Irell & Manella

Associates are feeling swell at Irell, where dreams of patent and IP litigation dreams aplenty become a reality.

About the Firm

With so much choice available when sifting through law firms, it can be hard to narrow down your options. Yet, this small but mighty outfit, Irell & Manella, stands out from the crowd as “a creative litigation boutique and trial shop” in the intellectual property realm, placing it squarely at the top of the list for any IP aficionados. A swift glance at our sister guide Chambers USA confirms this: the firm is best in class for intellectual property: patent litigation and related life sciences patent litigation, as well as nationwide recognition for its intellectual property know-how. With around 75 lawyers across its three offices in Century City, Newport Beach, and Washington DC, here, “I get to be a trial attorney, an administrative attorney before government agencies, and an appellate lawyer,” an insider proclaimed.

“Half the first years have argued in court or taken depositions; it is very real here in a way that you can quantify.”

A modest first-year class intake of roughly ten juniors equals lean teams, so juniors could not emphasize enough the ability to gain trust and early responsibility: “Half the first years have argued in court or taken depositions; it is very real here in a way that you can quantify,” they attested. Moreover, there is a low partner-associate ratio, allowing for plenty of day-to-day partner interaction. Sources also highlighted that from first impressions, “it seemed more laid back. People are hard-working, but I got the gut feeling that they’re easy to talk to.” This sentiment rang true, thankfully, as our associates shared: “I spend a lot of time here! It’s fulfilling to work someplace that feels familial and welcoming, where you feel known.”

Irell & Manella is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Junior Satisfaction and a Strong Performer for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Summer Program

Summer hires and junior associates come from a range of academic backgrounds, so there’s a real mix of those with and without STEM degrees. Throughout the summer program, summers can take assignments from a work coordinator (while also having the option to dive straight into the free market system). “The assignments are real projects that associates would otherwise we doing,” sources highlighted, like memos, research, and drafting motions. There is also a mock trial to expose summers to advocacy as well. “Should you come in, don’t be afraid to ask questions of any attorneys in instances where you don’t know,” sources advised, “Make sure you put your best foot forward at work and the social events,” the latter of which are many. There is a summer associate retreat with activities such as scavenger hunts, trips to Disney Land and the aquarium, Dodgers games, concerts, and the annual summer party.

Strategy & Future

“We are well known for supporting clients in a variety of industries, but always in complex high-stakes litigation with a particular focus on technology – it could be life sciences, semi-conductors, or medical devices,” executive committee member Ben Hattenbach reminds us. He continues: “We’re regularly described as having few rivals in the courtroom, and, particularly in patent cases, and having some of the greatest records of success of any firm out there on the plaintiff and defense side.”

Adding to the arsenal, Hattenbach highlights, “We have developed a custom AI powered platform for analyzing US patents and patent applications. Internally we call it Irell Programable Patent Platform software, or IP3 for short. Unlike what most firms have done, we have built it entirely in-house using code written by our full-time people and run it entirely inside the firm’s own firewall and computers,” assisting with clients and their litigation strategies.

Although the forecast predicts “a greater amount of litigation than there has been over the past couple of years,” Hattenbach explains, “we have always intentionally avoided the ‘growth for growth’s sake’ mentality.” Having a lower leverage (AKA ratio of associates to partners), in turn, the firm focuses on the quality of individual hires. “We are able to succeed in an economical way by staffing matters leanly and giving younger folks the amount of responsibility that they have earned. Rather than pulling people back because they have fewer years of experience, we like to look at people’s capabilities,” Hattenbach determines, “which gives young folks the ability to build their skillset and confidence much more quickly.”

Read more from Ben Hattenbach under the ‘Get Hired’ tab.

The Work

When newbies arrive at the firm, they are able to seek out work via the firm’s free market right away, although a work coordinator is also allocated to them and helps out with additional assignments if needed. “You can reach out to those you want to work with,” and vice versa, as insiders explained: “It allows you to build strong relationships and get those neat opportunities earlier on.”

Irell & Manella is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Work Allocation & Autonomy in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Career Development

Career development received a solid thumbs up from juniors, especially given the ratio of associates to partners (which is about 2 : 1). With “the smaller teams, it’s not just one-off assignments; you’re expected to wrap your arms around the case,” interviewees emphasized, “You’re tasked with doing more early on; the firm wants everyone who arrives to feel empowered to seize this job.”

Aside from the on-the-job learning, there are formal training sessions too, such as the induction for newbies, lunch & learns covering patent and intellectual property issues, AI developments, and general soft skills for attorneys. In particular, the deposition training workshop for first and second years received high praise: “The firm invests a lot in that. It is a multi-day affair. Partners give presentations, and on the second day, there are real court reports and actors, with associates having the opportunity to take or defend,” insiders detailed – all with real-time feedback.

Mentorship was also a key aspect of the associate experience. Rookies are assigned a senior associate mentor and then receive a partner mentor later in their associate career, “but also, everyone has informal mentors – senior associates or partners who they can turn to for a chat, and often it is a different person.” Moreover, associates receive credit for mentoring by going out to lunch with a fellow associate – either a year above or below – monthly.

“The biggest rainmakers were summer associates.”

As for the path to partnership, “it is one of the highlights for me,” a source revealed, “Our partner track is seven to eight years, and we don’t have a non-equity tier.” In fact, the firm is “very focused on homegrown talent; the biggest rainmakers were summer associates. It is a small firm that wants its summer class to be the next group of partners.” Even if that isn’t on the cards, associates were confident in their long-term options: “I’m satisfied with the choice to come here, and my career prospects because of that.”

Irell & Manella is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Career Development in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Hours & Compensation

While there can admittedly be a bit of a ramp up period in first year, thereafter, clocking in 2,000 hours to be bonus eligible was determined to be “very achievable” by our sources. Better still, client billables and pro bono are weighed equally! The consensus was that “I’m definitely going to hit it this year, but there is an understanding if you don’t hit it; there’s a holistic process to determine who gets a bonus.” In turn, associates are remunerated at market level following a lockstep model. What’s more, “historically, Irell does well on bonuses – even more than market,” insiders divulged, so there were absolutely no complaints there!

With the typical ebbs and flows of litigation, juniors shared that “an average week is between 40 to 50 billables,” while busy periods can hit highs of 60 and above. That said, “you usually know well in advance if you have lots of deadlines coming up, or whether you’ll be in trial.” There is also a degree of flexibility regarding working hours, with some logging on earlier or later in the morning to finish at different times during the day.

Irell & Manella is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Benefits & Quality of Life in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Culture

With around 70 attorneys, the firm offers a small firm culture. Where there isn’t a certain ‘type’ of Irell associate, “generally, we’re a nerdy bunch,” an insider shared, “That may manifest itself in a number of ways for patent law, including sci-fi, reading, or art,” for example. Couple this with “being intellectually curious about technology (without needing to have a tech background), and being comfortable in the high risk, high reward situations” that come with litigation, such as “taking a deposition or arguing in front of court. That is stressful, but being uncomfortable is the trade-off to be able to do the things that a litigator does as a junior attorney. This is a cool place to be,” another added.

Sources also highlighted that it’s a welcoming environment: “There is not a single partner who terrifies me, or that I’m too scared to go into their office and own up to a mistake,” an interviewee admitted, “They have always been kind and made it a learning opportunity.”

As for the social calendar, we heard “there is no shortage of food and places to gather!” This includes lunches hosted every Monday, lunch-time presentations on Tuesdays, and weekly happy hours. These happen alongside “Erewhon smoothies or acai bowls on a Friday in an effort to get more associates together,” as the firm has no strict work from home policy. Even though the summer is arguably the busiest season for events, there are also sponsored happy hours, seasonal parties and retreats, and a biennial alumni event to look forward to. For example, “the other month, a partner went to the wilderness up north and took a bunch of associates on leisurely hikes to see the scenery.”

Irell & Manella is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Culture in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Pro Bono

Everyone we spoke to felt well supported and encouraged to be involved in pro bono, especially as all pro bono hours count towards their billable target. Each week, the head of pro bono circulates a list of opportunities to hop on. These range from short-term commitments – such as helping out at the pro se clinic in the central district of California – and assisting with adoption and children’s rights cases, to high-impact litigation. For example, recently, the firm successfully defended Measure ULA, constitutionally passed by the voters, making it the largest affordable housing ballot initiative in LA. “I appreciate the opportunities to do pro bono, make a difference, and feel integrated in the local community,” an interviewee enthused.

“I appreciate the opportunities to do pro bono, make a difference, and feel integrated in the local community.”

Irell & Manella is recognized as The Elite for Pro Bono in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Inclusion

On the topic of inclusion, sources noted that the firm is a “familial, human, and welcoming environment,” though it was acknowledged that when hiring from a pool of mostly STEM graduates, there is a challenge with gender representation. Even with Irell being a smaller outfit, an interviewee observed that “looking around the firm, I see the ranks becoming more diverse.” Insiders also highlighted the appointment of Morgan Chu as one of the first Asian American managing partners at a major law firm. “There is a long history of being an inclusive environment for people, and making sure people feel welcome to be successful,” a junior emphasized.