White & Case: What Law Students Should Know

White & Case is the most globally distributed American law firm. With 45+ offices in 30+ countries, the firm has more international reach than any US competitor. This is not a New York firm with foreign outposts, it is a genuinely global operation where international work is the default, not the exception.

The Basics

• Vault Rank: #17
• Headquarters: New York
• US Offices: New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Silicon Valley
• Size: ~2,200 attorneys worldwide
• Starting Salary: $225,000

What They Are Known For

International arbitration is the crown jewel. White & Case has the largest international arbitration practice of any law firm in the world. The firm handles investor-state disputes, treaty-based arbitrations, and commercial arbitrations in every major forum, ICC, ICSID, LCIA, SIAC, and others. If you want to do international arbitration, there is no firm with more volume, more experience, or more geographic reach.

Project finance is another signature practice. White & Case finances infrastructure, energy, and development projects in emerging markets worldwide. The firm has been lead counsel on power plants in Africa, transportation systems in Asia, and renewable energy projects in Latin America. This is frontier work that most BigLaw firms cannot touch.

M&A is strong, particularly cross-border transactions involving European, Middle Eastern, and Asian counterparties. The firm's global footprint gives it a natural advantage in deals that span multiple jurisdictions.

Banking and finance, including leveraged finance, capital markets, and structured finance, is a major revenue driver. Energy, trade, and sanctions work rounds out the platform.

The unifying theme is international. White & Case is not trying to compete with Kirkland on domestic PE or with Davis Polk on US capital markets. It is building a practice around the work that requires lawyers in multiple countries working on the same matter simultaneously.

Culture and Assignment

White & Case uses a department-based assignment system. Associates join a practice area and receive work through coordinators and organic relationships. The system varies somewhat by office, the New York experience is different from the London experience, which is different from the Singapore experience.

The culture is international in flavor. Offices operate with significant autonomy, and each major office has its own personality. The New York office feels like a New York law firm. The London office feels like a London law firm. The firm does not try to impose a single cultural template worldwide.

This means the associate experience depends heavily on which office you join. New York associates work on a mix of domestic and cross-border matters. Associates in international offices work almost exclusively on cross-border transactions and disputes.

The firm has historically been seen as slightly less prestigious than some higher-ranked Vault peers in the domestic US market. But in the international market, particularly in arbitration, project finance, and emerging market work, White & Case's reputation is unmatched by most American firms.

Hours vary by office and practice. International arbitration can involve long stretches of preparation followed by intense hearing periods. Project finance tends to be deal-driven. M&A follows standard deal cycles.

Summer Program

White & Case's summer class is mid-sized, typically 80-120 summers across US offices. The program gives you exposure to the firm's international practice, which is its key differentiator.

Summers may get opportunities to work on matters involving foreign counterparties, international arbitration cases, or cross-border transactions. The firm makes an effort to showcase the international work during the summer program.

Offer rates are consistently high. White & Case values its summer program as a key pipeline for talent.

Offices

The global footprint is the headline. White & Case has offices in New York, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Johannesburg, and dozens of other cities. No other American firm comes close in terms of geographic distribution.

For US-focused students, the New York office is the largest and handles the most domestic work. DC has regulatory, trade, and arbitration practices. Houston serves the energy sector. LA, Miami, and Silicon Valley round out the US presence.

The international secondment program is real and substantive. Associates can spend time in foreign offices working on local and cross-border matters. If you want to live and work abroad for part of your career, White & Case has more infrastructure to support that than any competitor.

Compensation

White & Case matches the Cravath scale. $225,000 base for first-years with a $21,000 bonus. Total first-year comp: approximately $246,000.

US offices pay at full New York market. International offices follow local market compensation, which varies significantly.

Who Should Apply

White & Case is the right firm for students who want to practice international law, not as a theoretical interest, but as a daily reality. It is the right firm for students who want to do international arbitration, project finance in emerging markets, or cross-border transactions that require lawyers in five countries. And it is the right firm for students who want the option to live and work abroad.

If you want a purely domestic US practice or the prestige cache of a V5 firm, White & Case is not the match. But if you want to be at the firm that is genuinely the most global American law firm, and do work that most of your peers at domestic shops will never touch, White & Case delivers something that no one else can.