Firm Overview
Wachtell is the highest-profitability law firm in the world and occupies a category largely its own. With a single office in New York and a deliberate refusal to expand, Wachtell takes only the most significant M&A, governance, and restructuring mandates. Partners here are among the most profitable in the profession.
Associate Experience
Associates work alongside the most senior partners on matters of genuine consequence. Hours are intense, but the work is consistently top-tier and the compensation is the highest at any firm in the country. Wachtell trains in a very particular way — associates here are expected to function nearly at partner level from early on.
Lateral Recruiting Context
Wachtell alumni carry enormous market credibility. Because the firm does not laterally hire at the associate level and rarely at the partner level, the lateral flow is predominantly outbound — Wachtell alumni are among the most coveted candidates in any recruitment process.
Rankings
Chambers USA Band 1
- Corporate/M&A
- Restructuring/Insolvency
- Litigation