Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Cleary holds Band 1 rankings in Chambers USA for Corporate/M&A, Banking & Finance, Antitrust, International Arbitration, Restructuring, and Capital Markets. The firm's European antitrust practice is among the strongest in the world, regularly advising on merger clearances before the European Commission. Its sovereign advisory work is unmatched. Cleary has represented more sovereign nations in debt restructurings than any other firm. The banking and finance practice handles the most complex cross-border financings, and its capital markets team leads international offerings for both corporate and sovereign issuers.

Cleary uses a free-market assignment system. Chambers Associate rates the firm as The Elite for Quality of Life and a Strong Performer for Career Development and Associate Retention. Associates receive significant responsibility early, with partners noting that Cleary juniors often handle work that their counterparts at other firms leave to more senior lawyers. All pro bono hours count toward the 1,950-hour billable target, and the firm does not penalize associates who prioritize pro bono commitments. Summer associates have the opportunity to spend four weeks at one of Cleary's overseas offices. The summer class is approximately 101 associates.

Notable alumni include former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Yale Law Professor Amy Chua, and former U.N. Legal Counsel Patricia O'Brien. Cleary's founding partners chose the firm's global structure deliberately, believing that the post-World War II world would require lawyers capable of working across borders and legal systems, a bet that has proven remarkably prescient.