The Legal Cheek View
Opening an office almost every year since its creation in 1965, Greenberg Traurig are now one of the largest global law firms, boasting 2,650 lawyers across 47 offices in the US, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. From their towering position in the Shard, the City contingent of over 130 have concentrated their efforts on the giant’s core practice areas. These include M&A, real estate, and dispute resolution, as well as the complementary equity & debt, capital markets, tax, finance, EU & competition, anti-corruption, employment, environment, health & safety, and IP. In order to handle all of this work with such a streamlined roster, the London office has been on the hunt, targeting their rivals and competitors. In the last year alone, partners have been lured from the likes of Reed Smith, Paul Hastings, and Baker Botts.
On offer for prospective recruits are around eight training contracts annually, providing the lucky few with two years of “incredibly informative and in-depth training”. Whilst it is clear that rookies receive a high degree of responsibility, and that there is a good chunk of “learning on the job”, this is supplemented by “weekly training sessions given by shareholders and senior associates” which we are assured are “always helpful and informative”. Whilst there may be no international secondments on the cards, several juniors report a particularly productive stint at one of the firm’s UK clients. This high-quality training is clearly needed in order to tackle the work coming at the newbies thick and fast. Whilst there are the odd “less stimulating” administrative tasks that are every junior’s rite of passage, the majority of the work carries “real responsibility”. One mole reports having “access to clients on a 1-to-1 basis” from early on, and feeling “as if I am a real integral part of the team” throughout.
This positivity is hardly surprising when you consider the calibre of work that the firm takes on. Greenberg’s clientele is a checklist of big names in banking, technology, the automotive industry, entertainment, and business. Some of their clients include the likes of (deep breath): Samsung, Sony, Ford, Hyundai, Target, Whole Foods, Johnson & Johnson, Activision Blizzard, Morgan Stanley, Victoria’s Secret, Dreamworks, TikTok, and UPS. That’s without even mentioning Amazon and a smattering of celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, and Britney Spears.
With such an impressive CV it’s hardly surprising that last year the firm posted, for the 9th consecutive year, record financial results, with revenues of $2.17 billion. With this 8.6% increase on the previous year 49 lawyers across 26 of the firm’s offices were promoted to shareholder, with a further 31 elevated to counsel or local partners, four of whom hailed from the London contingent.
If all of this stardom and graft is at all intimidating, fear not, we’re assured that those at Greenberg Traurig are actually a pretty nice bunch. All insiders scored the peer and superior support and approachability available at the firm well, one spy praising that “everyone from the trainees to the most senior shareholders are approachable and willing to provide support and answer questions”. What’s more, where better to work with pop stars and global corporations than in the Shard?
It seems to be this environment that is keeping the rookies happy in spite of their often 10-12 hours days. Whilst it is accepted that work/life balance varies across the firm and time of year depending upon demand, one junior was happy to report that “when I am required to work late I am never doing it on my own, the entire team is collaborative and working together”.
Whilst neither the perks nor tech on offer set the firm apart from its competition, hopeful trainees will be glad to know that when it comes to working from home, they won’t be disappointed. “Our facilities team are great at getting us whatever we need, whether it be a desk, monitors or an office chair”, even when rookies leave the Shard, the luxury experience continues.
Other points of note include the firm’s carbon neutral status and its use of 100% renewable energy for its 35 US offices. This social good is in addition to a strong pro bono practice, assisting non-profit organisations, families and children, immigrants, refugees, the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, and taking on a variety of human rights cases and issues as well as criminal work.