Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Overview
Future-focused and dedicated to excellence, Akin is presented as an elite, global law firm advising public and private companies, funds, governments and other institutional clients across major markets. Founded in Texas and built into an international practice, the firm emphasises cross-practice, multidisciplinary teams (notably in corporate, finance, energy & infrastructure, investment funds and restructuring) and a pragmatic, client-value driven approach. Akin combines a large US platform with strategic offices in London, Geneva, Hong Kong and the Middle East, positioning itself to handle complex cross-border transactions, restructurings and policy/regulatory matters.
- Headquarters: Washington, D.C., Robert S. Strauss Tower
- Founded: 1945
- Lawyers: 1,100+
- Trainees: 8
- Offices: 17
Values & Culture
Practice Areas
- Corporate & M&A
- Banking & Finance
- Capital Markets
- Investment Funds
- Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Infrastructure & Projects
- Insolvency & Restructuring
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- International Arbitration
- Regulatory & Compliance
- Tax
- Intellectual Property
- Employment
- Real Estate
- Financial Services & Regulation
- ESG & Sustainability
- Transport & Logistics
- White Collar Crime
- Media & Entertainment
Geographic Focus: Akin is strongest in the United States (major offices and market-leading practices) with strategic hubs in London, Geneva and Hong Kong and presence across the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh). The firm deploys an integrated global platform to serve multinational corporates, private funds, lenders and governments on cross-border transactions, restructurings, energy & infrastructure projects and international regulatory matters.
Training Contract
Two-year training programme in the London office with immersive, hands-on seats. Trainees work side-by-side with senior lawyers and are supervised by a senior lawyer qualified in England & Wales. Seats are regularly discussed with the Trainee Development team throughout the two-year programme (seat allocation is managed by the Trainee Development team in consultation with practice group leaders); trainees may undertake tailored international or client secondments and short internal stays through Akin JUMP. Training is integrated with firmwide academies and the ACE Framework, and supported by the Akin Advantage lawyer development programme.
- Starting Salary: £60,000
- NQ Salary: £167,000
- Trainee Intake: 8
- Qualification Rate: 83%
- Academic Requirements: Minimum degree requirement: 2:1. Minimum A-level requirement: No minimum.
- Application Deadline: 4 January 2026
Seat Options
- Corporate & M&A
- Insolvency & Restructuring
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Infrastructure & Projects
- Financial Services & Regulation
- Investment Funds
- Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Tax
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- Regulatory & Compliance
- Real Estate
- Intellectual Property
- Employment
Sponsorship
Supplementary data lists a PGDL/GDL grant of £20,000 and an SQE grant of £20,000. The firm states it has introduced benefits to reduce financial barriers for vacation scheme participants.
SQE Support
Supplementary data lists an SQE grant of £20,000 (firm support for qualification-related costs is referenced in supplementary information).
International Opportunities
The firm offers tailored international secondments and short stays through Akin JUMP to deepen collaboration across offices. Chance of secondment abroad cited in supplementary data is approximately 38%.
Client Secondments
The firm offers client secondments with corporate legal teams; supplementary data indicates approximately a 25% chance of client secondment for trainees.
Mentorship
Each trainee is supported by a dedicated partner advisor and in-house career coaching; the firm operates formal and informal feedback, a partner advisor programme and mentoring networks. Trainees also have access to the ACE Framework and Akin Advantage training academies.
Programmes & Schemes
A two-week spring vacation scheme in London combining interactive training sessions, workshops, networking and social activities. Participants split time between two practice groups, work alongside partners, associates and current trainees, and are supervised by a dedicated scheme supervisor. Successful participants are invited to interview for the two-year training programme.
- Duration: 2 weeks
- Deadline: 2026-01-04
A US summer associate programme (ten-week) providing hands-on experience for 1L and 2L students. Summer associates work on substantive assignments, attend a Summer Program Academy with foundational training, participate in networking and mentoring and are encouraged to engage in pro bono work and firm wellbeing events.
- Duration: 10 weeks
A structured pro bono scholar opportunity that places trainees with legal services partners and includes a summer Boot Camp in the US for selected London Pro Bono Scholars. The programme is designed to deepen pro bono engagement and connections with not-for-profit organisations.
Short internal stays for lawyers to spend time in another office to deepen collaboration and networking across the firm (used by lawyers and available as development opportunity).
Notable Matters
Akin advised 7-Eleven Inc. on its agreement to acquire approximately 3,900 Speedway stores located in 35 states for approximately $21 billion in cash — a major retail-sector acquisition highlighted on the Dallas office page as a recent, high-profile corporate transaction.
Corporate & M&A
Akin lawyers with infrastructure and digital-infrastructure experience advised on the development, financing and project matters for a $2 billion data centre in Fort Worth, reflecting the firm’s capability in core and digital infrastructure project development, project finance and related M&A.
Infrastructure & Projects
Counsel to a major automotive client in negotiating an agreement with CARB to sustain year-over-year greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions despite differences in federal standards — work that involved regulatory, policy and compliance strategy across climate and automotive regulatory regimes.
ESG & Sustainability
Akin’s financial restructuring practice has been involved in precedent-setting in-court and out-of-court matters, including work on restructurings and related litigation/transactions for chapter 11 and distressed reorganisations such as FirstEnergy Solutions, iHeartMedia Inc., Sears Holdings Corporation, Energy Future Intermediate Holdings Corp., Tribune, Nortel and Washington Mutual.
Insolvency & Restructuring
Pro bono counsel in work involving Holocaust survivor representation that helped broker a bilateral treaty between the United States and France to establish a $60 million fund to compensate victims deported to Nazi camps by the French railroad SNCF.
Public Law
Akin has undertaken high-impact pro bono interventions, including negotiating hostage and prisoner-of-conscience releases from hostile nations; the firm worked on the release of Ryan Corbett by the Taliban in January 2025, demonstrating the team’s capacity for complex, urgent international pro bono advocacy.
Dispute Resolution & Litigation
What Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld Looks For
Key Competencies
- Commercial awareness
- Client service orientation
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Attention to detail
- Oral and written communication
- Judgment and decisiveness
- Initiative and leadership
- Resilience and adaptability
- Commitment to pro bono and community engagement
Evidence Signals
- Relevant transactional or litigation experience (summer associate placements, internships)
- Pro bono involvement and public-interest experience
- International experience or interest (secondments/streets in multiple offices)
- Interest/experience in energy & infrastructure, funds or private equity for those practice areas
- Demonstrable commercial awareness (deal commentary or research)
- Participation in formal training/academies or legal skills programmes
Benefits & Wellbeing
- Year 1 trainee salary: £60,000
- Year 2 trainee salary: £65,000
- NQ salary: £167,000
- PGDL/GDL grant: £20,000
- SQE grant: £20,000
- Choice of medical, dental and vision plans (covering dependents and partners)
- Firm-supplemented health reimbursement / health savings account
- Flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care
- Telemedicine access
- Employee assistance programme (EAP)
- Health advocate services
- Commuter benefits
- Short-term paid medical leave, parental leave and adoption leave
- Firm-paid life and business travel accident insurance
- Firm-paid long-term disability insurance
- Supplemental life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment insurance
- Backup dependent care and elder-care services
- 401(k) retirement plan and consultation (US offices)
- Wellness programming and periodic events (Be Well initiative)
- Adoption assistance reimbursement
- Alternative work arrangements
- Cell phone and calling plan discounts
- Computer and technology discounts
- Concierge services
- CPR/AED training and on-site health screenings
- Paid moving expenses
- Retail and entertainment discounts
- Group banking perks
- Years of Service Awards Program
- Firm-sponsored community service and charity races
Wellbeing
Be Well initiative, employee assistance programme, wellness programming, on-site health screenings, flu vaccine clinics, health advocate services and wellbeing events.
Awards & Recognition
- Chambers USA 2026: more than 100 lawyers and 50+ practices recognised (publication highlight)
- ABA Pro Bono Publico Award (firm recognised twice)
- Bloomberg Law - Pro Bono Innovators (2022)
- The American Lawyer 2024 Pro Bono Scorecard: Ranked 13th nationally (Am Law 200 firms)
- NLADA Beacon of Justice Award
- Legalweek Leaders in Tech Innovations in Pro Bono Award (Law Firm category) (shortlisted)
- Euromoney Global Women in Business Law Award (shortlisted)
- IFLR Middle East Awards Pro Bono Team of the Year (shortlisted)
- Latinvex Top 100 Lawyer recognition (Sergio Urias named Top 100 Lawyer in Latin America, 2026)
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Signatory of the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance; formal Opportunity & Inclusion commitments and leadership-level sponsorship of inclusion initiatives.
- Opportunity & Inclusion
- Firmwide Resource Groups
- Pro Bono Scholars Program
- Equal Justice Works collaboration
- Client Pro Bono Collaboration programmes (US and UK)
Pro Bono
Akin lawyers devoted on average more than 90 hours to pro bono clients per year and more than 70% of lawyers worked on pro bono matters. Veterans work: through NVLSP Akin represented nearly 40 veterans involving more than 100 Akin timekeepers donating more than 5,000 hours since 2014; through the Veterans Consortium nearly 30 veterans represented with 90 Akin timekeepers donating more than 3,500 hours since 2017. Since 2014 Akin donated 4,387 hours by more than 100 timekeepers over 22 matters in VetLAG-related work. The firm partners with legal services organisations worldwide and runs client–
Innovation
Akin invests in a global IT infrastructure and practice-technology teams that support lawyer productivity, eDiscovery, trial presentation and AI innovation. The IT organisation (Practice Technology & AI Innovation, eDiscovery & Trial Services, PMO) drives continuous improvement, adoption of tools and supports cross-office technology rollouts; pro bono teams have also developed inventive technology platforms to extend services to vulnerable populations.
- Practice Technology & AI Innovation
- eDiscovery & Trial Services
- Project Management Office (PMO)
- Global IT infrastructure and lawyer productivity solutions
- Use of inventive pro bono technology platforms
Quick Application Angles
- Reference Akin’s high-profile corporate work (for example the firm’s role advising 7-Eleven on the ~£/$21bn Speedway acquisition) in your cover letter to show you understand the firm’s transactional scale and can add value on large, complex deals.
- Emphasise demonstrable commercial awareness and cross-border experience (or willingness to work across jurisdictions) — Akin highlights integrated work across the US, London, Geneva and Hong Kong and offers international secondments.
- Show commitment to public interest and pro bono: cite relevant pro bono experience and an interest in Akin’s Pro Bono Scholars programme — the firm has a strong pro bono record and awards in this area.
- Link your application to the ACE Framework/skills (Prioritising Relationships, Delivering Excellence, Taking Ownership) and give concrete examples of teamwork, client service and decisive judgment.
- If applying to energy, infrastructure or funds teams, call out relevant sector experience (project finance, data centre, renewable energy, fund formation) and mention Akin’s recent infrastructure and private equity hires to show market awareness.
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