Choate, Hall & Stewart

Since 1899, Choate Hall & Stewart has been a Boston firm through and through. Although smaller in number than its national competitors, Choate attorneys have remained competitive without compromising on the firm’s collaborative mindset and “one office” culture.

Keeping It Local

Choate is a legal force in Massachusetts. The firm is among the Top 5 in Vault’s Best Law Firms in Boston ranking. In an era of megafirm expansion, Choate has dodged the advances of larger firms looking to merge and has held off takeovers to stay in Boston. The firm says its strategy of maintaining its legal team under one roof allows it to "deliver seamless client service" unmatched by firms with a dozen offices around the U.S. The firm's client list—which encompasses national entities like JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Summit Partners, Foundation Medicine, Takeda, and HPE—may provide proof that its strategy has worked.

Focus, Focus, Focus

Choate prides itself in standing apart from other major firms, and one of the ways it does that is through its focused practice areas. Rather than stretching itself thin, the firm specializes in five main areas: complex litigation and investigations; finance and restructuring; life sciences and technology; middle-market private equity/M&A; and wealth management. The firm’s middle-market M&A has been ranked tier 1 by the Legal 500, and the firm has also received tier 1 rankings in Appellate Practice, Biotechnology Law, Corporate Law, and Venture Capital Law by U.S. News Best Law Firms. Showing off its IP strength, multiple partners have been recognized as “IP Stars” by Managing IP. And while the firm serves clients across the nation, it continues to be a leader in Boston—indeed, the firm has achieved tier 1 rankings in 30 practice areas in U.S. News Best Law Firms’ regional Boston rankings, including Corporate Law, M&A, Biotechnology, Patent Law, and a variety of litigation practices.

Not Afraid to Commit

Choate doesn’t play coy when it comes to commitment—the Choate Shared Compact outlines the firm’s “people mission,” including its dedication to providing cutting-edge opportunities and useful training. The Shared Compact defines partners’ commitment to associates as well as associates’ commitment to partners. A vital part of the Shared Compact is the focus on associate feedback. The firm encourages real-time guidance and honors an attorney each quarter who provides stellar feedback, dubbing the attorney a “Feedback All-Star.” And after associates requested a springboard to approach more senior attorneys, the firm implemented “Feedback Fridays” through which associates may attend special Friday events together with another attorney from whom they are seeking feedback.

COVID-19 Update

Choate has maintained our recruiting efforts in full force during the pandemic. Interviews are conducted remotely by video but levels of hiring are at or higher than in previous years.

• Top 20 in Revenue Per Lawyer “most reliable measure of a firm’s financial health” - The American Lawyer
• Corporate Equality Index for LGBTQ+ Equality
• Best Place to Work for LGBTQIA+ Equality - Human Rights Campaign
•  Top Tier Law Firm (40 Attorneys and 10 Practice Areas Ranked in 2024) - Legal 500
•  Top Ranked Law Firm (34 Attorneys and 17 Practice Areas Ranked in 2024) - Chambers USA
•  Client Service All-Star Award (2011-2023) - BTI Consulting