Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Overview

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is a leading global law firm headquartered in New York with an elite, full-service practice platform and a long track record on high-value cross-border corporate, capital markets, financial institutions and complex litigation matters. The firm markets itself as a world-class, collaborative firm with more than 1,000 lawyers in key financial and political capitals and a strong emphasis on pro bono and inclusion. The firm is listed in supplementary profiling as 'Magic Circle' and operates a highly integrated international platform with notable strengths in capital markets, M&A, financial services regulation and sophisticated litigation.

• Headquarters: New York, 450 Lexington Avenue
• Lawyers: 1,000+ (as stated on the firm's website)
• Trainees: 5
• Offices: 11

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

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

Geographic Focus: Global: headquartered in New York with strategic offices in key financial centres across the Americas, Europe and Asia (London, Brussels, Madrid, São Paulo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Washington, Northern California and Los Angeles). The firm operates an integrated, cross‑border platform focused on multi-jurisdictional capital markets, M&A and financial institutions work, and maintains English‑law capability in London as well as U.S. law capability across non-U.S. offices.

Training Contract

London: a two-year training programme recruited via London assessment days; trainees rotate through multiple practice areas across two years (the programme expressly includes seats in M&A, finance and restructuring and exposure to the firm's broader capabilities). The London programme includes SQE preparation and full sponsorship (see SQE support). Seats are allocated through the firm's assessment-day recruitment process and assignment system; trainees typically experience a range of corporate and litigation practices and may request overseas rotations.

• Starting Salary: £65,000 (first-year trainee, London)
• NQ Salary: £180,000
• Trainee Intake: 5
• Academic Requirements: Minimum degree guideline: 2:1 (supplementary data). Training programmes are open to penultimate-year undergraduate law students and postgraduate students with a law degree; no minimum A-level requirement is specified.
• Application Deadline: 2026-11-30

Seat Options

• Corporate & M&A
• Banking & Finance
• Insolvency & Restructuring

Sponsorship

Full sponsorship for the first and second stages of the SQE in the year after graduation; SQE grant: £20,000. PGDL/GDL: Not applicable (supplementary data).

SQE Support

The London programme provides training and full sponsorship to help trainees through the first and second stages of the SQE in the year after graduation. Supplementary data records an SQE grant of £20,000.

International Opportunities

Select trainees typically have an opportunity to request a rotation or secondment in the firm's non-U.S. offices (the London programme notes typical opportunities in New York or Brussels). Supplementary data indicates roughly a 25% chance of secondment abroad.

Client Secondments

0%

Mentorship

Each trainee/summer is paired with a partner mentor and an associate liaison; the summer programme additionally appoints Summer Program Coordinators (associates) who manage assignments. The firm operates formal midsummer and exit feedback and an integrated trainee/associate mentoring structure.

Apply on the Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP Looks For

Key Competencies

• Collaboration and teamwork
• Commercial awareness
• Strong academic record (2:1 or equivalent)
• Attention to detail and high-quality drafting
• Initiative and resilience
• Client service orientation
• Language skills for international roles (e.g., Mandarin for Asia roles)

Evidence Signals

• Substantive commercial work or internships (particularly in capital markets, corporate or litigation)
• Pro bono experience
• Judicial clerkship experience for lateral or post-clerkship roles
• Academic transcripts and high academic achievement
• Mandarin language skills for Asia opportunities
• Demonstrable teamwork and client-facing experience

Benefits & Wellbeing

• First-year trainee salary: £65,000
• Second-year trainee salary: £70,000
• Newly qualified salary: £180,000
• SQE grant: £20,000
• PGDL/GDL grant: Not applicable
• Annual leave: 25 days
• No annual target hours (no targets)
• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage (employees and their families)
• Fertility treatment coverage and financial assistance for surrogacy and adoption
• Paid parental leave and access to back-up childcare
• Free Calm app subscription and confidential counseling/coaching services
• On-site Health & Wellness Center in New York; partnerships with primary care in Northern California and Washington DC
• Concierge medicine service for New York employees (referrals, scheduling, second opinions)
• Health club discounts, flu vaccinations, fitness activities and educational webinars
• Retirement savings (401(k) with pre-tax and Roth options for U.S. employees)
• Tax-advantaged spending accounts (FSA, HSA) and commuter programmes
• Student-loan refinancing assistance and LSAT reimbursement of up to $1,000 for paralegals
• Charitable giving platform with matching gifts and volunteering opportunities
• On-site cafeteria (New York) and various office amenities across locations

Wellbeing

Firm is a signatory of the American Bar Association Well-Being Pledge. Offers confidential counselling, free Calm app subscription, on-site counsellor (New York), on-site Health & Wellness Center, partnerships with primary care in some offices, health screenings, fitness activities and mental health coaching.

Awards & Recognition

• Pro Bono Partner Award, New York County Defender Services (2024)
• Legal Service Award, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (2025)
• Pro Bono Excellence Award, LGBT Bar Association Foundation of Greater New York (2024)
• International Pro Bono Excellence (support for Prison Journalism Project), Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice (2024)
• Law Firm of the Year, New York Law Journal (2026)
• Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year, Chambers USA Awards (2026)
• Firm of the Year, Law360 (2023, 2025)
• Capital Markets Practice Group of the Year, Law360 (2024, 2025)
• IFLR Americas Restructuring Team of the Year (2024, 2025)
• Multiple pro bono and community awards from New York State Bar Association, The Door, NYLAG and others (2021–2024)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Firm states an institutional commitment to inclusion across recruiting and development, with an equal opportunity policy that covers protected characteristics and a robust learning and development strategy supporting inclusion and career progression.

• More than 80 events per year focused on building community and promoting an inclusive work environment
• Davis Polk Revisited (year-long reentry programme for former Davis Polk lawyers)
• Chief Inclusion & Engagement Officer role and firm-wide inclusion learning and development
• Structured pro bono partnerships supporting vulnerable communities and targeted pro bono initiatives (e.g., Rikers writ project)

Pro Bono

Davis Polk devotes tens of thousands of hours to pro bono work and has one of the largest dedicated pro bono legal teams, led by Chief Pro Bono Counsel Amelia T.R. Starr. Notable programmes include the Rikers Island writ project, COVID-19 Recovery Task Force work (child support pilot), immigration and humanitarian projects, high-profile civil rights and public interest litigation, and sustained partnerships with legal services organisations. The firm does not accept direct individual pro bono inquiries; clients come through partner organisations.

Innovation

Davis Polk engages with legal innovation and technology through thought leadership (speaking on AI and legal tech), selective adoption of new client-facing approaches and experimentation (noted issuance of an NFT deal toy for a crypto/Fintech transaction). The firm positions innovation as a practice enhancer and supports lawyer engagement with technology topics; specific proprietary tool names were not listed on the available pages.

• Firm engagement with AI and legal tech debates (speakers and panels)
• Use of novel deal commemoratives (e.g., first-ever NFT deal toy for a transaction)
• Participation in industry conferences on legal innovation

Quick Application Angles

• Lead with commercial examples linked to the firm’s capital markets and M&A strength — reference a relevant Davis Polk deal (e.g., Spotify direct listing, PagSeguro IPO or Galaxy Digital acquisition) and explain what you learned from that deal and how it relates to the role you want.
• Emphasise teamwork and mentoring: highlight examples where you contributed substantively in a team setting (the firm scores A for peer support and partner approachability), and show how you would use the firm’s partner/associate mentoring structure.
• For London trainees, note the firm’s SQE sponsorship and two-year rotation: explain why you want broad exposure across M&A, finance and restructuring and reference the London assessment‑day route.
• If applying for Asia roles or the Asia Summer Associate Program, demonstrate Mandarin competency and any Asia-facing commercial experience — the firm explicitly seeks Mandarin-fluent candidates for those programmes.
• Mention pro bono engagement and public-interest motivation — the firm has an exceptionally active pro bono programme (Rikers writ project, COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, high-profile civil rights matters) and values candidates who will participate.