Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Overview

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP is an international full-service US law firm with more than 230 years of legal experience, positioned as a leading advisor to corporations and financial institutions. The firm is known for crafting innovative business and financial solutions and developing precedent-setting legal strategies, with sector strength in financial markets, securitisations, fund finance and related corporate and finance work. Cadwalader operates across major financial centres (New York, London, Dublin, Charlotte and Washington, D.C.) and promotes cross-office collaboration, specialist resources such as the 1792 Accelerator and a visible focus on inclusion, sustainability and pro bono/public service.

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Banking & Finance
• Capital Markets
• Corporate & M&A
• Investment Funds
• Real Estate
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• Financial Services & Regulation
• Intellectual Property
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Regulatory & Compliance
• Private Equity & Venture Capital
• Technology & Digital
• ESG & Sustainability
• White Collar Crime
• Tax

Geographic Focus: The firm serves clients from major financial and commercial centres in the United States and Europe, leveraging offices in New York, London, Dublin, Charlotte and Washington, D.C. Cadwalader focuses on cross-border finance, securitisation, fund and investment management work, and corporate and regulatory matters for financial institutions and corporates operating across US–EU markets.

Training Contract

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commercial awareness (especially in financial markets and structured finance)
• Client-service orientation
• Teamwork and cross-office collaboration
• Academic excellence and attention to detail
• Communication skills (written and oral)
• Adaptability and resilience

Evidence Signals

• Relevant finance, fund or structured-products internships/work experience
• Demonstrable commercial awareness of recent regulatory or market changes
• Pro bono or public service involvement
• Cross-border or international experience (e.g., US–UK exposure)
• Sector-specific research or publications (fund finance, securitisation, derivatives)

Benefits & Wellbeing

Awards & Recognition

• GlobalCapital 2022 European Securitization Awards – 'Overall Deal of the Year' (2022)
• GlobalCapital 2022 European Securitization Awards – 'ESG/SRI Deal of the Year' (2022)
• Chambers USA – lead practice and lawyer rankings (2025)
• Chambers USA – lead practice and lawyer rankings (2026)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Pro Bono

The firm maintains a Pro Bono and Public Service programme and publishes Pro Bono and Public Service information on its site, emphasising a culture of public service alongside commercial practice.

Innovation

Cadwalader highlights named resources and initiatives that support specialist practice areas and innovation—examples include the 1792 Accelerator and the Financial Markets Resource Center—positioning the firm to combine legal advice with sector-specific research and product-focused initiatives.

• 1792 Accelerator
• Financial Markets Resource Center
• Patent Litigation Tracker
• BrassTax

Quick Application Angles

• Demonstrate commercial awareness of finance/structured-products markets — reference recent securitisation and fund finance recognition on the firm site to show fit with the firm's core work.
• Highlight any cross-border US–UK experience or interest (e.g., internships or study abroad) — Cadwalader operates across New York, London, Dublin and Washington, D.C., and values cross-office collaboration.
• Reference the firm's named initiatives (for example, the '1792 Accelerator' or Financial Markets Resource Center) when explaining interest in the firm to show alignment with its innovation and sector-specialist initiatives.
• Emphasise collaborative working and client service in examples (team projects, client-facing roles or pro bono), matching the firm's stated focus on cross-office collaboration and client results.
• If you have technical experience related to securitisation, fund finance, derivatives or investment funds, make that explicit — those are core ranked strengths in the firm's London practice.