Why Build Your Career at Cahill?
Cahill occupies a unique place in the legal market. We are large enough to handle the most sophisticated matters for leading financial institutions, corporations, and private equity sponsors, yet intentionally sized so that lawyers know one another, partners remain accessible, associates are exposed to real substantive work, and individual development never becomes an afterthought. Our collaborative culture creates opportunities for associates to build lasting professional relationships while receiving the mentorship, real work exposure, feedback, and support needed to thrive and develop as an attorney.
Due to our smaller size, we are able to start investing in associates as individuals from the very start of their careers and Cahill provides formal and informal training and mentoring to promote accelerated career development for our associates. Professional development and career training are core to what we do at Cahill, and includes close interaction between clients, partners, and associates fosters strong connections, formal training through the nationally recognized Cahill Academy, and formal mentoring through our various mentoring programs.
Cahill offers a free-market assignment system that empowers associates to shape their own careers by pursuing the matters, teams, and experiences that best align with their interests and goals and gives them a real say in their development and career trajectory. As associates demonstrate the skill, initiative, judgment, and work ethic to take on increasingly complex matters, they are entrusted with additional responsibilities that distinguish the Cahill experience and accelerate professional growth. Associates are evaluated on the quality of their work, professional judgment, collaboration, and overall development—not solely by the number of hours they bill but as individuals. More than 75 percent of our current partners began their careers as Cahill associates, reflecting our long-standing commitment to developing and maintaining talent from within. Our culture of professionalism, mutual respect and appreciation for each other's individuality fosters a welcoming and rewarding environment where people work together in the way that best suits our clients’ needs and promotes career satisfaction in our attorneys.
"The best place you can be if you want to gain responsibility. You're truly evaluated on the quality of your work." — Former Summer Associate
Investing in Your Growth
Professional development at Cahill extends well beyond on-the-job experience. We believe the strongest lawyers develop when meaningful work is supported by outstanding training, thoughtful mentorship, and continuous feedback. That's why we've built a comprehensive attorney development program that invests in our lawyers at every stage of their careers.
At the center of that commitment is Cahill Academy, our nationally recognized attorney development program. Offering more than 200 programs annually, Cahill Academy combines practical legal education with interactive workshops, leadership development, business skills, and client service training designed to complement real-world experience. Recognized by Vault as one of the nation's top law firms for formal training, Cahill Academy evolves alongside each lawyer's career, helping associates build the skills and confidence needed for long-term success.
Learning at Cahill extends beyond the classroom. Associates receive individualized guidance from partner and associate mentors, work directly with dedicated attorney development professionals, and have access to one-on-one career coaching that supports both professional and personal growth. Regular feedback and comprehensive evaluations help associates continually refine their skills while identifying new opportunities for development.
For summer associates, this investment begins immediately. Summers work on active client matters, participate in Cahill Academy programming, receive guidance from dedicated mentors, and experience firsthand the collaborative culture that defines the firm. They also have opportunities to observe court proceedings, visit judges' chambers, and contribute to meaningful pro bono matters, providing an authentic preview of life as a Cahill associate.
"The combination of meaningful work, outstanding training, and approachable mentors accelerated my development from day one. — Cahill Associate
Associate Experience
Recognized as an AmLaw Finalist for Best Professional Development Award, Cahill Academy develops exceptional lawyers through structured training, meaningful mentorship, and continuous feedback.
- #2 Formal Training Top Law Firm for Formal Training and Career Development (Vault)
- Professional Development Finalist (The American Lawyer)
- Elite Associate Quality of Life (Chambers Associate)
- #1 Summer Associate Program (Law360 Pulse)
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Practice Excellence
Whether your interests lie in transactions, litigation, investigations, or regulatory matters, Cahill offers associates the opportunity to work on some of the most sophisticated and high-profile matters in the legal market. Associates become integral members of lean teams, working directly with partners and clients while contributing to matters that shape industries, financial markets, and legal precedent.
Corporate: Market-Leading Transactions
Corporate associates advise leading financial institutions, private equity sponsors, direct lenders, corporate issuers, and public companies across Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Private Credit, M&A, Corporate Advisory, Bankruptcy & Restructuring, Project Finance, Tax, and related transactional practices. For more than two decades, Cahill has been the market leader in leveraged finance, consistently earning the #1 ranking for U.S. High-Yield Bond Underwriters (Bloomberg) since 2005 and #1 for U.S. Leveraged Loan Lenders (LSEG) since 2010.
Litigation & Regulatory: High-Stakes Advocacy
Litigation associates help clients navigate complex commercial disputes, securities litigation, white collar matters, government and internal investigations, antitrust, intellectual property, insurance, and other high-stakes litigation and regulatory matters. Working alongside experienced trial lawyers and former prosecutors, associates take on substantive responsibilities while representing clients before trial and appellate courts, arbitration panels, and government agencies. Chambers USA has recognized Cahill among New York's Elite Commercial Litigation firms since 2008.
Regardless of practice area, associates receive meaningful responsibility, direct access to partners, and the opportunity to develop their skills on matters that define the market.
We focus on doing what we do exceptionally well, giving associates opportunities to build deep experience on market-leading matters alongside lawyers who are recognized among the best in their fields.
Market Leadership Across Practices
- #1 U.S. High-Yield Adviser - Bloomberg
- #1 U.S. Leveraged Loan Adviser - LSEG
- Band 1 Banking & Finance - Chambers
- Band 1 Capital Markets- Chambers
- Elite Commercial Litigation - Chambers
Making an Impact
At Cahill, we believe developing exceptional lawyers and serving communities in need go hand in hand. Pro bono work receives full billable-hour credit and is fully integrated into the associate experience, providing meaningful opportunities to assume responsibility, strengthen professional judgment, and make a lasting difference while advancing access to justice.
Supported by a full-time Pro Bono Counsel, dedicated Partner Advisors, and the same collaborative approach that defines our client work, associates represent clients in asylum and immigration matters, domestic violence and family law proceedings, criminal appeals, nonprofit governance, veterans' initiatives, and other matters that expand access to justice.
Through 501Foundry by Cahill, our lawyers have helped establish more than 100 nonprofit organizations over the past five years, enabling those organizations to better serve their communities. Whether representing individuals, nonprofits, or underserved populations, associates gain meaningful experience while making a tangible difference in the lives of others.
In August 2025, Cahill received Sanctuary for Families’ Above & Beyond Pro Bono Achievement Award for a team that secured custody for a woman’s nephew following his mother’s sudden death, obtained an order of protection, and prevailed in a related Hague Convention case reversing prior rulings that would have returned the child to an abusive father abroad. The firm was also named to the National Women’s Law Center 2024 Pro Bono Honor Roll in recognition of its ongoing collaboration on legal research and amicus briefs. In the summer of 2026, Cahill began volunteering at the Door’s weekly Runaway and Homeless Youth Legal Clinic, providing free legal advice on immigration, housing, and family law—building on over two decades of assisting young people through the Door’s Emancipation Clinic and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status applications.
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Cahill's commitment to excellence is consistently recognized by the legal profession's leading ranking organizations and industry publications. Independent organizations have recognized the firm's market leadership, exceptional client service, commitment to attorney development, and collaborative culture.
Market Leadership
- #1 Legal Adviser to U.S. High-Yield Bond Underwriters (Bloomberg) — since 2005
- #1 Legal Adviser to U.S. Leveraged Loan Lenders (LSEG) — since 2010
Practice Excellence
- 24 Ranked Practices (Chambers USA)
- 32 Ranked Lawyers (Chambers USA)
- Multiple Band 1 Rankings (Chambers USA)
Cahill develops lawyers better because it combines elite work with genuine personal investment. Whether you're beginning your career or joining the firm as an experienced attorney, you'll find opportunities to do exceptional work, continue learning, and build lasting professional relationships at Cahill. Apply here.
Elite work. Personal investment. Accelerated development.