Milbank LLP is an international law firm headquartered in New York City.
It also has offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Tokyo, Hong Kong, São Paulo, Seoul, Singapore, and Beijing.
What is Milbank known for?
Milbank LLP is one of the nation’s leading firms for corporate finance and restructuring, litigation, and project finance and is known for its international work and focus on the energy sector. Milbank planted its roots on Wall Street more than 150 years ago as Anderson, Adams & Young.
Milbank planted its roots on Wall Street more than 150 years ago as Anderson, Adams & Young. The firm’s first clients included American entrepreneurs, bankers, and railroad financiers, including the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. The firm weathered two World Wars, the Great Depression, and a long string of mergers before settling in as Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in 1962. Today, the firm has 12 offices across the globe—including its new digs in Hudson Yards. The firm also rebranded in 2019, shedding the “Tweed, Hadley & McCloy” to become simply Milbank LLP.
Milbank is a giant in the corporate law space, with a stellar reputation among leading financial institutions and other corporate clients. The firm’s No. 1 spot in Vault’s Project Finance ranking is just the beginning—Milbank is also among the top 25 firms for Banking & Financial Services, Securities/Capital Markets, General Corporate Practice, and M&A.
Milbank’s financial restructuring group has consistently ranked as one of the preeminent practices and leaders in its field. The team is often called into action to represent creditors and other key stakeholders in complicated restructurings, including Puerto Rico, Gymboree, J. Crew, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Caesar’s Entertainment. The firm also advises major hedge funds and private equity firms on complex M&A transactions involving swapping debt for equity to de-stress companies in distress.
Given the firm’s corporate prowess, it is no surprise that it is home to strong securities litigation and white collar defense groups. Among the firm’s ranks are former SEC attorneys (including its former head of enforcement) and seven former Assistant U.S. Attorneys.
Milbank also has a highly regarded Global Projects, Energy, and Infrastructure practice. The firm has a hand in bringing a range of infrastructure projects to life, from financing for airports and roads to ports and pipelines. On the energy side, the firm works with some of America’s most ambitious offshore wind projects and ethanol producers, while keeping a foothold in fossil fuel and metals projects.
Milbank bumps first-year pay to $215,000, outflanking Magic Circle in talent war
Pay continues to spiral at top US law firms
US law firm Milbank hiked pay for its junior lawyers to $215,000, heating up the war for talent in the legal sector.
The firm boosted pay by $10,000 for its more junior lawyers and by $20,000 for its mid-level and senior associates, according to a memo seen by Financial News.
The pay rise applies to associates in the firm’s US, London, Asia, and São Paulo offices and will take effect retroactively from 1 January.
The new compensation scale stretches from $215,000 for lawyers from the class of 2021 to $385,000 for the class of 2014 and above, according to the memo.
Finance-law powerhouse Milbank has consistently pushed the envelope on pay in recent years amid fierce competition between the top firms for junior talent.
Just in June last year, Milbank kicked off a round of pay-rises when it lifted salaries for its first-year lawyers from $190,000 to $200,000.
Rival firm Davis Polk & Wardwell responded by raising salaries for its 2021 lawyers to $205,000, a scale that Milbank and other US law firms also adopted.
Milbank’s move on salaries will now likely be followed by other top firms in the market who traditionally match each other on junior pay and bonuses.
The market for junior lawyers on both sides of the Atlantic is tight thanks to a combination of increased attrition — lots of disillusioned juniors dropped out during the pandemic — and increased demand from record levels of deal activity in 2021.
What makes Milbank unique?
For over 100 years, Milbank has helped those unable to pay for legal assistance, and we were among the first law firms with a partner dedicated to our pro bono practice. We help individuals and organizations overcome overwhelming challenges and we’re honored to do so as often as we can.
What does a law firm do?
Law firms comprise lawyers who advise clients on their rights and responsibilities and represent clients in legal proceedings. Some firms have a variety of practice areas, such as bankruptcy, real estate, immigration, and criminal law. Other firms may specialize in one. Lawyers made up one-third of all employment in the legal services industry in May 2013, with paralegals and legal assistants and legal secretaries combining for another 35 percent. In addition to offices of lawyers, this industry also includes offices of notaries and offices of title abstract and settlement.
Other occupations employed in law firms are record clerks, bookkeepers, information technology (IT) specialists, and general and operations managers. These workers do tasks such as sending invoices to clients and creating the firm’s document management systems. However, these and other occupations make up a small percentage of the legal services industry. (In some firms, these are contract workers who are not employed directly by the law firm and are not counted as part of the legal services industry.)
Responsibilities of law firm workers may overlap. For example, paralegals may be given some administrative tasks—such as filing papers and scheduling meetings—previously assigned to legal secretaries. At the same time, legal secretaries often perform paralegal tasks, including research and fact checking.
Lawyers
Lawyers advise and represent individuals and businesses on legal issues and disputes. Lawyers research relevant laws and regulations and apply them to the clients’ circumstances.
Within a firm, lawyers typically specialize in one or two legal areas. For example, a criminal lawyer defends a person or business charged with unlawful activity. A corporate lawyer handles mergers and acquisitions or conflicts between corporations.
A lawyer’s work for a client usually begins when a client hires the firm. The client may need legal representation to defend against or pursue a specific action or to handle legal questions as they arise. Lawyers review both their clients’ and the opponents’ documents to determine what the facts are and which documents are relevant to the case.
After reviewing documents, lawyers typically meet with clients to ask questions about the facts of a case. “I talk to people frequently to try and find out what the truth is,” says Adrienne Herrera, a lawyer in Los Angeles, California.
Lawyers also interview people relevant to a case. Sometimes, lawyers request that the court issue a subpoena to compel participation from someone who may have important information about the case but is reluctant to get involved. The research, interviews, and other documents help lawyers to craft legal analysis and arguments on behalf of their clients. To advocate for the client’s position, lawyers often write supporting documents and submit them to the court. Lawyers must also inform their client about the status of the case and advise the client on the best way to proceed. Time spent on client contact usually differs by firm and legal practice area.
Big Law Firm vs. Small Law Firm
BIG LAW FIRM VS. SMALL LAW FIRM//Trying to choose between a big law firm vs small law firm? Trying to decide your career path in law school? Wondering what it’s like to be a young lawyer? This video will give you the insight you need when deciding about getting a job out of law school — including the future legal lateral opportunities and law firm exit opportunities available to you!
What is the best law firm in America?
- Baker McKenzie LLP
- DLA Piper LLP
- Norton Rose Fulbright LLP
- Hogan Lovells
- Latham & Watkins LLP
- Jones Day
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP
- White & Case LLP
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
- Greenberg Traurig, LLP
- Sidley Austin LLP
- K&L Gates LLP
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
- Mayer Brown LLP
- Reed Smith LLP
- Squire Patton Boggs LLP
- Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
- Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
- Ropes & Gray LLP
- Holland & Knight LLP
- Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
- King & Spalding LLP
- Littler Mendelson PC
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
- Covington & Burling LLP
- McGuireWoods LLP
- McDermott Will & Emery LLP
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
- Foley & Lardner LLP
- Perkins Coie LLP
- Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
- Goodwin Procter LLP
- Morrison & Foerster LLP
- Paul Hastings LLP
- Cooley LLP
- Baker & Hostetler LLP
- Womble Bond Dickinson LLP
- Dechert LLP
- Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP
- Winston & Strawn LLP
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
- Shearman & Sterling LLP
- Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
- Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
- Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC
- Seyfarth Shaw LLP
- Jackson Lewis PC
What is most prestigious law firm?
A Deeper Dive Into The Vault 100 Rankings Of The Most Prestigious Law Firms In America
If you question the stickiness of Biglaw prestige, just take a look at the new Vault 100 ranking of the most prestigious law firms in America, which Vault issued last week. Let’s start with the top 10:
- Cravath, Swaine & Moore
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
- Sullivan & Cromwell
- Latham & Watkins
- Kirkland & Ellis
- Davis Polk & Wardwell
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
- Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
District Court Seat Reports Firm Salary of $3+ Million.
The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other matters in which legal advice and other assistance are sought.
An attorney, also called a lawyer, advises clients and represents them and their legal rights in both criminal and civil cases. This can begin with imparting advice, then proceed with preparing documents and pleadings and sometimes, ultimately, appearing in court to advocate on behalf of clients.