Jones Day

“Don’t call me junior!” At Jones Day, intrepid new starters can take on adventures well above their pay, enjoying early ownership without early pressure.

About the Firm

Unsure which area of law is ‘the one’ just yet? Put down the phone, and get out of those sweatpants, because at this global firm, you don’t need to commit on Day one. Jones Day recognizes that first years may have reservations about the right practice area, so instead of joining a specific group, every first year associate is placed into the firm’s ‘New Lawyer's Group,’ allowing juniors the freedom and flexibility to try a range of different practice areas. One source explained: “The New Lawyer's Group gives juniors more time to try things and figure out what they want to do.” But for those keen on a certain practice don’t worry; within the New Lawyer's Group, associates can focus entirely on sourcing work from one practice area. As one insider said: “You’re not funneled into a practice group, you can seek out groups that you’re super interested in.” Reportedly, interviewees were afforded the luxury of trying out ten groups before they found the right fit – so you can clearly keep your options open.

“The firm is wonderful at getting younger associates substantive exposure right of the bat.”

This flexibility is paired with early responsibility, with one interviewee reflecting that the firm is “wonderful at getting younger associates substantive experience right off the bat.” That level of responsibility isn’t something that has hindered, but rather bolstered the firm’s different departments, as reflected in our sister guide Chambers USA, where the firm is highly ranked nationwide in appellate law, international arbitration, labor & employment, product liability, and retail: corporate & transactional. Associates emphasized this, noting how “the firm does great high stakes legal work.”

Summer Program

“It was the best summer of my life,” smiled an associate who spent their ten weeks researching, drafting memos, carrying out due diligence work, and working on pro bono cases. Juniors praised the amount of substantive work they received, as well as the networking opportunities they were encouraged to participate in. We learned that the program “laid the groundwork for future relationships when you officially start at the firm.” Interviewees also enjoyed the number of activities the firm hosted. “There were activities every week,” said one junior; “maybe too many activities,” joked another. Insiders talked about their experiences going to a Cubs game and a Chicago architecture tour. Ultimately though, juniors pointed to the associate mixer as their favorite event. Overall, consensus seemed to be that Jones Day does a great job of introducing summers to various people for networking, helping them build the foundations for relationships they’ll continue to nurture upon joining the firm as first years, and more generally giving summers the tools they needed to really get to know the firm.

Strategy & Future

Sharyl Reisman, firmwide hiring partner tells us the meaning behind the firm’s ‘One Firm Worldwide’ motto: “From the moment you walk through the door, at whatever stage in your career you are, you have access to 2,500 of the best lawyers across the globe. No obstacles, because we are one network, and we’re incentivized to operate as one network and one seamless firm.” As well as discussing the importance of the firm’s culture, Reisman also highlights the firm’s commitment to developing their lawyers and thereby retaining them. She reflects on the success of the firm’s professional development goal, given in the most recent round of promotions, “almost 50% of that partnership class were former summer associates,” adding that “to have such successful retention speaks to the success of our initiatives and our culture.”

When discussing artificial intelligence, Reisman explains that the firm’s recently appointed global chair of AI and innovation, whose role, working alongside the AI and innovation committee, “is to ensure that we are bringing the most value to our clients using AI as well as for us internally.” Reisman was firm in stating that “it’s here, it’s not going anywhere, and recognizing its strengths and its limitations allows us to capitalize on its value and add value to our client service and the way we do business.”

Read more from our conversation with Sharyl Reisman under the 'Get Hired' tab.

Jones Day is recognized as a Strong Performer for AI Integration in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

The Work

Jones Day’s motto being ‘One Firm Worldwide’ means it doesn’t strictly have a US headquarters. The firm has 18 offices located around the US, with the biggest sitting in New York. 22 others extend internationally across Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. The majority of associates are located in Cleveland, New York, and Chicago.

The ones available to chat to us told us about the firm’s work structure. Essentially, in each practice group there is a partner who “has eyes on what people are working on and how many hours they’re working.” Weekly meetings are held within each group to discuss who has more or less availability in order to gauge capacity across the team. Sources explained that most matters they receive get communicated from partners directly, who assign work based on a range of things including capacity level. However, getting placed on matters works both ways with associates able to “reach out to any partner in your group for work” meaning, “it’s like a free market.”

Career Development

At Jones Day, career development is shaped by its ethos, a principle that associates say genuinely holds up in practice. As one insider stated: “the idea of one firm worldwide is true, people aren’t fighting over clients, instead they are working together and identifying those in the firm that have the expertise to bring the best possible service.” The firm provides opportunities for both formal and informal development, including CLEs and practice group specific training sessions, for example, the financial markets group keeps associates on their toes as “every three weeks they do different online trainings where partners and associates present about different topics.” Associates were also pleased to report how approachable seniors are. “All of the partners I’ve worked with are willing to spend time with associates, answer their questions, and teach them how to do things,” shared one source.

“The firm invests in their young associates who then want to invest in the firm.”

Client contact is a key part of a rookie’s role at Jones Day and that early trust seems to go both ways. As one insider said: “the firm invests in their younger associates who then want to invest in the firm.” Another source also added how, “the firm is good at immersing you in front of potential and existing clients; they are interested in hearing ideas from associates.” Reisman also believes the firm’s mentoring program, where associates are assigned mentors “straight out of the box,” to be an incredibly important part of what they do at the firm. Associates are also often encouraged to find mentors organically.

Hours & Compensation

“They value the wellbeing of associates.”

Despite the firm’s 2,000 billable hour requirement, it’s not strictly discussed on a regular basis. “I only hear about it in annual reviews,” said one insider. Sources were grateful that the firm takes a broad view when considering associate efforts, as “they consider business development and pitch work too, and they aren’t billable.”

When deadlines are approaching, interviewees told us that they can often find themselves working from 8am till 7pm and then logging back on at 9pm until midnight. However, they emphasized how “those days are few are far between.” Another insider felt that “they do a good job of letting you have a rest after a crazy season,” explaining that “they value the wellbeing of associates.” Although hours can get a little crazy during high tide, juniors were pleased to note that “partners also want you to have a life outside of work”. As one interviewee stated, “BigLaw in general gets a really crazy stigma if you have no time to yourself; I don’t necessarily believe that to be the case here.”

Culture

Associates at Jones Day consistently described the firm’s culture as family-orientated and collaborative. Singular sports have no place here, where insiders revealed you have to be a team player to survive. As one insider explained, “you can’t be territorial, you have to do what’s best for the client,” which means working with your colleagues, and “thepeople who recognize that it’s a win-win to be collaborative really excel here.” Readers will be glad to know that despite the firm’s scale, hierarchy isn’t something that seems to dominate life at the firm.

Sources repeatedly discussed how approachable their seniors are, “they’re always happy to talk” noted one insider. With others highlighting how they even work directly with partners on matters – no middleman needed. Interviewees also told us that the firm has a full-time in-office policy of five days a week but noted that the firm is flexible and recognizes that people may need to work from home sometimes. With regards to the firm’s decision on in-office policy, Reisman stated that “there’s nothing more enriching than engaging with somebody one-on-one… it’s a great thing for our junior lawyers to learn and be with people. You can’t replace those interactions.”

Pro Bono

There are no fixed numbers on the amount of pro bono an associate can do, with “associates allowed to do as much as they want.” One source clarified that they are provided with “a soft guidance advising that your entire practice can’t be pro bono,” meaning there should be a reasonable amount of client work. However, the general feeling was that the firm ‘values’, ‘encourages’, and ‘cares’ about pro bono, with a dedicated pro bono coordinator working from each office providing a constant stream of opportunities for associates to partake in. Additionally, you can also propose an idea for a pro bono matter that interests you as sources say that the firm will almost always allow it. Currently the firm puts a big emphasis on immigration matters, housing disputes, domestic violence support as well as a big initiative for human trafficking prevention.

Jones Day is recognized as a Strong Performer for Pro Bono in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Inclusion

We heard that Jones Day has made a push to recruit from a mix of local and national law schools in an effort to “keep things balanced,” when hiring its associates. Insiders also described talks and events held by the firm aimed at highlighting inclusion within the workplace.

The firm’s affinity groups were also praised, with one junior asserting that “the firm has remained dedicated to these groups to foster inclusion.” Groups are available to all to join, with offerings including (but not limited to): Black Lawyers Affinity Group, Women’s Affinity Group, Asian Lawyers Affinity Group, and South Asian Affinity Group.