Jackson Walker

It’s not hard to stay on (the partner) track at this Texan titan, which offers BigLaw work with regional perks.

About the Firm

Texas is synonymous with a few things and in more recent years, it’s Beyonce’s catchy country anthem that had many of us line dancing with the belief that we’d hit that next viral video on TikTok. In the legal world, it’s Jackson Walker, who have secured themselves as one of the biggest names in Texas (no embarrassing TikTok involved). “For companies trying to get things done within the state of Texas, there is no other firm that offers a broader suite of services than we can,” Jackson Walker’s managing partner Wade Cooper tells us. With six offices across the state, it seems clear that alongside a growing economy, the secret to the firm’s success is Southern charm and Texan hospitality.

“The perfect marriage between having the enjoyable work atmosphere of a smaller firm with the prestige, mentorships and cases that you would get at any other big law firm.”

One source attested that the firm is “the perfect marriage between having the enjoyable work atmosphere of a smaller firm with the prestige, mentorships and cases that you would get at any other big law firm.” There seems to be consensus on this from sources, with all being quick to praise the firm’s work rivalling bigger firms without feeling like “a satellite office of a New York firm.” There is also the added bonus of “cross-office collaboration” meaning that “the office you’re in doesn’t restrict the work you do with the firm,” we heard.

Indeed, with a whole host of practices in its remit, Chambers USA bestows the firm with a range of rankings to match. Most notably, Jackson Walker picks up top-tier awards for its work across real estate (including zoning/land use), tax, water law, corporate/M&A, and general commercial litigation in Texas. Nationwide, it’s the firm’s government relations work which shines bright.

Jackson Walker is recognized as The Elite for Junior Satisfaction and The Elite for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey. Jackson Walker is also recognized as The Elite for Junior Satisfaction in Texas specifically.

Summer Program

Summer associates are typically assigned to a specific practice group at the firm. Tasks vary depending on the practice group, though we heard of plenty of shadowing opportunities and general networking. “As a summer, you might be CC’d on emails to see how attorneys interact with one another and gain a view into the types of questions they’re asking each other,” one associate recalled. Others highlighted the opportunity to get “hands on experience, not only drafting, but being able to join client calls and sometimes meet clients.“

“You’re able to jump in from day one, and there’s a big emphasis on being intentional with forming relationships,” an insider detailed. The firm provides resources for summers to attend lunch with members of the firm and network.

Strategy & Future

“We recently hired the longest serving Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court,” Cooper announces, adding this “is a feather in our cap because he has an encyclopedic knowledge of Texas law.” This addition to Jackson Walker’s cohort of attorneys comes at an interesting time for the state, with an increased land rush from tech giants (Tesla, Apple, and Oracle to name a few) who are keen to invest in the US’ upcoming tech hub.

“Texas is at the forefront of the development of the new economy in the US,” Cooper confirms, “Because of the availability of the resources in Texas required to build and operate data centers, we have become the focal point for the development of data centers related to AI.” The firm is also keen to keep associates up to date with advances in AI and encourages associates to utilize the legal tech made available to them. “We were one of the few firms to be the first with Harvey access,” explained one associate.

Cooper expresses his excitement for this new era of technology: “I think we are going to see it change things more quickly than we anticipated,” adding “over time, with AI, I think we will see the pace of the practice and the complexity increase another order of magnitude.”

Read more from our conversation with Wade Cooper under the 'Get Hired' tab.

Jackson Walker is recognized as an Excellent Performer for AI Integration in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

The Work

Most associates on our list hailed from Dallas. This was followed closely with associates from Austin, with a few coming from Houston, and some from Fort Worth and San Antonio. As to be expected, most sources were housed within the real estate, corporate, and litigation practice groups.

All of the work at the firm is distributed directly from partners which invoked mixed feelings from associates. “Because it isn’t centrally managed, sometimes I think it comes down to who is available at the time, so deal flow can vary per person and there can be fluctuation,” said one source. Another source lamented that “you aren’t able to bill as many hours as you want to,” and that with a more centralized staffing system there is the potential to “do hours to your heart’s content.” However, sources did praise the support provided by partners who they received work from, and the ability to be taken notice of more easily due to the direct contact they had with partners.

Jackson Walker is recognized as The Elite for Work Allocation & Autonomy in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Career Development

Making partner at a law firm is the eventual goal most associates ride for and at Jackson Walker, a transparent route is provided to ensure associates are on the right track to make it a reality. One junior assured, “When someone walks through the door as a new attorney the goal is that in eight years, they become a partner at the firm.”

This is also part of the firm’s hiring strategy, as “Jackson Walker hires pretty lean; they aren’t hiring huge classes of summer associates because they’re trying to fill their needs for the long term,” an interviewee explained.

A mentorship program also sees all new associates paired up with an associate mentor, as well as a partner mentor at the firm. “I think it is well implemented,” commented one source, “anytime I’m not sure of something or I just need to know how to handle a situation, they are the people that I can go to for that guidance.”

Associates are provided with a stipend for lunches with their mentor, with the firm sending email reminders to check in with them. “It might not seem like a big deal but there’s a million things going on at once so it’s a nice reminder for us to continue pouring into those relationships,” one source concluded.

Jackson Walker is recognized as The Elite for Career Development in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Hours & Compensation

Like with most firms, the achievability of the billable hours target varies by practice area and market condition. “Sometimes corporate/M&A will be down, sometimes finance will be down, or sometimes it’ll be real estate. Every practice group kind of ebbs and flows but when that happens the firm doesn’t hold it against you,” an interviewee reassured.

The firm doesn’t penalize its associates for not hitting targets, but they do provide bonus incentives for those that do. “Once you hit 2,000 hours or above, you receive a bonus,” explained an associate, “There’s a full metric system that decides what your bonus will be, and it takes into account a lot of different factors, so your time is very valued.”

Associates’ workdays also varied greatly depending on the matters they were working on. “Sometimes it’ll be a due diligence review where I’ll block a couple of hours at a time, but other times it’ll be an hour or less on each matter because deals will be at different stages,” commented one source, “You think you have a plan for the next day and then in the morning your inbox will say otherwise.”

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

Culture

The motto at the firm is “We take our work seriously but not ourselves,” sources explained, attesting that it’s “a bit cheesy but it’s true!” The firm ensures that there are “lots of opportunities to really get to know your colleagues.”

This year the firm hosted its first all-associate retreat in Texas’ very own wine country (aka Fredericksburg) which involved associates from across all the different offices. “We got to hang out and bond,” told one source with another commenting that “camaraderie across the offices is helpful, especially in gaining additional work and projects.” The retreat, we heard, will continue each year with a different location each time.

Associates also described the open-door policy at Jackson Walker as being intrinsic to the open communication between colleagues. “You’re not looked down upon for not knowing an answer and that creates an environment that encourages learning and development where you have the opportunity to be vulnerable about what you do and don’t know,” an interviewee detailed.

“This is a place where people aren’t afraid to show that they have these lives outside of work, and people don’t just respect that, they cultivate it.”

The culture of the firm seems to stem from the encouragement to be “a good firm citizen.” A source explained that this means “showing up for lunches and events, supporting others in the firm, and generally going above and beyond.” This includes attending a weekly happy hour, where associates take a break to catch up over drinks. As one source expressed, “This is a place where people aren’t afraid to show that they have these lives outside of work, and people don’t just respect that, they cultivate it.”

Jackson Walker is recognized as The Elite for Culture in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Pro Bono

Typically, associates can bill up to 50 hours of pro bono work towards their billable targets, however, the cap was waived this year to allow associates to provide help to those affected by the devastating flooding that occurred in Texas in July 2025. “A lot of lives were lost, and people were impacted by property damage in addition to losing loved ones,” shared one associate, “Given the circumstances, the firm encouraged us to go out and do as much pro bono as we could within the state.”

The firm has its own pro bono committee which provides associates with information on matters they can get involved with. Alongside the more typical pro bono matters, the firm invites associates to help out at local animal shelters, foodbanks, drives for local charities, and soup kitchens. “There is a genuine feeling that Jackson Walker cares about its people and the state it’s in,” a source shared. The only slight critique sources had was that most pro bono matters centered on litigation, meaning that some transactional associates felt they couldn’t get involved with it.

Jackson Walker is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Pro Bono in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Inclusion

“We have events throughout the year from our inclusion and belonging committee,” revealed one associate, adding, “We have a lot of lawyer resources. There are various webinars and events to provide that support for you.” For the younger female associates, “the more senior women are very open when talking about their experiences of balancing different parts of their lives,” we heard.

There is also a women’s group which hosts quarterly lunches with speakers and panelists. “I think the concept that everyone is involved in everything is very important,” one associate told us, “The firm has special interest groups that do presentations not just for the special interest group but for the firm as a whole, and those are very well attended.” The key takeaway was that Jackson Walker “understands that diversity makes us stronger as a firm,” associates concluded.