Milbank LLP

Overview

Milbank LLP is a long-established international law firm (founded 1866) centred on complex cross-border transactional and contentious work, with particular market strength in project & infrastructure finance, financial restructuring, banking & finance, digital infrastructure and high-stakes litigation. The firm combines a transatlantic platform (headquartered in New York at 55 Hudson Yards) with major hubs in London, Frankfurt, Munich and key Asia and Latin America offices, enabling coordinated multi-jurisdictional teams on landmark financings, restructurings and disputes. Milbank is highly ranked across major directories and industry awards, and is distinguished by large-scale project experience (including market-leading digital infrastructure and renewables financings), a structured associate development curriculum (notably Milbank@Harvard) and an embedded pro bono culture.

• Headquarters: New York, 55 Hudson Yards
• Founded: 1866
• Trainees: 15
• Offices: 12

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Banking & Finance
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• Corporate & M&A
• Capital Markets
• Infrastructure & Projects
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Competition & Antitrust
• Real Estate
• Tax
• Private Client & Wealth
• Intellectual Property
• Transport & Logistics
• Technology & Digital
• ESG & Sustainability
• Investment Funds
• Private Equity & Venture Capital
• Regulatory & Compliance
• White Collar Crime
• Insurance & Reinsurance
• Environment & Planning

Geographic Focus: Milbank operates from a transatlantic core (New York headquarters with major US hubs in Los Angeles and Washington, DC) complemented by a significant European platform (London, Frankfurt, Munich) and a long-established Asia practice (Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo) plus São Paulo in Latin America. The firm is positioned to deliver integrated cross-border teams on complex financings, restructurings, capital markets and high-value disputes — with particular emphasis on energy & infrastructure,

Training Contract

Transactional associates in New York undertake a nine-month rotational scheme: three rotations of three months each across three of seven transactional groups to help determine practice focus and build cross-practice relationships. Rotations are accompanied by an intensive core training series including drafting workshops, and associates have assigned partner mentors with regular development discussions. Litigators follow Advocacy@Milbank (multi-year staged workshops and a tiered writing programme). Mid- to senior-associates attend Milbank@Harvard for one week annually across three modules.

• Starting Salary: £70,000 (Year 1); £75,000 (Year 2)
• NQ Salary: £175,000
• Trainee Intake: 15
• Qualification Rate: 100%
• Academic Requirements: Minimum degree requirement: 2:1. Minimum A-level requirement: No minimum.
• Application Deadline: 1 January 2026

Seat Options

• Alternative Investments
• Capital Markets
• Corporate
• Leveraged Finance
• Project, Energy and Infrastructure Finance
• Real Estate
• Transportation and Space

Sponsorship

PGDL/GDL grant: £20,000; SQE grant: £20,000 (figures taken from supplementary data supplied).

SQE Support

£20,000 SQE grant (as advertised in supplementary data); the firm’s training pages describe comprehensive preparation and financial support for qualifying lawyers where applicable.

International Opportunities

Associates and trainees are offered opportunities to spend time in other Milbank offices across the firm’s global platform (the firm emphasises cross‑office experience), with secondment availability and international assignments arranged on a case-by-case basis (specific destination offices include London, Frankfurt, Munich, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo).

Client Secondments

0%

Mentorship

One-to-one partner mentor arrangements for associates and trainees; partner and peer mentoring is embedded in rotation reviews and development plans. The firm runs practice-group mentoring, one-on-one writing coaching, buddy schemes and structured feedback through Milbank@Harvard leadership feedback modules.

Apply on the Milbank LLP website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Milbank LLP Looks For

Key Competencies

• Commercial awareness
• Academic excellence (minimum 2:1 degree)
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Strong writing and advocacy skills
• Resilience and ability to manage demanding workloads
• Client focus and professional presence
• Interest in cross-border, multi-jurisdictional work

Evidence Signals

• High-performance law-school record (top schools are regularly recruited)
• Relevant commercial internships or vacation scheme experience
• Pro bono or advocacy experience (litigation applicants)
• International experience or language skills (Mandarin, Japanese, Korean or Bahasa Indonesia useful for Asia roles)
• Demonstrable teamwork (eg. mooting, clinical programmes) and practical deal experience

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Trainee salary: Year 1 £70,000; Year 2 £75,000
• NQ salary: £175,000
• PGDL/GDL grant: £20,000
• SQE grant: £20,000
• Flexible working: full-time flex-time and reduced hours options
• Employee Assistance Program (confidential counselling and family-life balance support)
• Emergency back-up child care services
• Paid child-care leave and paid primary caregiver leave for men and women
• Transitional flex full-time/part-time policy after primary caregiver leave
• Extended personal leave
• On-site mothers' rooms
• Subsidised major health plans (US) and private medical insurance (UK)
• Subsidised dental plan
• Vision plan
• Firm-paid life insurance and AD&D
• Firm-paid long-term disability (up to $5,000 monthly) and long-term care insurance
• Salary continuation during short-term disability
• Worldwide travel assistance
• Supplemental life insurance up to $1,250,000
• Health care and dependent care reimbursement accounts
• Pre-tax transit and parking commuter programmes / season ticket loan (UK)
• 401(k) savings plan with after-tax and Roth options (US)
• On-site health centre (55 Hudson Yards, NY)
• Four weeks accrued vacation for attorneys (US); annual leave 23 days (UK trainees; supplementary data)
• One-time interest-free salary advances to incoming first-year associates
• Relocation expenses covered for incoming and lateral associates
• Reimbursement for bar review courses and bar exam
• Free private banking with JPMorgan Chase or Citigroup (US)
• Laptops and iPhones for each incoming associate
• Subsidised on-site restaurant (NY) and coffee bars (LA & NY)
• Dinner reimbursement after 8:00 p.m. and transportation home after 8:30 p.m.
• Gym membership discounts and select vendor discount programmes
• Lateral associate and administrative staff referral bonuses

Wellbeing

Employee Assistance Programme, signatory of the American Bar Association’s Well‑Being Campaign, wellbeing education and self-awareness opportunities, on-site health centre (NY), pro bono engagement and community volunteering supported by the firm.

Awards & Recognition

• Chambers USA 2026: 36 Milbank practices and 66 attorneys recognised (2026)
• Financial Times: Top 20 Most Innovative Law Firms in North America (year cited on site)
• Vault: Recognised among Top Ten Most Prestigious Law Firms in 2027 Vault Rankings (2026/2027 press item)
• Legal 500 Mexico: International Firm of the Year (Mexico) (2026)
• New York Law Journal: Milbank@Harvard recognised with a 2024 Innovation Award
• IJGlobal / Proximo / Project Finance International: multiple Deal of the Year / Deal awards for digital infrastructure and project finance (2024–2026)
• Named North America ‘Legal Adviser of the Year’; multiple IJGlobal ‘Deal of the Year’ awards (2025/2026)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Milbank is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a formal EEO and Affirmative Action policy (AAP for Individuals with Disabilities and for Disabled Veterans). The firm states a commitment to cultivating inclusive workplaces and provides non-confidential aspects of its AAP for inspection in HR. The firm also embeds pro bono and community engagement into career development.

• Balance@Milbank
• Milbank Parenting Group
• US Affinity Groups (firm-wide)
• London Focus Groups
• Affinity Groups and Focus Groups (firm-wide engagement networks)

Pro Bono

All attorneys are required to dedicate a minimum of 25 hours of pro bono work annually. Milbank reported topping 53,000 pro bono hours globally in 2025, handled ~700 active cases in 2025, averaged 54 hours per lawyer in the US with 94% lawyer participation. Ranked 14th for breadth of commitment in The American Lawyer 2025 Pro Bono Scorecard and ranked 10th for breadth of commitment in The American Lawyer 2024 Pro Bono Scorecard.

Innovation

Milbank’s innovation strategy blends practice-led market innovation (notably in digital infrastructure and financing for AI/data centres) with internal tech and process improvements designed to reduce paper usage and support hybrid working. The firm highlights large-scale, cutting-edge financings in AI infrastructure and data centres as practical examples of legal/structuring innovation. Internally, Milbank implements paper‑reduction, energy‑efficient hardware, video meeting practices and other green office technologies; trainees engage with deal-related tech and cross-practice project teams on large, tech‑enabled transactions.

• Digital Infrastructure Practice Group (market-leading on AI/data-centre finance)
• Milbank@Harvard (training & innovation in associate development)
• Office sustainability & paper-reduction initiatives (dual-screen technology, low-storage architecture)
• Participation in landlord-sponsored green tenant committees and Law Sustainability Network membership

Quick Application Angles

• Reference Milbank’s market-leading digital infrastructure work (e.g., major AI/data‑centre financings and $7.9bn CyrusOne facility) to demonstrate commercial interest in large-scale capital markets and project finance.
• Highlight pro bono commitment and specific pro bono experience (the firm requires a minimum of 25 pro bono hours per attorney and recorded 53,000 pro bono hours in 2025) to align with the firm’s service ethos.
• Show awareness of Milbank’s training structure (nine‑month transactional rotation and Milbank@Harvard) and explain how a rotation approach would help you build cross-practice skills.
• If applying to Asia roles, mention relevant language skills or regional experience (Mandarin, Japanese, Korean or Bahasa Indonesia are cited as helpful) and give examples of cross-border work.
• Emphasise teamwork and examples of partner/mentor-led development (mentoring, coaching or supervised drafting experience) to mirror the firm’s partner-led training culture and high insider training grades.