of appeals, to litigating complex financial matters and high-stakes patent, false advertising and other intellectual property cases, to handling high-profile white-collar matters, the raw material of our caseload requires a high level of brain power. To read more about what our attorneys have tackled recently, click here. https://www.pbwt.com/news/
We believe that it is incumbent upon everyone at the Firm to work towards increasing the diversity of the legal professional as a whole. Over 20 years ago, Patterson Belknap was one of the first major firms to elect a woman as its Managing Partner and, in 2014, the Firm elected its third woman Managing Partner. Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Firm and the legal profession has been central to our mission for years. To learn more about the Firm’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts and to read about our employee resource groups, click here. https://www.pbwt.com/diversity/
We are committed to giving back. On January 1, 2021, we celebrated 17 consecutive years of 100% lawyer participation in our pro bono program—a result unmatched by any major firm to our knowledge. To learn more about our Pro Bono program, click here. https://www.pbwt.com/pro-bono/
Professional Development
Our associates work directly with clients, conduct depositions, argue motions, and examine witnesses at trial, and they are often up against partners on the other side. We take professional development seriously and provide our associates with the training and mentoring they need to develop and thrive. But, don’t just take our word for it – click here to hear directly from our associates. https://www.pbwt.com/careers/hear-from-our-associates/
Patterson Belknap attorneys write for nine active blogs and three podcasts, the newest of which “Notorious: The Legal Legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg” was released on iTunes and Spotify in November 2020. To stream one of our podcasts or peruse our blogs, click here. https://www.pbwt.com/firm-blogs-and-podcasts/
Recruiting & Hiring
We look for intellectually curious, engaging, collaborative people who desire early responsibility and are highly motivated to solve complex legal problems. We expect our associates to assume significant substantive responsibility for their cases and matters. For that reason, we highly value the challenges, responsibility and perspective that a judicial clerkship provides. Over 80 percent of our associates have clerked, and the bulk of our associate hiring involves recruiting individuals directly from chambers.
While we do not currently run a summer associate program, we do recruit a select number of 3Ls each year. As a firm with a single office, we are interested in students who want to be in New York. Additionally, our 3L hiring is limited to students who are specifically interested in litigation.