Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Overview
Willkie Farr & Gallagher is a US-headquartered, full-service international law firm with a major London presence and a highly visible European platform. Founded in 1888 in New York, the firm positions itself on complex, cross-border work across more than 45 practice areas, combining US transactional and litigation capability with market-leading European teams (notably in Brussels and London). Willkie highlights innovation (ranked among the most innovative firms in North America in 2025), deep sector knowledge (finance, private equity, digital assets, healthcare, energy) and a collegiate, client-focused culture that emphasises giving junior lawyers early responsibility alongside structured mentoring.
- Headquarters: New York, 787 Seventh Avenue
- Founded: 1888
- Lawyers: 1,300
- Trainees: 7
- Offices: 16
Values & Culture
Practice Areas
- Competition & Antitrust
- Capital Markets
- Corporate & M&A
- Dispute Resolution & Litigation
- Data Protection & Privacy
- Employment
- Energy & Natural Resources
- ESG & Sustainability
- Financial Services & Regulation
- Insolvency & Restructuring
- Insurance & Reinsurance
- Intellectual Property
- International Arbitration
- Investment Funds
- Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Private Client & Wealth
- Real Estate
- Regulatory & Compliance
- Tax
- Technology & Digital
- White Collar Crime
Geographic Focus: Willkie operates from 16 offices across six countries with a coast-to-coast U.S. platform and a growing European footprint (notably London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Munich and Rome). The Brussels office is the hub for EU antitrust & competition work; London handles English and US law advice for corporate, finance and disputes matters; continental offices (Frankfurt, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome, Hamburg) offer transactional and regulatory expertise. The firm pursues cross-border mandates
Training Contract
Willkie emphasises early, substantive responsibility with structured in‑house training, real-time feedback and integrated mentoring. Trainees and early careers participants are placed into substantive practice teams and receive partner and associate mentors; the firm highlights cross-office collaboration and committee involvement to support integration.
- Starting Salary: Year 1: £60,000; Year 2: £65,000
- NQ Salary: £180,000
- Trainee Intake: 7
- Qualification Rate: 83%
- Academic Requirements: Minimum degree requirement: 2:1; Minimum A-level requirement: No minimum (published supplementary data).
- Application Deadline: 2025-12-10
SQE Support
SQE grant: £20,000 (published supplementary data); study leave and provider details not stated on the firm pages.
International Opportunities
0% chance of secondment abroad
Client Secondments
0% chance of client secondment
Mentorship
Each early careers participant is assigned to a team of partner and associate mentors who make introductions, provide guidance and deliver real-time feedback. The firm further supports trainees through senior lawyer mentoring, social events and committee participation.
Programmes & Schemes
A 10-week summer programme for students who have completed their first or second year of law school. Participants work alongside partners and associates on substantive client matters and participate in mentoring, training sessions and social programming. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and include resume, cover letter and law school transcript where available.
- Duration: 10 weeks
Local early-careers placements in the Brussels office (referred to as 'Stagiaires') that provide hands-on experience with the Brussels team's antitrust, corporate and litigation work.
Early-careers placements in Willkie’s Paris office (referred to as 'Stagiaires'), offering exposure to the Paris transactional and disputes practices.
Local German early careers tracks including Referendar placements, research positions and internships in Willkie’s Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg offices.
Notable Matters
Willkie advised Meta on a long-term AI infrastructure agreement and related investment in AMD, supporting technology, commercial and regulatory aspects of the multi-faceted, strategic collaboration.
Technology & Digital
Willkie advised on the €13 billion treasury notes programme of the Brussels Capital Region, providing counsel on the structuring and issuance mechanics for a major government borrowing programme.
Capital Markets
Willkie advised Agence France Locale, a French bank wholly owned by local governments, on its acquisition of GE SCF S.C.A., covering transactional, regulatory and financing elements of the acquisition.
Corporate & M&A
Willkie advised Dossier, a modern fragrance brand, in connection with a growth investment by American Pacific Group, supporting the client on commercial, corporate and financing aspects of the transaction.
Private Equity & Venture Capital
Willkie advised Saks Global on its acquisition of Neiman Marcus Group, a complex deal (total enterprise value cited as $2.7 billion in reporting) that recast luxury retail ownership and required multi-party structuring and financing advice.
Corporate & M&A
Willkie advised CorMedix in its acquisition of Melinta Therapeutics for approximately $300 million and related debt-financing matters, in a strategic consolidation within the biopharma sector.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Willkie advised the sales agent in Nkarta’s $100 million at‑the‑market equity offering programme, handling securities and capital markets aspects of the financing.
Capital Markets
What Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP Looks For
Key Competencies
- Commercial awareness
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Attention to detail
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Resilience and adaptability
- Good judgement
- Organisation and ability to manage multiple tasks
- Interest in innovation/technology (for Digital Works and fintech practices)
- Pro bono/public-service commitment
Evidence Signals
- Substantive internships or vacation schemes with law firms, in‑house teams or government
- Pro bono or public interest experience
- Mooting or advocacy experience for litigation roles
- Demonstrable commercial or transactional work experience for corporate/finance roles
- Language skills and international experience for cross-border roles
- Demonstrable interest or coursework in technology/digital assets for fintech roles
- Strong academic record (minimum 2:1 preferred)
Benefits & Wellbeing
- Trainee salary Year 1: £60,000
- Trainee salary Year 2: £65,000
- NQ salary: £180,000
- PGDL/Conversion grant: £20,000
- SQE grant: £20,000
- Annual leave: 25 days
- Comprehensive medical, dental, vision and life insurance
- Paid parental leave (up to 18 weeks following birth or adoption in U.S. policy description)
- Employee Assistance Programme and on-site wellness events
- Wellness Incentive Program and $1,000 per year fitness allowance (US benefit listed)
- Retirement/401(k) plan participation and firm contributions (US)
- Paid dues for bar and up to two bar associations (US)
- Reimbursement for moving expenses, bar courses and bar examination fees (US)
- Emergency back-up day care with Bright Horizons (US)
- Pre-tax transportation benefits and subsidised HSA/FSA options (US)
- Salary advance to incoming first-year associates (US policy item)
- Preferential student loan refinancing programmes via firm partnerships
Wellbeing
Employee Assistance Program (counselling and referral services), on-site wellness events, Wellness Incentive Program, Maven Clinic family planning and fertility services, emergency back-up day care with Bright Horizons.
Awards & Recognition
- 100 practice area and 210 individual rankings in the 2025 Chambers guides (2025)
- Ranked #11 in the Financial Times North America Innovative Lawyers Report (2025)
- 'A‑List' Firm — The American Lawyer (2025)
- Ranked Among Best Summer Associate Programs — Vault (2026)
- 2025 Pro Bono Honor Roll — National Women’s Law Center (NWLC)
- Named Private Equity and Real Estate Practice Groups of the Year — Law360 (2025)
- Ranked Among the Top Law Firms for Investigations — GIR 30 (2025)
- Included Among Latin America’s Top International Law Firms — Latinvex (2025)
- Numerous practice and individual rankings across Chambers USA, Chambers Europe, Chambers FinTech, Chambers France, Chambers Germany, Chambers High Net Worth, Chambers UK and Chambers Global (2025)
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Firm membership in the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, Alliance for Asian American Justice and Lawyers for Racial Justice; long-standing commitment to serving the underprivileged, promoting social justice, and supporting local communities.
- Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA) membership
- Alliance for Asian American Justice membership
- Lawyers for Racial Justice membership
- Affinity groups and internal inclusion programming
- Pro bono programmes and community outreach initiatives
Pro Bono
Willkie emphasises pro bono service firmwide, is on the 2025 Pro Bono Honor Roll and participates in large-scale public interest matters. The Chicago office reported that 100% of full-time attorneys participated in meaningful pro bono activities in a recent year. The firm is a member of collaborative initiatives addressing systemic racism, anti-Asian hate legal support, voting rights, immigration and civil rights, and pursues transactional pro bono engagements for not-for-profits.
Innovation
Willkie invests in legal technology and sector-focused innovation through Willkie Digital Works and firmwide deployments such as Protégé in collaboration with LexisNexis. The firm has developed AI-enabled litigation tools (including an automated claimant-declaration drafting platform used in major mass actions) and highlights its digital assets and fintech regulatory practice. Trainees and junior lawyers are exposed to these initiatives through practice-team projects, cross-office collaboration and technology-enabled workflows.
- Willkie Digital Works
- Protégé (firmwide rollout in strategic collaboration with LexisNexis)
- AI platform to automate drafting of claimant declarations (litigation technology)
- Digital Dollar Project involvement
Quick Application Angles
- Highlight Willkie Digital Works or any experience with digital assets/crypto/fintech — the firm markets a dedicated Digital Works team and is recognised in FinTech rankings.
- Reference the Brussels antitrust hub or recent Brussels‑based work (e.g., the €13bn Treasury Notes Programme) if applying to competition/antitrust roles — demonstrate EU competition knowledge.
- Mention the firm’s innovation ranking (FT Innovative Lawyers #11, 2025) and concrete examples (Protégé rollout; AI claimant‑declaration tool) to show commercial and technical fit.
- Emphasise examples of early responsibility, team-based outcomes and mentoring experiences — Willkie stresses real responsibility from the outset and partner/associate mentoring.
- Where relevant, cite cross-border transaction experience or language skills and link them to Willkie’s transatlantic platform (US‑headquartered with 16 offices across North America and Europe).
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