Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP’s Paris office actively recruits associates and stagiaires who have completed their legal studies in France and are admitted or about to be admitted to practice law in France as avocats.  We seek lawyers who are dynamic, hard-working, committed to excellence, dedicated and able to deliver work of the highest quality and caliber.  We believe that strong academic achievements in legal studies are essential, and many of our associates also hold degrees from top French business schools (such as HEC, ESSEC, and ESCP-EAP), political sciences schools (Instituts d'études politiques) and/or LL.M. from a U.S. or British law school.

The Paris office hires stagiaires throughout the year, typically for three-month internships.  Successful candidates generally have already completed the troisième cycle level of their legal studies, and often stages at other reputable law firms, prior to joining us as stagiaires.  While not a formal pre-requisite, we primarily recruit associates by extending offers to stagiaires upon the end of their stage and successful completion of the entry examination for the Ecole de Formation du Barreau.  Fluency in the English language is essential.

Occasionally, the Paris office also hires lawyers who have completed their formal legal training in other countries, such as Germany or the United States.

Candidates interested in a stage or associate position in our Paris office are welcome to submit a cover letter and their curriculum vitae via email to crecrutement@willkie.com.

A number of candidates will be invited for interviews with at least two partners and/or associates of the Paris office and certain of those candidates are invited for a second round of interviews.  Associates and stagiaires are recruited on the basis of their academic record and, if applicable, professional achievements, and the evaluations provided to the recruiting committee by the attorneys who interviewed them.

Offers of stages or employment are generally extended by the recruiting committee within 7 to 14 days following the completion of the interview process.

The Paris office usually has openings for 4-6 stagiaires per rolling three-month period, and hires for those positions on a continuous basis throughout the year.  Almost all of the associates who have joined the Paris office in the past three years were extended offers upon the completion of a stage with the firm.

Each year, the Paris office participates in a number of events organized in France by law schools (Paris I, Paris II, Paris X), business schools (HEC, ESSEC, ESCP-EAP), and other academic institutions (including Instituts d'études politiques), where partners and associates provide students with information on career opportunities in the firm and are generally available for informal discussions.

LL.M. Candidates

Representatives of the Paris office regularly interview LL.M. students at the New York University International Student Interview Program and the Columbia Overseas-Trained LL.M. Student Interview Program held every January in New York and candidates recruited through these programs begin their careers at the firm as associates in the Paris office upon completion of their LL.M. studies.

Lateral Positions

While associates in the Paris office are generally recruited through our stagiaire program and we do not typically recruit lateral hires, lawyers with relevant professional experience have, under certain exceptional circumstances, joined us as associates.

Potential candidates should submit a cover letter and their curriculum vitae via email to crecrutement@willkie.com.

New York Office Rotation

The firm encourages associate mobility between its various offices and in particular, each year, the Paris office offers selected fourth or fifth-year associates the opportunity of rotating to the New York office for one year.

The Paris office is organized into four broad practice groups: Corporate & Finance, Tax, Business Reorganization & Restructuring and Litigation.  The firm believes in the merits of providing associates in each practice group with well-rounded legal training and, given the nature and diversity of our practice, specialization in the early stages of an associate’s career is not encouraged.

The Corporate & Finance group, our principal practice area, is primarily focused on private equity, capital markets and joint venture transactions, and offers lawyers the opportunity to work on a diverse range of corporate, commercial and securities law assignments.  Similarly, attorneys in our other practice groups handle a broad range of matters within their specialty areas.

The firm is deeply committed to facilitating the successful integration of its new associates and stagiaires.  Upon arrival, each new stagiaire is designated a partner or senior associate who actively monitors the evolution of his or her stage and each new associate is paired with a mentor who provides support and general advice on the associate's professional growth and development. Furthermore, stagiaires and associates frequently share offices, thereby fostering informal mentoring relationships.  The firm maintains a decidedly open-door policy which facilitates a supportive environment where guidance and advice are always available.

Associates are provided with regular feed-back on their work and progress at the firm through annual performance reviews.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP’s Paris office offers above-par compensation and benefits.  Associates in the Paris office practice under the profession libérale regime upon admission to the Paris Bar.