2024 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

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VAULT’S VERDICT:

High demand means high competition, which explains why getting hired at Akin is not easy. The firm’s reputation for reasonable hours and an outstanding culture precedes it, so the firm can be highly selective in recruiting candidates. Attorneys with sharp elbows need not apply. Once in the door, associates report that the firm’s culture is as welcoming as promised. The firm is both nonhierarchical and entrepreneurial, and lawyers are pleasant and interactive. Partners are respectful and appreciative and take the time to mentor associates, and the firm is transparent. Associates feel that the 1,950 billable hours requirement is reasonable and doable, and assignments are procured through a free market system. The firm’s flexible three-day in-office per week policy helps associates with work-life balance, and compensation is market and also transparent. Lean staffing means associates enjoy significant responsibility and exposure to a variety of work. Formal training opportunities exist, notably in academies that are offered at experience milestones, but their value is exceeded by abundant informal training and mentoring relationships. Technology is solid and dependable, and wellness efforts are on par for BigLaw; they include an on-site counselor, a wellness stipend, and career coaching. Akin truly excels in pro bono thanks to a robust pro bono practice. A dedicated pro bono coordinator facilitates the distribution of pro bono work across the firm, and an unlimited amount of pro bono hours can be applied to the billable requirement. Partnership is a realistic possibility with counsel as a first step, as well as a long-term option for those who do not reach partnership.

FIRM PERSPECTIVE

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading global law firm providing innovative legal services and business solutions to individuals and institutions. We are one of the world’s largest law firms, with more than 900 lawyers and professionals in 21 offices.
Our firm’s clients range from individuals to corporations and foreign governments. We were founded in Texas in 1945 by Robert Strauss and Richard Gump with the guiding vision that commitment, excellence, and integrity would drive the success of the firm. We incorporated these qualities into the firm’s core values as we grew into an international full-service firm positioned at the intersection of commerce, policy, and the law. This dedication to the advancement of these values guides relationships within the firm and, most importantly, with its clients.
Akin is widely recognized for its strength in litigation and international arbitration, high stakes appellate work, financial restructuring, corporate transactions, investment funds, global project finance, and international trade and for its depth in public policy, which allow the firm to provide a comprehensive suite of services for governments, companies, and individuals worldwide.