Choate, Hall & Stewart

Our Survey Says

VAULT'S VERDICT

Choate, Hall & Stewart is a Massachusetts powerhouse. The culture is collaborative and social, and the single-office model facilitates excellent relationships between associates and partners. The firm requires 2,000 billable hours of its associates, but 150 of these hours can come from a mix of on-the-job training, pro bono work, DEI activity, and some recruiting and marketing.  Salaries are at the top of the market, and above-market bonuses can be earned by high billers. Associates receive substantive work across a variety of areas, and although the firm’s technology is not bleeding-edge, associates generally have no complaints and say that remote work is technologically supported. Attorney wellness efforts include some standard resources (such as reasonably healthy catered meals). Formal and informal training are fulsome and robust, and each associate is assigned three different mentors: a peer, a senior attorney, and a partner. The firm claims to hire associates with the expectation that each will become an equity partner, and the associates report that this assertion is consistent with their experience and perceived career prospects. Pro bono work is promoted, and pro bono hours are creditable to the requirement. Similarly, time spent on diversity initiatives is creditable, and as mentioned above, creditable pro bono and diversity hours are in the same hours bucket as hours devoted to on-the-job training. In terms of advancing diversity, the firm’s associates feel that although work remains to be done, the firm is moving in the right direction and is dedicated to making progress.