Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has approximately 2,000 attorneys across 15 offices. Founded in 1884.
$225,000+
Market base, no firm announcement (as of Sep 2026)
Not reported: partnership track.
2L Summer 2028 · Class of 2029Opening Soon
New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Bay Area, Boston, Houston
Opens
Expected fall 2026Deadline
Not announced
Fellowship / ScholarshipClosed
2L (Summer 2028)
Opens
Closed this cycleDeadline
Not announced
Closed
No 1L summer program on the firm’s page. Today’s 1Ls (Class of 2029) apply for the 2L Summer 2028.
About Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Simpson Thacher's published work includes private equity, fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, financing, and business litigation. Its client matters show recurring connections to investment managers, financial institutions, and companies undertaking major transactions. The firm's practice addresses both the deployment of capital and disputes arising from commercial activity.
Recent examples include establishing a Blackstone Asia-Pacific private equity fund and advising on a financing platform for artificial intelligence infrastructure. The firm has also described work involving a proposed nuclear-powered data center, a homebuilding-company acquisition, and litigation arising from a bank merger. These matters span investment vehicles, operating businesses, and infrastructure.
For students, those examples help distinguish several kinds of corporate practice under one firm name. Forming a fund, financing an asset, and negotiating an acquisition involve different documents and commercial questions. The litigation work adds another perspective on the obligations and risks created by transactions, connecting deal execution with the possibility of
Read moreShow less
later disputes.
Rankings
Latest published editions. Each links to its source.
Size and Standing
- $3.6B gross revenueAm Law 100, $3.6B gross revenue: #10 (opens in a new tab)
- Lawyers in 7 countriesGlobal 200, Lawyers in 7 countries: #11 (opens in a new tab)
- 1,761 attorneysNLJ 500, 1,761 attorneys: #15 (opens in a new tab)
- PrestigeVault Law 100, Prestige: #10 (opens in a new tab)
Associate Life
Pro Bono and Inclusion
Vault Practice Rankings
- Private Equity: #3 (opens in a new tab)
- Project Finance: #5 (opens in a new tab)
- Mergers & Acquisitions: #6 (opens in a new tab)
- Securities/Capital Markets: #6 (opens in a new tab)
- General Corporate Practice: #7 (opens in a new tab)
- Real Estate Law: #7 (opens in a new tab)
- Banking & Financial Services: #8 (opens in a new tab)
- Tax Law: #9 (opens in a new tab)
Practice strength by market
Every band below appears on this firm’s Chambers USA 2026 profile, checked September 26, 2026. Where Chambers splits a table into The Elite and Highly Regarded, every Elite firm ranks above every Highly Regarded firm.
Scroll sideways to see recognition.
| Practice | Market | Recognition |
|---|---|---|
Asset Management M&A | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Banking & Finance | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Banking & Finance | New York | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Capital Markets: Debt & Equity | California | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Capital Markets: Equity: Issuer Counsel | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Capital Markets: High-Yield Debt | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Capital Markets: Investment Grade Debt: Manager Counsel | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Corporate/M&AThe Elite | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Corporate/M&AThe Elite | New York | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation | New York | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Government Relations: Congressional Investigations | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Insurer | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Insurer | New York | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Litigation: Securities | New York | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Private Equity: Buyouts | New York | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Private Equity: Buyouts: High-end Capability | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Private Equity: Fund Formation | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Real Estate | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Real Estate: Mainly Corporate & Finance | New York | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Securities: Litigation | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Tax | New York | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Tax: Corporate & Finance | Nationwide | Chambers Band1 Reported year: 2026 |
Antitrust: Cartel | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Banking & Finance | Texas | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Capital Markets: Convertible Debt | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Capital Markets: Equity: Manager Counsel | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Capital Markets: Investment Grade Debt: Issuer Counsel | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Corporate Governance | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Energy: Electricity (Transactional) | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Environment: Mainly Transactional | District of Columbia | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Environment: Mainly Transactional | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Environment: Mainly Transactional | New York | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Financial Services Regulation: Financial Institutions M&A | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
International Trade: CFIUS Experts | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Litigation: General CommercialThe Elite | New York | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government InvestigationsThe Elite | New York | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Private Equity: Buyouts | California | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Private Equity: Buyouts | Texas | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Private Equity: Secondaries | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Registered Funds | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
REITs | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
Antitrust | District of Columbia | Chambers Band3 Reported year: 2026 |
Antitrust | Nationwide | Chambers Band3 Reported year: 2026 |
Capital Markets: Debt & Equity | Texas | Chambers Band3 Reported year: 2026 |
Corporate Crime & InvestigationsThe Elite | Nationwide | Chambers Band3 Reported year: 2026 |
Energy: Electricity (Finance) | Nationwide | Chambers Band3 Reported year: 2026 |
FCPA | Nationwide | Chambers Band3 Reported year: 2026 |
Impact Investing | Nationwide | Chambers Band3 Reported year: 2026 |
Insurance: Transactional & Regulatory | New York | Chambers Band3 Reported year: 2026 |
Investment Funds: Regulatory & Compliance | Nationwide | Chambers Band3 Reported year: 2026 |
Securities: Regulation: Enforcement | Nationwide | Chambers Band3 Reported year: 2026 |
Antitrust | New York | Chambers Band4 Reported year: 2026 |
Leisure & Hospitality | Nationwide | Chambers Band4 Reported year: 2026 |
Litigation: Securities | California | Chambers Band4 Reported year: 2026 |
Technology | New York | Chambers Band4 Reported year: 2026 |
Bankruptcy/RestructuringThe Elite | New York | Chambers Band5 Reported year: 2026 |
Corporate/M&AThe Elite | Texas | Chambers Band5 Reported year: 2026 |
Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Compliance) | Nationwide | Chambers Band5 Reported year: 2026 |
Litigation: General CommercialThe Elite | Nationwide | Chambers Band5 Reported year: 2026 |
Bankruptcy/RestructuringHighly Regarded | Nationwide | Chambers Band2 Reported year: 2026 |
61 reported ranking rows
Facts verified by BigLaw Bear, narrative by the firm. Figures carry a source link where we hold one; prose is Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s own.
Firm highlights
Summer program
Program features
- Summer pay
- $225,000+Market base, no firm announcement (as of Sep 2026)
- Total summer associates
- 265Reporting year not confirmedSource
- Program length
- 10 weeksSource
- Early interviewing
- Yes2L applications for the 2028 Summer Associate Program open in the fall of 2026; the firm asks students to check back in October for details. Each office hires its summer associates directly and lists its own recruiting mailbox.Source
- 1L applications
- Not mentioned by the firmSource
- Assigned practice areas
- Case by case, through a staffing coordinatorCentralized staffingSource
Practice areas
A small team of partners and senior associates assigns work from every department and checks in with summers on their preferences. Simpson Thacher says its "flexible approach to staffing allows summer associates the freedom to work in a single department and move around within it, or to choose work from among our many departments and practice groups." The firm does not showcase particular practices or partners during the summer.
Inclusion
Simpson Thacher's Inclusion Committee, made up of global partners, oversees STB Inclusion with input from an Inclusion Advisory Council of associates and counsel. The firm cites affinity groups and inclusion networks, heritage month celebrations, a Women's Initiative and a Women's Committee as the ways it builds community.
Pro bono
More about Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Each summer associate gets a partner mentor and an associate mentor, a formal mid-summer review and a final review. Summers join the STB Academy training curriculum and the STB 101 series across practice areas. Interested summers may request temporary time in an international office; the Asian and Brazilian offices require the relevant language.
Schools Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Hires From
6 schools name Simpson Thacher & Bartlett on its own employer or placement pages. These lists are not exhaustive.