BigLaw.
The 100 largest law firms in the US — Cravath, Skadden, Sullivan & Cromwell, Latham, Kirkland & Ellis, Davis Polk. The highest starting salary in law. The most demanding hours in law. And the credential that opens every other door.
BigLaw associates work 2,000–2,200+ billable hours per year. To hit 2,000 billable hours, you work roughly 2,500–2,800 actual hours — approximately 50–55 hours per week, with spikes during deal closings that hit 80+. The pay is real. So are the hours. Go in knowing both.
What BigLaw lawyers actually do
BigLaw work is highly specialized. Associates pick a practice group and stay in it. Here are the main groups and what the work actually looks like.
M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions)
Represent buyers and sellers in corporate transactions — due diligence, deal documents, negotiations, closings. The heaviest hours in BigLaw, but the most deal exposure.
Capital Markets
Take companies public (IPOs), structure debt offerings, work with investment banks on securities issuances. Highly technical, finance-law overlap.
Private Equity
Represent PE funds buying and selling portfolio companies. Heavy overlap with M&A. Clients are sophisticated — expect to work at their pace.
Litigation
Represent companies in court — depositions, motions, trial prep, sometimes actual trials. More variety than transactional work. Long timelines.
White Collar
Criminal defense for corporations and executives — SEC investigations, DOJ enforcement, fraud cases. High-stakes, high-pressure, often involves parallel criminal and civil proceedings.
Intellectual Property
Patent litigation, trademark disputes, licensing agreements. Tech and pharma firms use this heavily. Science or engineering background is a plus for patent work.
Employment
Represent employers in discrimination lawsuits, union negotiations, wrongful termination. More predictable than M&A or litigation — good for people who want regular hours inside BigLaw.
Real Estate
Commercial property transactions, financing, development deals. Transactional in nature — closings, contracts, lending agreements.
The OCI System — How BigLaw Hiring Works
BigLaw has a structured recruiting system unlike any other job market. OCI (On-Campus Interviews) is the primary funnel for associate hiring — and it happens on a timeline most incoming law students don't know about until it's too late.
Before 2L year — August
Submit OCI applications through your law school's recruiting portal: resume, cover letter, transcript, writing sample. This deadline hits before 2L classes start. If you're going BigLaw, have everything ready before you leave for your 2L summer.
2L week 3–4 — OCI week
20-minute screening interviews with BigLaw recruiters on campus. This is the single most important recruiting moment of law school. Be prepared with your firm-specific interest, practice group preference, and a clear answer on why you're choosing corporate law.
September–October — Callbacks
Top candidates are invited to full-day callback interviews at the firm's offices — 5–8 rounds of 30-minute interviews with partners and senior associates. Callbacks are about personality, communication, and fit more than legal knowledge.
October–November — Offers
Firms extend 2L summer associate offers. You have until offer deadline to decide. Consider: practice area, city, firm culture, and where you want to be in 5 years.
2L Summer — Summer Associate Program
10–12 weeks at the firm. Attend client meetings, work on real matters, attend social events. Virtually everyone who performs gets a return offer. Your goal is to get that offer.
After Graduation — First-Year Associate
You join as a first-year associate. Choose your practice group (usually confirmed before starting). The learning curve is steep and the hours are real — but so is the paycheck and the skill-building.
The standard BigLaw pipeline: OCI offer → 2L summer associate → full-time offer → first-year associate. Our research confirmed this pattern repeatedly. Students from non-T14 schools who earned top grades and made Law Review were successfully recruited by elite BigLaw firms through OCI.
What BigLaw Looks For
Law Review membership
Top 1L grades earn a Law Review spot through write-on competition. Law Review is the single strongest BigLaw signal — it tells firms you can write, edit, and produce under deadline.
GPA — top 10–25% at T14, top 5–10% at non-T14
BigLaw firms screen by grade rank before OCI. Students from non-T14 schools in our research landed at elite firms like Sullivan & Cromwell — summa cum laude and Law Review. The bar is higher at non-T14 schools, but the door is open.
Practice group fit
Walk into every OCI and callback with a real answer on which practice group you want and why. Generic 'I want to do corporate law' answers don't land. 'I want to work on cross-border M&A because...' does.
Communication and presence
Callbacks are about personality and fit as much as credentials. BigLaw partners are choosing someone they'll work with at 11pm during a deal closing. Be sharp, be genuine, and show you've done your homework on the firm.
1L diversity programs
A small number of elite firms (Cravath, Sullivan & Cromwell, Davis Polk) run 1L Scholar programs for diverse candidates. Extremely competitive — but if you get one, it gives you a full-cycle summer associate experience a year early and a likely return offer into 2L OCI.
The Associate Career Track
Most associates leave BigLaw within 5 years — not because they failed, but because they achieved what they came for (pay off loans, build skills, gain the credential) and move on to in-house roles, government, or their own practice. BigLaw is a launching pad, not a life sentence.
What to Avoid
Waiting until 2L to start thinking about OCI.
OCI applications are due in August — before 2L classes start. If you realize this in September of 2L year, you've already missed the window. Start preparing in 1L spring.
Applying to every firm without a practice group preference.
Firms ask which group you want. 'I'm open to anything' is a red flag — it signals you haven't thought seriously about the work. Pick one or two practice areas, research them, and make a real case for why.
Treating the summer associate program as a job.
The 2L summer associate program is a 10-week audition for a full-time offer. Firms are evaluating whether they want to work with you for years. Be enthusiastic, be proactive, produce excellent work, and be pleasant to be around.
Assuming you need a T14 to get BigLaw.
Students in our research landed at elite firms like Sullivan & Cromwell from non-T14 schools. The path is narrower but real — you need top grades, Law Review, and a compelling interview. Don't count yourself out based on school name.