Sullivan & Cromwell is a New York, NY-headquartered firm with approximately 908 attorneys and 11 offices. Founded in 1879.
Profits per partner
$7.6M
AmLaw #25
First-year comp
$255,000+
Reported first-year compensation
AmLaw revenue
$2.3B
Rank #25; 908 attorneys
Vault 100
#5
Overall firm rank
Partnership track
9 years
Reported path to partnership
Summer associates
163
100% reported offer rate
Sullivan & Cromwell is a New York-headquartered law firm with approximately 910 attorneys and offices across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Founded in 1879, S&C is among the oldest firms on Wall Street and has been at the center of American corporate law for over 140 years. The firm generates profits per partner of approximately $7.6 million and maintains a reputation for handling the most complex cross-border transactions and regulatory matters.
S&C holds Band 1 rankings in Chambers USA for Corporate/M&A, Banking & Finance, White-Collar Crime, Litigation, Antitrust, Restructuring, and Capital Markets. The firm is a dominant advisor on major bank mergers, financial institution regulation, and cross-border M&A. Its white-collar and government investigations practice regularly represents Fortune 500 companies and senior executives in high-profile enforcement actions. S&C's breadth of Band 1 rankings across seven practice areas reflects a depth of capability that few firms match.
S&C uses a rotation-based training program where associates gain exposure to multiple practice areas before specializing. The firm does not impose a formal billable hour requirement, which associates appreciate for reducing the pressure to log hours. Chambers Associate rates S&C as a Strong Performer for Associate Satisfaction, and associates report acquiring leadership skills and client management responsibilities earlier than at many peer firms. The culture varies by office. New York tends toward "work hard, play hard," while the DC office has a more family-oriented rhythm. The summer class is approximately 163 associates.
S&C's alumni include two former U.S. Secretaries of State (John Foster Dulles and his brother Allen Dulles, who led the CIA), Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone, and numerous federal judges and corporate leaders. The firm's long history of advising governments and financial institutions during periods of economic crisis, from the Great Depression to the 2008 financial crisis, gives it a distinctive institutional memory.
Filter the Chambers ranking record by market or practice. Market labels stay attached to the jurisdiction that was reported.
| Practice | Market | Recognition |
|---|---|---|
Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Enforcement & Investigations) Grouped as Banking & Finance | Nationwide | Chambers Band 1AmLaw recognized |
Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Compliance) Grouped as Banking & Finance | Nationwide | Chambers Band 1AmLaw recognized |
Financial Services Regulation: Financial Institutions M&A Grouped as Banking & Finance | Nationwide | Chambers Band 1AmLaw recognized |
Derivatives Grouped as Capital Markets / Securities | Nationwide | Chambers Band 1AmLaw recognized |
Securities: Litigation Grouped as Capital Markets / Securities | Nationwide | Chambers Band 1AmLaw recognized |
Securities: Regulation: Enforcement Grouped as Capital Markets / Securities | Nationwide | Chambers Band 1AmLaw recognized |
Litigation: Securities Grouped as Capital Markets / Securities | New York | Chambers Band 1AmLaw recognized |
Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite Grouped as Commercial Litigation | New York | Chambers Band 1AmLaw recognized |
Corporate/M&A: The Elite Grouped as Corporate / M&A | Nationwide | Chambers Band 1AmLaw recognized |
Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense Grouped as Corporate / M&A | New York | Chambers Band 1AmLaw recognized |