Sullivan & Cromwell

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Sullivan & Cromwell

Sullivan & Cromwell recruits were drawm to the US firm’s distinctive mix of elite work, small-intake and early responsibility. Trainees praise the ‘generalist approach to training and practice’ which means that ‘you go where the work is’ and results in juniors developing a broad and flexible skill set. ‘High-quality, cross-border work’ is the norm at Sullivan & Cromwell, undertaken alongside ‘colleagues who are clever and hard-working’.

Respondents highlight the firm’s ‘collaborative spirit and collegiate atmosphere’, helped along by canteen culture (breakfast and lunch are free and delicious!), ‘partner approachability’ and ‘competent and friendly juniors and mid-level associates’. Trainees also value the ‘very open-door policy, even up to managing partner level’. Colleagues are ‘authentic and enjoy talking about things beyond work ‘, including ‘which restaurants to try, places to go and things to read and watch’. International secondments add further appeal, and are described as an ‘amazing experience both professionally and personally’.

The work itself is demanding but formative. Best moments included ‘running a large in-person signing’, coordinating a deal process and attempting ‘a drafting task which would normally be done by a third-year associate’ before receiving ‘really positive feedback’.  One trainee particularly enjoyed attending a Competition and Markets Authority workshop with a client just three weeks into the training contract.

That responsibility can cut both ways. Some recruits want ‘better transparency of work allocation’, improved work-life balance and ‘more support from supervisors’. Lean teams, high expectations and ‘juggling lots of different matters’ can make busy periods challenging. Others mention weaker legal tech, and limited research opportunities as areas for improvement.

For trainees seeking top-tier international work, serious responsibility and a genuinely collegiate London office, Sullivan & Cromwell offers a hands-on, highly-personalised training experience.

Why I chose Sullivan & Cromwell Chloe Keung, Trainee Solicitor (2024 – 2026) Associate (2026 to date)

Departments to date: M&A, Finance/Restructuring, Capital markets, overseas secondment New York office, and Project Finance

University: King's College London

Degree: Law

The opportunities: What initially drew me to S&C was the breadth of opportunities, which is something that has continued to hold true. S&C’s global reputation and position attract clients and deals of the highest level. This gives me unmatched work experience and top-tier quality of training. These are things I deeply value and look for in my training. The deals I have been involved in during my time as a trainee have all been high-value, market-leading, complex and highly varied. There are always new things to learn from each deal, which makes my training experience enlightening and rewarding.

The international exposure S&C provides is also crucial to me given my international background. Every single deal I have worked on has been truly cross-border and I constantly work with high-profile international clients, counterparties and teams. Together with S&C’s  secondment opportunities, training at S&C furthers my background and aspirations.

S&C adopts a generalist approach in its corporate practice areas upon qualification. Its emphasis on growing well-rounded corporate lawyers allows me to gain a wide variety of experience before having to specialise. This breadth does not come at the expense of depth. Trainees at S&C are given substantive responsibilities from the outset and are expected and treated as meaningful members of lean deal teams. The level of hands-on experience in deals, together with the structured training programmes, provides solid training and professional growth.

My Overseas Secondment: I spent four months on secondment in the New York office during the second seat of my second year. To date, it has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. My seat was in Project Finance, but I was also involved in other general Finance matters, working with clients like listed companies and the US government. It was interesting to experience transactional work in the New York office and to observe both the similarities and the nuanced differences in how deals are run in New York and London. I also made new connections across the firm and was able to put faces to names with colleagues I had previously only worked with remotely. The New York office is S&C’s headquarters and the sheer scale and presence of it made working there an experience in itself. Living in Manhattan, I also tried to make the most of my time outside of work. Being the iconic city it is, New York certainly lived up to the hype!

The culture: The smaller trainee cohort not only means that we get to know each other well. It also means there are plenty of opportunities for everyone, from secondments to seat allocations, so trainees are not competing against one another for places. This really helps to foster a wholesome and collaborative culture among trainees and in the office.

The smaller cohort also means that seniors pay a lot of attention to training us, giving us lots of learning opportunities. The seniors I work with, from associates to partners, are approachable and friendly and they are willing to go out of their way to explain things and impart their knowledge and skills to us. Learning directly from these top industry experts is such an invaluable opportunity and is something not as common at firms with much larger trainee cohorts.

S&C has lean deal teams, which means trainees are very often entrusted with a high level of responsibility from early on. That said, there has never been a moment where I felt unsupported and unready for a task because support and guidance are often provided. Seniors are also willing to let us take on work which would otherwise be associates’ tasks at other firms and learn from hands-on experience. Just a few weeks into my training contract, a partner told me after a closing that I was doing the same work as an associate on the other side of the deal, which was so motivating for a first-seater!

About the firm

The firm:

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP provides the highest quality legal advice and representation to clients around the world. The results the Firm achieves have set it apart for more than 140 years and have become a model for the modern practice of law. See below for more information about what sets S&C apart.

Co-Managing partners: Kon Asimacopoulos and John Horsfield-Bradbury

Administrative partner: Craig Jones

Other offices: Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York, Palo Alto, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo, Washington, DC.

Who we are:

Today, S&C is a leader in each of its core practice areas and in each of its geographic markets, illustrated by our regular top rankings in independent surveys.

With more than 1,000 lawyers across an international network of 13 offices on four continents, S&C has maintained an international reach by developing offices to serve client needs and staffing them primarily with lawyers who have been with S&C for their entire careers.

Sullivan & Cromwell’s London office, established in 1972, is the second-largest office of the firm. It serves as a natural focal point for English law advice, as well as for cross-border European and cross-continental transactions.

There are 135 lawyers and trainees in total working in the office across a number of practice areas, including: Antitrust, Capital Markets, Finance (which includes Credit & Leveraged Finance and Project Development & Finance), Financial Services, Mergers & Acquisitions (which includes Private Equity), Restructuring and Tax.

What we do:

The London office serves major corporate, financial institution, investment banking, private equity, government, sovereign wealth, individual and family clients throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Gulf regions and Central Asia, as well as our clients from outside these regions with interests there. S&C London is unique in the scale, complexity and significance of the work carried out in an office of its size.

What we’re looking for:

S&C’s goal is to employ the brightest minds, regardless of subject studied at university. The firm seeks trainees who have strong academic credentials and an excellent prior academic record. Most important, however, candidates should also have intellectual curiosity, integrity, common sense, commercial awareness and an ambition to succeed as a lawyer at one of the world’s leading law firms. Strong interpersonal skills will also be important: S&C is looking for team players.

While S&C expects most of its applicants to be penultimate‐year law students and final‐year non‐law students, graduates and postgraduates are also eligible.

What you’ll do:

Trainee positions with S&C are divided into two six‐month seats during your first year of training, and three four-month seats during your second year of training. The firm distinguishes its trainee programme by offering genuine mentoring from partners and senior lawyers who take a keen interest in their trainees’ career development. Trainees are, in each seat, supervised by partners or other senior lawyers, who guide the trainees through their work and help ensure that they are engaged and challenged. These partners and senior lawyers ensure that the trainees see a range of outstanding work and receive guidance to help make the transition from academic study to legal practice.

The trainee solicitor programme is overseen by S&C London partners Ben Perry and Jon Hannah and is part of the firm’s integrated, global approach to recruiting, associate development and client service. In this regard, S&C differs from many of its competitors in that it is truly one law firm and one partnership worldwide, fostering a strong culture of teamwork and collaboration between offices.

Perks:

Private health insurance; dental insurance; life insurance; income protection insurance, a group personal pension scheme with the option to contribute via salary sacrifice; paid maternity, paternity and adoption leave plans; a subsidised gym membership; and a health cash plan, which offers annual health screening, PMI excess cover, complementary and alternative therapies, prescriptions, inoculations and flu jabs.

Sponsorship

We cover SQE course fees in full for prospective trainees who accept our offer of a training contract. We also pay a maintenance grant, which is currently £20,000, payable in two equal instalments.

Seat options

Antitrust, Capital Markets, Finance (which includes Credit & Leveraged Finance and Project Development & Finance), Financial Services, Mergers & Acquisitions (which includes Private Equity), Restructuring and Tax.

Tips from the recruiter

1. Conduct thorough research to understand S&C’s culture, practice areas and clients, incorporating these insights into your application and cover letter.
2. Showcase yourself using your own voice – discuss your genuine interests and passions, along with any transferable skills gained from them.
3. Double check for accuracy and consistency – attention to detail is of paramount importance.

Diversity/Inclusion