2025 Vault Rankings
- Tax#14
- Hours#13
- Compensation#16
- Satisfaction#19
- Transparency#22
- Diversity#23
About Caplin & Drysdale
With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, Caplin & Drysdale prides itself on staying lean in an era when some law firms are ballooning to seemingly gargantuan proportions.
Tax Pros
Caplin & Drysdale was founded by Mortimer Caplin, former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. He also once graced the cover of Time magazine in an issue dedicated to taxation. The firm's co-founder, Douglas Drysdale, had been a student of Caplin's at the University of Virginia School of Law, and he himself went on to teach tax law at the school for more than 20 years. Starting with only six lawyers, Caplin & Drysdale now boasts a team of more than 60 lawyers.
Top in Tax
Caplin & Drysdale is recognized as one of the nation's top tax practices and consistently places as one of Vault’s Best Law Firms for Tax Law. National and international rankings list Caplin & Drysdale’s tax practice alongside those of firms 10 and 20 times its size. The firm's lawyers are often quoted in leading industry publications such as Tax Notes, Law360, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, POLITICO, and Bloomberg BNA. Although the firm only has two offices, it has a global footprint with corporate and individual clients from around the world. Caplin & Drysdale attorneys consider themselves “lawyers’ lawyers”—having served as legal advisors to a number of law firms.
The tax practice encompasses tax planning, tax litigation, tax controversies, international tax, transfer pricing, tax-exempt organizations, employee benefits, trust and estate planning, expatriation planning, and criminal tax defense work.
Not a One-Stop Shop
In addition to its tax-oriented practices, the firm includes a litigation practice centered on insolvencies, corporate reorganizations in bankruptcy, creditors’ rights representation, and other complex financial and commercial disputes, including matters that cross national boundaries. Caplin & Drysdale also boasts a national political law practice that provides businesses, nonprofits, politicians, candidates, and lobbyists with timely, concise counsel on the high-stakes legal issues that involve "pay-to-play" restrictions, lobbying regulations, campaign finance laws, and ethics rules. Much like the firm’s tax attorneys, the litigators and political law attorneys are highly ranked in Chambers USA, Legal 500, Best Lawyers, and other top rankings.
One Thomas Circle, NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 862-5000
President: Ann McMillan
Hiring Partner: Kirsten Burmester
Total No. Attorneys (2021):
50 - 100
No. of Partners Named 2022:
2
Billable-Hour Requirement:
1,800 target with bonus eligibility at 1,700 hours
1st year, Non-Complex Litigation: $185,000
1st year, Complex Litigation: $225,000
Summer Associate: $3,400/week
Nawel Moreno
Attorney & Paralegal Recruitment Manager
(202) 862-5010
nmoreno@capdale.com
General Recruiting Email: recruiting@capdale.com
No. of U.S. Offices: 2
No. of International Offices: 0
New York, NY
Washington, DC (HQ)
Bankruptcy
Complex Litigation
Corporate Law
Business, Investment & Transactional Tax
Employee Benefits
Exempt Organizations
International Tax
Political Law
Private Client
Tax Controversies
Tax Crimes
Tax Litigation
White Collar Defense
*See firm website for complete list of practice areas and industries.