Firm Summary
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Since its founding in 1946, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has grown from a small but elite firm with offices in New York and D.C. to become a global powerhouse of 1,300 attorneys practicing in 16 major financial centers across four continents (though New York and D.C. remain their only U.S. offices to this day). The firm first established itself as one of the world’s most elite firms when it comes to international business matters, but today the firm boast an equally impressive litigation practice. Offering a wide range of practice areas that span nearly all the major sectors occupied by today’s largest corporations, Cleary is known for hiring sharp attorneys who are well equipped to tackle novel issues and challenging matters for the most demanding of clients.
Firm Stats
- Firm Name
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
- U.S. Lawyer Headcount
- 589
- Headcount Change Since 2016
Overall
-142
Partner
+5
- Salary Scale
- Market
- Bonus Category
- Full Match
- Hours Required
- Unspecified
- Top Feeder Schools
- Harvard Law School, NYU School of Law, Columbia Law School
- Average Lawyer Tenure at Firm (Years)
- 6.2
- Revenue Per Lawyer Change Over Five Years
- -6%
- Women Partners (as Percentage of U.S. Lawyer Headcount)
- 3%
- Women Partners (As a Percentage of U.S. Partnership)
- 23%
- Promotion Rate
- 1%
- Most Common Federal Case Types
- Bankruptcy, RICO, Antitrust
- Most Active Federal Jurisdictions
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, U.S. District Court for the District of Columia
- Frequent Federal Litigation Clients
- Robert Bosch LLC, Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., ESL Investments, Inc.
Firm Policies
Work/Life Balance
- 18 weeks maternity leave
Benefits and Perks
- Bar review course
- Bar exam fees, travel
- $10K salary advance
- Direct billing with prefered movers, firm covers broker fees $10K stub bonus
- Full payback required if associate leaves in 12 months
Superstars
Kimberly Brown Blacklow
Partner
Highly regarded in the real estate and structured finance arenas, Blacklow is a partner in the firm’s New York office. Blacklow has been recognized for her real estate acumen by several organizations, including Chambers USA and Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Awards.
Abena Mainoo
Partner
A partner in the firm’s New York office, Mainoo focuses on representing companies in high-stakes cross-border investigations and complex civil litigation. Among numerous accolades, Mainoo has been recognized as a Rising Star by The New York Law Journal and was named among the Top 100 Women in Investigations for 2018 by Global Investigations Review.
Victor Hou
Partner
A litigation powerhouse in his own rights, Hou, a litigation partner in the firm’s New York office, was recently in the spotlight for his work in representing Shari Redstone in her headline-grabbing battle to secure control over CBS and Viacom.
Above the Law Coverage
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Doing Justice: An Evening With Preet Bharara At Cleary Gottlieb
Humor and insight from the U.S. attorney turned bestselling author.
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Cleary Gottlieb’s New Partner Class: Where Are The Women?
The firm just announced 16 new partners and counsel, and only one was a woman.
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Layoffs Come To Cleary Gottlieb
The firm is serious about cutting back on staff.
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Cleary Makes A Move In The Fall 2020 Bonus Wars
And associates don’t think it was the right move to make.
The Law Firm Transparency Project draws upon Above the Law research as well as data provided by Leopard Solutions and UniCourt. Click here for an expanded methodology and definition of terms.
