Make a Meaningful Impact
At Cleary, you'll have the opportunity to:
- Contribute to high-profile, complex matters that shape industries and legal precedent
- Focus on what truly matters, cutting through complexity to deliver results
- Address immediate client needs while advancing their long-term strategic goals
Thrive in a Culture of Excellence
Our proven track record of innovation and consistent success across multiple jurisdictions creates an environment where talented professionals can excel. You'll be part of a team that speaks the language of global business fluently and approaches each challenge with creativity and precision.
Build a Career Without Borders
Working at Cleary means joining a community where your skills can transcend geographical limitations. Our collaborative approach ensures you'll develop expertise that's valued across markets and jurisdictions, positioning you for long-term professional growth.
Key Distinctions
Counsel to Over 50 Sovereigns
Counsel in Over 1,200 Completed M&A Transactions Worldwide Since 2015, Valued at Over $2.6 Trillion (Refinitiv)
Largest Ever Sovereign Debt Restructuring
Largest Ever Leveraged Buyout
Largest Ever Real Estate Transaction
Largest Ever Patent Portfolio Sale
Most Prominent Antitrust Case of the Decade
Represented Over 50 Financial Institutions in Financial Crisis-Related Litigation
Who We Are
Cleary Gottlieb is a pioneer in globalizing the legal profession, known for its prescient, early foray into Europe. Expanding beyond its New York and DC offices in 1946, the firm set up shop in Paris in 1949, hiring local lawyers who were partially trained in the United States and giving the foreign lawyers equal partnership. The firmed opened an office in Brussels in 1960, just a few years before the formation of the European Community in 1967, which is based in the city. The firm would then play a leading role in the burgeoning Eurodollar markets. A London outpost followed in 1971 and a Hong Kong office in 1980. As other firms discovered international expansion in the 1990s and 2000s, Cleary added another five European offices. More recently, the firm has continued its expansion in Asia, South America, and the Middle East over the last decade or so. Still, no matter how far the firm roams, Wall Street will always be home.
From the beginning, our lawyers and staff have worked across practices, industries, jurisdictions, and continents to provide clients with simple, actionable approaches to their most complex legal and business challenges, whether domestic or international. We support every client relationship with intellectual agility, commercial acumen, and a human touch.
We provide clients with simple, actionable approaches to their most complex legal and business challenges, whether domestic or international. Our proven track record for serving with innovation means we are fluent in the many languages of local and global business, achieving consistent success across multiple jurisdictions. Global corporations, financial institutions, sovereign governments, local businesses, and individuals come to us for consistently practical and forward-looking advice.
An Integrated Global Partnership
We have 14 offices in major financial centers around the world, but we operate as an integrated global partnership and not a U.S. firm with a network of overseas locations.
- All Cleary clients enjoy access to the full resources provided by our offices and lawyers worldwide.
- The firm employs approximately 1,100 lawyers from more than 50 countries.
- Cleary received Chambers and Partners’ inaugural “International Law Firm of the Year” award, recognizing our global practice and our pioneering tradition of developing homegrown talent in the different countries where we operate.
Clients
We serve international and national business organizations, financial institutions, sovereign governments and their agencies, nonprofits and community organizations, and civil rights and human rights groups.
Notable clients include:
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ABB Allergan Alphabet (Google) Amazon American Express American Tower Bank of America Barclays BNP Paribas Broadcom Brookfield Citigroup The Coca-Cola Company Con Edison Crédit Agricole Disney
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The Dominic Republic The French State Garuda Indonesia Genesis General Mills GlobalFoundries GSK Goldman Sachs Goodyear Government of Barbados HCA Healthcare KKR Korean Air Keurig Dr Pepper LATAM Airlines Lenovo Liberty Mutual McCormick |
NVIDIA Petrobras Republic of Paraguay Republic of Senegal Republic of Uraguay Sixth Street Synopsys Telecom Argentina Telecom Italia Tempur Sealy T-Mobile TPG United Mexican States Walgreens Boots Alliance Warburg Pincus Whirlpool |
Partnership and Firm Culture
Our firm’s organization and governance emphasize democratic and participatory ideals. We strive to admit to our partnership lawyers with demonstrated qualities of character, leadership, and intelligence, who have the proven legal skills that will enable them to contribute significantly to our practice over the long term.
- Approximately 80 percent of our current partners joined the firm as associates.
- More than one-third of our partners have served in two or more Cleary offices.
- Over 40 percent of our partners are based outside of the United States.
- Our partnership as a whole decides all important firm matters, including considering candidates for partnership, while committees of partners and counsel under the guidance of the managing partner conduct the day-to-day management of the firm.
Our associates also actively participate in a number of firm-sponsored programs and initiatives, including leadership and professional development curricula, affinity groups, working groups and committees, and more.
Consistent with the vision of our founders, Cleary remains committed to building a culture of inclusion and community focused on openness, individuality, and collegiality. Learn more.
The essence of the firm’s culture is represented by our lawyers: talented and intellectually accomplished people of all nationalities, races, and interests, who believe that the practice of law is a privilege that carries responsibility. Together, we apply our legal knowledge for the benefit of those in need, dedicating a substantial amount of time and resources to pro bono legal work and other community activities. Learn more about Cleary’s pro bono program.
Workplace and Pro Bono:
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John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award Pro Bono Champion Award Pro Bono Partner of the Year Award Pro Bono Partner Award Pro Bono Publico Award Top 10 Firm for Female Attorneys Top 20 Firm in the Pro Bono Scorecard |
24 Lawyers Named to Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll
Best International Firm: Work-Life Balance
Corporate Hero Award |
View Cleary’s latest matters, press releases, and honors.