FAQ

S&C recruits from many law schools; our lawyers are alumni of more than 150 law schools. We had 141 summer associates in our 2011 summer program and are expecting over 86 new associates in fall 2010.

1. How do I apply for a summer associate position?

If you are interested in applying for a summer associate position, and S&C interviews on campus at your law school, please be sure to rank S&C highly when making your OCI bid selections. Even if S&C does not interview on campus at your law school, however, you should still consider applying to our Firm. To do so, please submit a resume, transcript and cover letter to .

2. Does S&C hire 1Ls for its summer program?

We fill the vast majority of positions in our summer program with students who are between their second and third years of law school. Sometimes, however, we hire a small number of 1Ls. We begin to review 1L applications after December 1.

3. What criteria does S&C consider when deciding whether to extend an offer?

We look for students with proven records of strong academic performance who demonstrate an interest in the practice of law, in particular in S&C's practice. We view favorably prior work experiences in which students needed a high level of attention to detail, demonstrated teamwork, and/or developed leadership and/or management skills. In addition, we believe that students who are self-motivated, seek early responsibility, have strong oral and written communication skills, and are good problem solvers are likely to thrive at Sullivan & Cromwell.

4. I’m interested in spending part of my summer in an international or domestic regional office; how likely is it that I would be able to do so as an S&C summer associate?

We encourage those students who are interested in working in one of our international or domestic regional offices to express their interest early during the interview process. Depending on the level of interest from all summers, the level of need in our international and domestic regional offices, and whether the students have necessary language skills (where relevant), we do our best to accommodate such requests. Every year, a number of our summer associates spend at least part of their summers in our regional offices. In the summer of 2011, ten of our summer associates spent time in our Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Paris and Tokyo offices and twenty-one of our summer associates spent time in our Los Angeles, Palo Alto and Washington, D.C. offices.

Currently, we are looking to hire students with the following language skills: German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish. If you speak any of these languages fluently, we strongly encourage you to apply.

5. As a summer associate at S&C, will I be able to practice in a specific area? As a full-time associate at S&C, can I specialize in a specific area from the beginning of my career?

Prior to the summer, we ask our summer associates to provide us with their practice area preferences, which we use to match summer associates with their advisers. We encourage our summer associates to be as open-minded as possible when it comes to choosing and accepting assignments over the course of the summer, as doing so will expose summer associates to a broad number of our practice areas and will help them make educated decisions when selecting their practice groups as full-time associates.

Our full-time associates are generalists within their chosen practice group – Litigation, General Practice (corporate), Tax and Estates and Personal – especially during their first few years of practice. For example, our general practice associates choose one or two practice subgroups after 18 months, such as mergers and acquisitions, financial institutions or commercial real estate.

6. Is there a mentoring program for summer associates?

Yes. We believe that a key part of the summer associate experience is developing personal relationships with S&C's lawyers. Every summer associate is assigned to three lawyer advisors – a partner adviser, an associate adviser and a junior associate "buddy." Partner and associate advisers are the primary sources of work for our summer associates, although they also socialize with our summer associates outside of the office. Junior associate buddies do not give work to our summer associates; they act as a resource, help acclimate the summer associates to the culture of the Firm, and socialize with them, whether at lunch, dinner or a Broadway show.

7. What if I still have questions after I receive an offer to join S&C?

If you have any unanswered questions or concerns after you receive an offer to join S&C, we encourage you to contact the Legal Recruiting Department. We would be delighted to set up a follow-up visit or put you in contact, via phone or e-mail, with the appropriate lawyers who can answer your questions about S&C’s practice, any personal considerations, etc.

8. Where do you recommend first-year law students work during the summer before their second year of law school?

Working in any capacity that allows you to hone your legal skills, including research, writing, negotiation and client relations, will be looked upon favorably by our lawyers during the 2L interview process. For example, many of our 2011 summer associates previously worked in positions in government, nonprofit organizations and other private firms or interned with judges.

9. Is there a minimum billable hours requirement?

No. There is no minimum billable requirement for our lawyers and billable hours are not considered when determining salary or bonuses. S&C believes that its lawyers are professionals who are capable of managing their own workload.

10. Can summer associates and lawyers get involved with pro bono work at S&C?

S&C encourages both summer associates and full-time lawyers to become involved in pro bono work. Pro bono work is valued equally with time spent on billable client matters and the Firm provides whatever resources are necessary to achieve favorable results for our pro bono clients. Every year, the Firm also offers to its summer associates a limited number of externship opportunities at a variety of public service organizations through New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. Please see Pro Bono for more information.

11. If I receive a permanent offer but plan to clerk after graduation, will I still be able to join S&C?

Yes. S&C highly values the judicial clerkship experience, and summer associates who receive permanent offers to join S&C may defer their offers if they accept a clerkship after graduation.

12. Why should I choose S&C over other top law firms?

At S&C, there is no such thing as second best; our culture of meritocracy, responsibility and "on-the-job" training is designed to ensure that each of our junior lawyers has the opportunity to gain experience and develop into a top lawyer. We believe that S&C has the broadest practice of any top law firm and all of S&C’s practice areas are considered at the top of their fields. We are not known merely as an "M&A firm" or a "litigation firm" because our practice areas are excellent across the board. As a result, our associates can be confident that they will get the maximum opportunity to receive excellent training from top lawyers in every field. S&C also offers the most international practice of any of our competitors, with opportunities for associates to practice internationally in both transactional and litigation work, even while based in one of our domestic offices.

13. What is S&C’s policy regarding lawyers who hold non-U.S. passports?

S&C and its clients have long benefited from the skills and perspectives of lawyers from around the world. Lawyers holding non-U.S. passports face particular challenges and responsibilities when assigned to one of our offices in the United States. Please read the Firm’s Visa Policies for Lawyers, which sets forth our policies and practices in relation to our lawyers who hold non-U.S. passports, and is intended to communicate both the nature of the support that our lawyers can expect from the Firm and the responsibilities those lawyers have with respect to maintaining their authority to be employed in the United States. Students who hold non-U.S. passports should advise us when making interview arrangements if they are authorized to work in the United States and if so, if they will require sponsorship in the future.