Your Career at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Gibson Dunn believes that the successful integration and overall professional development of our associates is critical to our continued success as a firm.  We give our associates the freedom to chart their own path in our Free Market System, while still providing them with the support they need along the way to flourish as attorneys.  Our associates are considered valued colleagues at one of the most stable firms in the country.  In fact, we maintained record profits during the economic downturn, and more importantly, did not lay off a single associate.  We believe that each and every one of our lawyers contributes to the firm’s greatness, and empower our attorneys to make an impact through strong guidance, training, and mentoring. 

Control Your Destiny

At Gibson Dunn, associates truly craft their own careers.  Our Free Market System is an integral part of Gibson Dunn’s culture, giving our attorneys a strong sense of flexibility, freedom, and individual autonomy.  This respect for individual choice empowers our associates to work with partners who inspire them and to engage in work that they are passionate about.  Our attorneys work seamlessly across offices and practice groups to provide the best possible service to the client regardless of where the attorney is located.  This freedom starts from the beginning, with our new associates having the opportunity to rotate between the Firm’s five departments (litigation, labor and employment, corporate transactions, real estate, and tax) before deciding on a practice area at the start of their third year.  While some associates may know what they want from the start, others find that spending time in two or three departments invaluable in choosing a department.   

Make an Impact

Gibson Dunn is defined by its ability to offer pioneering solutions for our high-profile clients who are facing the most challenging needs. We offer our associates the opportunity to work on landmark litigation and transactions in 17 offices throughout the United States and the world.  Gibson Dunn was named The American Lawyer’s 2012 Litigation Department of the Year – for an unprecedented second time in a row  – because of our remarkable string of successes in innovative litigation, including taking over cases that other firms considered impossible to win.  Gibson Dunn’s corporate practices are equally renowned, and long-time clients include such household names as Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Kraft, Vivendi, Ticketmaster and Universal Pictures.  Our low associate-to-partner ratio means that our associates get the chance to make an impact on this cutting-edge work from the beginning.  We seek the finest legal talent to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as our colleagues, not as cannon fodder.

The Beginning

An associate’s first few years at Gibson Dunn provides them with countless lessons about how to be a successful lawyer.  Our attorney integration program is designed to give our new associates a strong foundation for their early years and beyond.  Our first-day orientation program, which is presented by members of our Associates Committee, ensures that our new associates have the tools and information necessary to get started on the right track. Our buddy program pairs new associates with a dedicated attorney to serve as a resource on any number of topics, including how to navigate the Free Market System, develop effective working relationships, and succeed with early assignments.  Each new associate also receives guidance and mentoring from a member of the Professional Development Committee, which is a firm-wide committee of partners responsible for monitoring the performance of our first- and second-year associates.  The highlight of many new associates’ first year is the New Lawyer Academy, a three-day intensive training and orientation program focused on firm philosophies, policies, management and resources. 

Your Path

Gibson Dunn’s commitment to supporting our associates continues beyond an associate’s first two years.  Strong mentoring is a key ingredient to an associate’s success at the firm. To foster these bonds, each of our offices has established a mentoring program that implements the firm’s mentoring principles and is best suited for the size and nature of the office.  We provide extensive training opportunities to our associates, including in-house programs led by our partners and associates, an extensive on-demand training library, and an associate budget to take advantage of outside training courses.  We also value the opportunity to hone our skills at in-person gatherings such as our Litigation and Corporate Transactions practice group meetings and our renowned three-day Midlevel Academy for our fourth- through sixth-year associates.  To make sure that we continue to find the best ways to nurture our associates, Gibson Dunn created a Career Development Task Force in 2009 to make recommendations to strengthen our efforts whenever necessary.    

Our Culture of Respect

Gibson Dunn counts excellence, fairness, and individuality among our core values. We deliver the highest quality legal services by fostering a culturally fluent, inclusive and open environment that welcomes individuals from diverse backgrounds and with different perspectives.  We are proud of our diverse partnership and look forward to developing a new and diverse generation of attorneys who will continue the long tradition of quality and excellence for which Gibson Dunn is known. We also take great pleasure in our long tradition of service to the community. The firm’s pro bono achievements also have been recognized outside the firm. Among the honors received this year are: The National Law Journal named Gibson Dunn to its 2012 Pro Bono Hot List for its work on Barrera v. Boughton; The National Association of Immigration Lawyers awarded its Beacon of Justice Award to Gibson Dunn for extraordinary commitment to pro bono legal representation in the area of immigration law; Legal Community Against Violence named the firm Pro Bono Counsel of the Year for successfully defending the group against a demand by gun rights advocates for membership information, legislative strategy and other confidential information; The Alliance for Children’s Rights awarded Gibson Dunn the Frank Wheat Community Service Award.