Cleary Gottlieb
New York, NYWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA +1
FIRM PROFILE
Haynes and Boone
- Austin, TX
- Boston, MA
- Charlotte, NC
- +11
Hayne now, Hayne now – don’t dream it’s over! You can have a strong work-life balance at this Texan titan where business is Boone-ing.
About the Firm
- 17
- National Offices
- 3
- Overseas Offices
- 227
- Associates
- 317
- Partners
Families can help people accomplish great things. Wednesday Addams has the support of hers, the Gilmore girls band together… don’t even get us started on the guys from Fast & Furious! The values are clear, and that’s why when we say ‘family’ in the legal world, we mean Haynes Boone. “I want to start a family one day, and there’s no better firm I know that will accommodate that,” one insider buzzed, “It might be the Texan culture, but having lives outside of work is crucial here.” Managing partner Taylor Wilson agrees, citing that “We strive to create an environment that is collaborative, supportive and conducive to teamwork, which allows our lawyers to perform at a high level while maintaining sustainability in their careers.”
“It might be the Texan culture, but having lives outside of work is crucial here.”
Multiple sources we spoke with highlighted this as being chief among the reasons they joined the firm, along with the quality of the work: “People may not be run into the ground with work here, but what we do is top tier across the board,” an interviewee emphasized. Chambers USA can attest to that quality, having given the firm trophies in over 40 departments including litigation, intellectual property, insurance, bankruptcy/restructuring, healthcare, labor & employment, and more. With work of that caliber and the opportunity to build your life outside of it, it’s no wonder one junior described it as “a place where whole people come to work; they don’t just live to work.”
Summer Program
- 52
- Summer Places
Summers at Haynes Boone are exposed to a variety of tasks, which “helps give you a clear picture of what to expect at the firm.” We heard substantive work, though double and triple checked by seniors, was common, and juniors boasted that most tasks originated from client projects. As for the social calendar, we heard talk about go karting, athletic events, and gatherings at partners’ houses. One amused source quipped that “I came into the job knowing pretty much exactly what it would be like… minus all the wining and dining of course.”
Strategy & Future
Wilson is eager to shout out the firm’s recent growth efforts, and that’s no surprise. Haynes Boone has hired 85 laterals over the last year, and at 20 offices strong worldwide, it shows no sign of stopping: “New York is now our second-largest office following 35% headcount growth in 2025, and London has become our fourth-largest office, expanding from 16 to 60 lawyers over the past decade,” Wilson nods. So, where is Wilson steering the firm as it continues to bolster its numbers? The future, of course! “AI is also driving broader industry trends, including increased demand for data centers and the energy required to support them, contributing to strong activity across our energy, real estate and corporate practices,” he explains.
Read our full conversation with Taylor Wilson under the ‘Get Hired’ tab.
The Work
Some of the firm’s prolific practice groups were only based out of one office; for example, the energy & power group resides in Houston, and the healthcare/life sciences/FDA department calls Dallas home. Other groups, such as financial transactions and business litigation, were more evenly spread across the firm’s national footprint. All departments seemed to promote a free market system, as one junior recalled: “I had to learn to ask when I was slow and get over the awkwardness of reaching out,” but that should snowball until “I’m at the point where I have to work out how to say no to work!”
The energy & power group is housed in Houston, which tracks as the city is “the energy capital of the world,” as one source put it. While it makes sense that the department handles a lot of energy related matters, it’s more accurate to say the group name comes more from their clients than the workload: “Our group services oil, gas, and power clients in a broad variety of ways.” This can range from traditional business disputes, employment work, breach of contract, complex commercial disputes, energy litigation, and more. In terms of what newbies will be getting their hands on, we heard it “may change from associate to associate,” with some grounding in the fact that “you can get looped into everything you want.”
Substantive work is common and derives from a group culture where “they treat every attorney as an integral part of the team, and I have a very active role on each of my matters.” Juniors will be trying their hand at doc review, discovery, writing up motions, communicating with opposing counsel, matter management, taking the lead on drafting, organizing calendars, setting meetings, and generally making sure the team is accountable. “I really enjoy the writing and research part of the job,” one associate contemplated, “It’s intellectually more stimulating, and I don’t feel like I’m a junior at all.”
Energy & power clients: Texas Petroleum Investment Company, ONEOK, Earthstone Energy. Advised Ecopetrol USA, the largest company in Colombia and a significant player in the integrated energy space, on the extension and development of its joint venture.
“We get to jump into mid-level work pretty much straight away.”
The capital markets and securities team is one of the larger groups at the firm, and rookies noted that “we’re only getting busier as the group keeps growing.” With primarily public companies on its client list, work here is mostly divided into three distinct buckets: compliance, corporate governance, and broad deal work, such as IPOs and mergers. As one source eloquently but it: “If money is going one way and stock is going another, then that’s when we get involved.” Typical tasks include discrete drafting ancillary documents, due diligence, legal research, running registration statements, and checking comments. “We get to jump into mid-level work pretty much straight away,” one insider was eager to relay about their levels of responsibility, as well as the general substantive scope of their work. “I love deal work! It’s so much fun working out how something fits together,” another exclaimed, “It’s fast paced, and you’re at the center of it.”
Capital markets and securities clients: High Trail Capital, NexMetals Mining Corp, DallasNews Corporation. Advised American Integrity Insurance Group, a property and casualty insurance provider, on its initial public offering worth $126.5 million in common stock.
In the combined workgroup of healthcare/life sciences/FDA, associates are mostly siloed into one of the three specific sections. “We’re more of an industry practice group,” began one junior, “so we service any client in those spaces – from physicians and hospitals to consumer products like pharmaceuticals and medical devices.” On the FDA side of things, those products can touch anything that requires regulation, including shampoo, makeup, dietary supplements… even baby food! Variety is definitely the spice of life for these juniors; no two days are the same, as this insider chuckled: “I can be doing food in the morning, biotech in the afternoon… it makes every day unique!”
With both transactional and regulatory work experience up for grabs, juniors can expect such tasks as legal research, doc review, first drafts of agreements and memos, and client meetings. One insider did warn that “you have to be very detail oriented in this group, even more so than most lawyers” due to the specialized nature of the work. That being said, the substantive and bespoke work on offer thrilled our interviewees. “I love diving into new regulations and new laws that people don’t have a lot of experience with yet,” one source gushed, “It’s really fun and different to look at these regulations that people haven’t really touched before.”
Healthcare clients: Healthcare Partners Investments, Cathay Capital, Vizient Inc. Represents Ventavia Research Group in a variety of matters, including a non-intervene qui tam case over alleged fraud claims concerning the clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Career Development
“I’ve been set up for success in every way,” a junior revealed, “whether that’s long term, or looking for something further down the road.” Well, that’s great to hear! Case closed… Just kidding. Diving into the specifics of career development at Haynes Boone will reveal a dedicated attorney development team that helps build out both formal and informal structures to allow associates to prosper. “They’re great at advancing our time here,” one newbie explained, “It’s something they’ve really stepped up recently as well.”
Although informal mentorship and learning-by-doing took up a large portion of attorney development, there are weekly programs, webinars, and lectures available as well. More bespoke offerings include litigation bootcamps, public speaking courses, and deposition training – all designed to set associates up for a better shot at firm longevity. Speaking of which, sources said the path to partnership seemed transparent, with that possibility unlocking in your eighth year. Juniors were confident in its attainability, with one likening it to this: “At this firm, you’re dating to marry, not to just date!”
Hours & Compensation
- No requirement
- Billable hours requirement
To secure the full bonus and keep in good standing, the firm asks its associates to hit a target of 2,000 billable hours. Within that, 100 hours may be attributed to pro bono, with a further 50 coming in for inclusion hours. There is also the option to increase this with permission (and depending on the project). Juniors felt the target was “attainable, although the market conditions haven’t been the best lately.” Some interviewees did note that the expectation to reach the target can be practice area dependent, with associates in certain groups rarely hitting the required hours. Juniors in those positions did report that a partial bonus can be awarded, and in even better news, both the salary and bonus are in line with the market.
Hours fluctuated from associate to associate, but we heard they “have never come close to pulling an all-nighter.” Instead, they shift their hours around the commitments they might have during the day (especially in the case of parents and carers). “They’re very supportive of people in that situation,” one interviewee divulged, “They want you to get the work done any way you can.”
“They’re super receptive to what you want to focus on!”
Culture
One clear point of pride among associates was the firm’s culture, which was described as a “best of both worlds law firm; there’s sophisticated work, but you can also have a nice life outside the office.” That latter point seemed to hold real value with our interviewees, with one gushing that “there’s a big emphasis on, ‘You’re a professional, but you also have a family. So, do what you need to do, and then go home to them.’” That feeling only lends itself to a warm, open-door policy that radiates across all levels of the firm: “We have an extroverted disposition here that fosters a more communal culture.”
Events were an occurrence (though “not as common as you may think”) and ranged from happy hours and BBQ tastings to Thanksgiving lunches, holiday parties, and more. While some juniors noted that “there isn’t necessarily an appetite for outside-of-work social activity when we’re so busy and just want to see our families when it’s done,” others highlighted that the events were just one of the many ways the firm promotes “a constant sense of bringing everyone together.”
A slightly controversial topic was that of the firmwide hybrid working policy, which went up from three days a week to four this past year. Our interviewees reported a general sense of disapproval of the change, but even so, our particular crop of insiders were unbothered. In fact, they noted: “Being a junior, it’s more beneficial to be in four days anyway, and that’s what I already do.”
Pro Bono
- 17,753
- Total Us Pro Bono Hours
- 44
- Average Pro Bono Hours Per Attorney
With 100 billable hours up for grabs, associates were happy to relay that pro bono was “commonly available and definitely encouraged.” Interviewees waxed lyrical about monthly pro bono clinics, newsletters, and other such sources available to involve associates in the work. The firm also promotes a proactive pro bono approach (if you can forgive the tongue twister) insofar as “you can source your own matters and get them approved through the head of department. They’re super receptive to what you want to focus on!”
If hunting your own matters doesn’t take your fancy, thankfully, there is quite an array of causes on offer, such as veterans’ work, immigration cases, women’s shelters matters, and the Dallas Volunteering Program. “You can tailor your pro bono efforts however you like,” one junior beamed, “Sometimes, you can even get additional credit over the 100 hours.”
Inclusion
By and large, insiders felt the firm promotes an inclusive work environment having laid a foundation for diverse attorneys to thrive at the firm, with one observing that “I get most of my work from women and diverse people, so I would say we’re well represented.” Affinity groups were a main fixture, with tentpoles for different ethnicities, LGBTQ+, veterans, first generation lawyers, and more. One group worth a shoutout is the working parents and caregivers group, which hosted a Halloween party where employees of all levels could bring in their children for a spooky dose of trick or treating. Sounds like a case of Haynes and BoOoOo to us! (Sorry.)
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Top Figures
- Dallas
- Largest US Office
- Undisclosed
- Revenue (£m)
- $225,000
- 1st Year Salary
- 13
- Partners Made
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Haynes and Boone
Austin, TXBoston, MACharlotte, NC +11