Sullivan & Worcester LLP

Our Survey Says

VAULT'S VERDICT:

Sullivan & Worcester has a competitive hiring process and often recruits summer associates pre-OCI, with many coming from schools in Boston and New York. The firm prioritizes candidates who show collaboration skills and initiative, and its day-to-day atmosphere is friendly yet professional, with an open-door culture. Associates work a hybrid schedule, with three days a week in the office and a $500 yearly home office stipend. Attorneys eat lunch together, have pleasant relationships with staff, and socialize outside the office at seasonal firm-sponsored events. The firm has a high ratio of partners to staff, which associates say means they often work closely alongside partners in small teams. Partners participate in informal mentorship and provide on-the-job training, and the firm uses an apprenticeship model to develop associates. Associates take on substantive work early in their tenures, such as client interactions, drafting briefs, and arguing in court, but sometimes take on work beneath their levels when staffed on larger teams. Associates say their hours are steady with seasonal spikes, and they have to meet a billable hour requirement of 1,800 to make bonus. This includes unlimited pro bono hours, although associates say that pro bono opportunities lean toward litigation work. Associates earn below market rates, but say their pay is fair for the size of the firm and their work-life balance. Earning a promotion is realistic, and the firm has equity partner, non-equity partner, and to a lesser extent, counsel roles available, with information on the partnership track available for those who seek it out. Exit opportunities in-house with clients and investment firms are also available. Notable perks include a subsidized gym membership, free counseling services, dog walking credits, and a newly refurbished office in New York.