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Overview

Introduction

Dechert is a global firm, but its collegial culture seems to create a sense of close community. The firm encourages attorneys to participate beyond billables, offering a “STARS” award and bonus for contributions related to teaching, diversity and innovation. It is recognized as well as one of the best law firms for pro bono work, with many accolades and many hours contributed every year.

Firm Stats


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Total No. Attorneys (2023)

500 - 750

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No. of Partners Named (2022)

48

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Featured Rankings

Vault Law 100
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No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2023)

57


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No. of Summer Associates (2023)

88 total (86 2Ls; 2 1Ls)


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Base Salary

1st year: $ 215,000
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Vault Verdict

Dechert makes many “best of” lists because, simply, it’s a great place to work. Criteria for candidates include good grades from top national or regional law schools, diversity, and personality. Coworkers are kind, sociable, and collaborative—as shown by how many leave their office doors open—and show appreciation for the work of others. Partners, too, respect associates’ efforts and opinions, and they understand the importance of work-life balance. Weekly training sessions are helpful, as are on-the-job experiences with partners and senior associates. It seems that all attorneys are comfortable either asking or answering questions. Partner mentors and associate ambassadors also step in to help lateral hires, who are integrated nicely into the firm. Assignments are challenging, an...

Firm's Response

Dechert has built a global platform across 21 locations with a singular focus—delivering the highest-quality advice that is actionable, commercial, and delivered efficiently. Our firm undertakes work for 40 of the “Fortune 100” companies and represents more than 200 private equity and investment firms. We also advise all 10 of the top 10 g...

About the Firm

Since its founding in 1875, Dechert has become a force in the global legal market. In the United States, the firm is known for its work in antitrust, international arbitration, financial services, life sciences, strategic transactions and private equity, litigation, white collar, product liability, real estate, and securities.

Business Savvy

The firm’s long history includes founders who served as U.S. ambassadors and law professors, historic clients like The Pennsylvania Railroad, and mergers influenced by world wars. In the late 1990s, Dechert began reshaping its business model to become more specialized. The firm began focusing on private equity, intellectual property, and white-collar criminal defense. The firm also underwent significant expansion overseas beginning in the late ’90s...

Associate Reviews

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  • “Dechert lawyers are generally very sociable, friendly, welcoming, and kind. I have never had an interpersonal interaction with a colleague where I was treated with anything less than professionalism. More than that, several colleagues have become out-of-work friends, great mentors, and people I greatly value having in my life. This translates into a work environment that is collaborative, enjoyable, and inviting.”
  • “Most attorneys keep their office doors open and will socialize frequently throughout the day. The atmosphere is very collegial and friendly. We have frequent opportunities to socialize after work, and attendance is typically strong, with a wide mix of attorneys of all levels. Professionally, there is a strong culture of high performance, and everyone is expected to work hard; still, people are understanding and supportive of outside life and obligations. Attorneys are very appreciative of and kind to the staff.”
  • “All Dechert employees are incredibly nice, and have a teaching mindset. From partners to legal assistants, Dechert employees are truly invested in helping associates grow and become better attorneys.”
  • “One of the best attributes of this firm is the generousness with which my colleagues give credit. Every email usually begins with a ‘thanks to X associate for his/her help.’ I think that's really important in making people feel appreciated and seen.”

Why Work Here


Culture at Dechert

It takes a committed, global team to deliver the excellence in service and innovative thinking our clients expect. Cultivating creativity to harness the very best ideas comes from respecting and valuing everyone’s voice, and creating a shared enjoyment in all that we do. At Dechert, we believe that building community within the workplace and with our clients – whether multinational companies or pro bono causes – is the key to success. It’s about building a firm where people are trusted and empowered to do their very best.

Diversity at Dechert

"At Dechert, Diversity and Inclusion are not simply words written on our website and in our policies - they are principles we live by every day. As a truly global law firm, working together effectively to deliver service to our clients requires us to value and respect each other voice and empowers people from different backgrounds, experiences and points of view to be fully themselves and bring their very best. Dechert believes that vigorous exchanges of ideas among legal professionals with different life experiences stimulate..."

Getting Hired Here

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  • “… We are looking for strong candidates with very good grades, with the preferred GPA tied to the specific school attended. An emphasis is also put on personality, as we want to keep a collegial and welcoming environment with friendly and enthusiastic associates. We do have light training for interviewers, and we have guidelines to follow.”
  • “Dechert has a robust hiring process subject to several rounds of interviews and internal discussion. I particularly think Dechert puts an emphasis on grades and involvement outside the classroom, as well as diversity and personality.”
  • “Dechert looks for candidates who have strong academics (including GPA) and have well-rounded resumes. Which law school you attend factors into the hiring process, although Dechert hires candidates from a large number of law schools. Some regional emphasis is placed on candidates when looking at their law schools.”
  • “The firm generally hires from top national law schools or top students from top regional schools. The firm considers a number of factors to determine fit.”

Perks & Benefits


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