Home › Firms › Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe

By Hollie Gould · Updated April 2026
US Firm Full Service London Beijing Shanghai Singapore Tokyo San Francisco Silicon Valley New York +24 more

Overview

Orrick is a US-headquartered global law firm with a broad full-service platform active across technology, venture capital, energy & infrastructure, finance and litigation. The firm is repeatedly market-recognised for innovation and venture/VC work (including being named the No.1 legal advisor to the European venture capital ecosystem for a decade) and for its legal-technology initiatives such as CaseStream, Orrick Analytics and a firm-wide GenAI training programme. Orrick combines sector-focused teams (technology, energy & infrastructure, finance, life sciences) with an innovation centre and cross-border platform spanning multiple US, European and Asian offices.

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

  • Corporate & M&A
  • Private Equity & Venture Capital
  • Energy & Natural Resources
  • Infrastructure & Projects
  • Banking & Finance
  • Capital Markets
  • Dispute Resolution & Litigation
  • Data Protection & Privacy
  • Technology & Digital
  • Financial Services & Regulation
  • International Arbitration
  • Employment
  • Tax
  • Real Estate
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences

Geographic Focus: Orrick operates a transatlantic platform linking major US offices with hubs across Europe and Asia (London, Paris, Brussels, Germany offices, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo). The firm’s strategy centres on sector expertise (tech/VC, energy & renewables, finance and infra) and delivering cross-border transactional and contentious work for global corporates, financial institutions, investors and technology companies.

Training Contract

Training is seat-based with rotations through different practice groups; example seat rotations mentioned include mergers & acquisitions, private equity, project finance, capital markets and litigation. The firm emphasises hands-on experience, partner-led mentoring and local training courses.

  • Starting Salary: £60,000 (Year 1); £65,000 (Year 2)
  • NQ Salary: £160,000
  • Trainee Intake: 5
  • Qualification Rate: 40%
  • Academic Requirements: Minimum Degree Requirement: 2:1; Minimum A Level Requirement: ABB. The firm states it looks for strong academic records and language skills (English plus ideally a second language such as Chinese for Asia roles).
  • Application Deadline: 30 April 2026

Seat Options

  • Corporate & M&A
  • Private Equity & Venture Capital
  • Infrastructure & Projects
  • Capital Markets
  • Dispute Resolution & Litigation
  • Technology & Digital
  • Employment
  • Banking & Finance
  • Energy & Natural Resources
  • International Arbitration
  • Tax
  • Real Estate

Sponsorship

Not applicable

SQE Support

£20,000

International Opportunities

0%

Client Secondments

0%

Mentorship

Formal mentor programme pairing trainees and interns with an associate (often 3–5 years PQE in local offices); partner-led mentoring and local training events provide structured feedback and career guidance.

Programmes & Schemes

Stagiaire Internship (Paris)

Three-to-six-month internships (stagiaires) offered throughout the year in the Paris office; interns are paired with a mentor (a lawyer with three to five years' experience), participate in training courses and conferences, and are integrated into team workstreams to gain substantive experience.

  • Duration: 3-6 months

Apply →

Horizon – Orrick's Recruitment Event

Annual recruitment event in Paris that invites around 50 students for firm presentations, job-dating/Q&A sessions and social networking with partners, associates and current interns; used as a recruitment pipeline for internships and junior roles.

  • Duration: 1 day (annual event)
  • Places: 50

Apply →

Asia Careers portal (experienced & junior roles)

Asia careers hub and rolling recruitment for roles across Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo with openings listed on Orrick's Asia recruitment portal.

Apply →

Notable Matters

Pasqal — €340 million financing and dual listing

Advised Pasqal on a €340 million financing in anticipation of a dual public listing on Nasdaq and Euronext — acting as legal adviser on the financing and listing preparations for a significant quantum-computing company fundraise and cross-border capital markets work.

Capital Markets

Anthropic — Series G financing (client adviser across rounds)

Advised Anthropic on its $30 billion Series G fundraising (reported Series G at $380 billion post-money valuation) and has acted for the company across prior rounds since founding, providing VC and growth-stage financing advice on multiple rounds.

Private Equity & Venture Capital

Oklo & Meta — Support agreement for 1.2 GW nuclear energy development

Advised on a first-of-its-kind commercial arrangement where Meta agreed to prepay for power to support Oklo’s 1.2 GW nuclear energy development in southern Ohio — structuring commercial agreements that advance innovative project-finance and power purchase prepayment mechanisms.

Energy & Natural Resources

Pegasystems — Victory at Virginia Supreme Court in trade secrets judgment matter

Acted for Pegasystems in litigation that resulted in the Virginia Supreme Court affirming rejection of a record judgment and ordering a new trial, preserving client interests in a major trade secrets dispute and demonstrating capabilities in high-stakes commercial litigation and appeals.

Dispute Resolution & Litigation

What Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Looks For

Key Competencies

  • Strong academic record (minimum 2:1 degree)
  • Commercial awareness
  • Teamwork and peer collaboration
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving
  • Language skills (English plus ideally a second language for regional roles)
  • Interest in technology and innovation (GenAI/legal tech familiarity)

Evidence Signals

  • Demonstrable commercial or transactional experience (VC/tech/infrastructure)
  • Mooting or litigation experience for contentious roles
  • Pro bono or community involvement
  • Language skills (Chinese or other languages for Asia roles)
  • Experience with legal tech, data analytics or technology-driven projects

Benefits & Wellbeing

  • Trainee salary: £60,000 (Year 1) and £65,000 (Year 2)
  • Newly qualified (NQ) salary: £160,000
  • SQE grant: £20,000
  • PGDL/GDL grant: Not applicable
  • Annual leave: 25 days
  • Annual target hours: 1,800
  • Extensive partner-led mentoring and formal trainee mentor programme
  • Access to firm-wide innovation and legal-tech training (GenAI labs, Orrick Analytics, CaseStream)
  • Pro bono practice opportunities and dedicated pro bono resources
  • Global alumni network and cross-office exposure

Awards & Recognition

  • Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards 2026 — Winner: Best Tech Training Program Implementation (GenAI education initiative)
  • Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards 2026 — Winner: E-Discovery Technology and Innovation
  • Financial Times — Named among the Top 10 Most Innovative Law Firms Globally of the past 20 years
  • The American Lawyer — Legal Services Innovation Award (2018)
  • PitchBook — No. 1 legal advisor to the European venture capital ecosystem (ten years in a row)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Publishes France index de l’égalité professionnelle entre les femmes et les hommes (gender equality index) for France; promotes community responsibility and pro bono work across offices.

  • Inclusion & Belonging
  • Pro Bono
  • Responsible Business @Orrick
  • Veterans' Legal Career Fair
  • Orrick Alumni

Pro Bono

Active pro bono programme with high-profile matters (examples include class action for veterans regarding delays in benefits claims and a lawsuit challenging TRICARE coverage exclusions for transgender dependents). The firm encourages lawyers to give back and has dedicated pro bono resources and at least one lawyer focused full-time on sourcing and managing pro bono matters.

Innovation

Orrick invests heavily in legal technology and innovation, operating a dedicated Tech Studio and an analytics practice that blends attorneys, technologists and project managers. The firm has implemented CaseStream internally, uses GenAI-driven eDiscovery processes (reported reduction in review time by 88%), and embeds GenAI and technology training into lawyer development. Leadership includes a Chief Innovation Officer and managing directors who run the Innovation and Analytics teams.

  • Orrick Tech Studio
  • Orrick Analytics
  • CaseStream (homegrown litigation and transaction management system)
  • Legal Technology Innovation Initiative
  • Firm-wide GenAI education initiative and GenAI training labs

Quick Application Angles

  • Highlight relevant VC or tech-sector experience and reference Orrick’s sustained market leadership in European venture capital (ten years at No.1) — tie your commercial examples to venture financing or growth-stage deals.
  • Demonstrate interest in innovation and legal tech (mention GenAI, CaseStream or eDiscovery analytics) — Orrick places visible emphasis on GenAI training and analytics.
  • Emphasise team-based, cross-border experience and language skills (English + another language such as Chinese for Asia roles) and give concrete examples of working in multinational teams.
  • Show commitment to pro bono or social-impact work — reference Orrick’s active pro bono matters (veterans’ class action, LGBTQ+ veterans’ healthcare case) to signal cultural fit.
  • Use specific practice examples (renewables/project finance, fintech/tech transactions, or high-value litigation) to demonstrate commercial awareness of the firm’s sector strengths.

Apply to Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe with Confidence

Use YourLegalLadder's AI-powered TC Application Copilot to decode Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe's questions and generate firm-specific, evidence-backed outlines.

Start Your Application Free