Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler

This New York mainstay draws the pitter-Patter of law school grads with the promise of top-tier trial work and a tight-knit boutique culture.

About the Firm

Patterson is by no means a one-trick-pony. In fact, the idea has always been to build a “single office, full-service firm,” according to co-chair and managing partner Dahlia Doumar. That said, we would be remiss to not mention the firm’s “particular strength” in litigation. Especially given that almost all of our interviewees pointed to the firm’s strength in contentious matters as one of their reasons for joining the firm. Prestige, for one, was a key pull factor. Chambers USA notes Patterson as among the top firms in the US for advertising litigation, as well as for securities (mainly RMBS) in New York. There’s also nods for practices like investigations and intellectual property in New York too. Associates can “try as many different areas as you want,” but the general consensus was that Patterson is “very trial heavy” (in the best possible way), and that was part of the appeal: “A lot of the bigger firms just don’t do that as much.”

“…it seems like everyone knows each other!”

Although Patterson Belknap does sit in the BigLaw tier of firms, we heard that the reality of the firm on the ground was more of a boutique feel – “but it’s not super small, 200 is still a good number!” For associates at Patterson, “it seems like everyone knows each other! Unlike at a thousand-attorney firm.” And for Doumar that structure is intentional, and “even more unique because, as the single equity tier seems to be disappearing at the top firms, it remains important to our culture and keeps us tight knit.”

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler is recognized as a Strong Performer for Junior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Strategy & Future

As a single, equity-only office, the focus at Patterson is on internal recruitment and growth. It’s something that goes somewhat against the grain in an industry where mergers and acquisitions are all the rage at the moment, but Patterson is still susceptible to the traditional political and economic shifts: “Certain practices have been impacted more” than others regarding things like executive orders – Doumar points to the firm’s large tax-exempt team as one such practice – and the firm’s trust and estates department has been busy with internal revenue code changes: “We’ve seen consistent busyness across the firm, so people are busy regardless of international trends,” Doumar assures us. Even in places where there has been a dip in work, other areas have picked up the slack. For example, Doumar also points to IP litigation practices, anti-counterfeiting and patent as particularly fruitful.

Moving forward, Doumar acknowledges the importance of AI to the market and, in that vein, to Patterson; the firm has recently rolled out Harvey which for them has been particularly useful given its integration of LexisNexis: “More and more, clients are starting to want law firms to consider use of AI tools to make things more effective,” Doumar explains, and as a result “we’re introducing training modules – and plenty of them – so that associates can take advantage and understand how to best use these tools...”

The Work

Patterson doesn’t host a summer program, instead hiring straight from judicial clerkships. Upon joining, everyone is considered a generalist. While conversations about honing your practice begin in an associate’s fifth or sixth year, there is no official time to declare a specialism. Of course, litigation is a broad area of practice at any rate and as such, the firm uses central staffing to both balance out workload and help allocate matters by interest. Before starting “you fill a form on areas of interest you might have, which the assigning partner keeps in mind when staffing you on cases.” Juniors we spoke with felt that allocation “is balanced; the assigning partner’s door is very much open, so I bug him if I don’t have work!” Associates can get work elsewhere “but they still need to go through the system.” As a result, “it seems like when the firm is busy, everyone is busy.” There was the general feeling that “they try and match you to the best of your abilities.”

“…the assigning partner’s door is very much open, so I bug him if I don’t have work!”

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler is recognized as a Strong Performer for Work Allocation & Autonomy in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Career Development

“It’s on the job,” associates told us of the training, “but they have CLEs, training on the litigation nuts and bolts like putting together a complaint, what a summary judgement looks like, that kind of thing.” Mandatory training on AI was also brought up which received a slightly mixed response from associates. When it comes to use on active cases, “you need permission from the firm and the client; I use it to help me find data or understand a confusing topic, so it’s more like a more advanced Google for me!” Our interviewees gave a lot of praise for mentorship at Patterson which begins with being assigned a partner and an associate mentor when startingwho they meet with monthly. “When that dissolves, you have your feet under you, and the informal mentorship is really good,” something that is helped by the fact that “most people have a mentorship desire, a growth mindset for senior associates.” Because the firm often staff fairly leanly, “you become close with case teams,” which helps with teaching and mentorship as “people focus on junior associates more.”

“…most people have a mentorship desire, a growth mindset for senior associates.”

When it comes to career development at the firm, managing partner Dahlia Doumer tells us that Patterson has a distinctive “focus on promoting from within.” One junior told us that while partnership does feel attainable “we are a very clerk-heavy firm, so your class gets bigger as you progress,” but Doumer notes that while “we take advantage of strategic laterals with specific skills,” ultimately, “we look internally. We are committed to recruiting the top talent and promoting them.” For our interviewees, while they acknowledged that the firm’s smaller size might limit opportunities at the top, “generally the people who’ve spent their career here do get a chance at partnership.”

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler is recognized as a Strong Performer for Career Development in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Hours & Compensation

Patterson expects people to do at least 1,850 hours of client billable work, with a further 250 hours of non-billable work that can contribute to the 2,100 hour overall target for bonus eligibility. When it comes to compensation, the firm matches the market, so “if other firms bump up you can be reassured,” and this - in combination with the firm’s PTO - was seen as a big plus. With a policy of 22 weeks paid parental leave, fertility benefits and other wellness initiatives on offer, interviewees reveled in the benefits. When it comes to PTO, “people are respectful of it as long as you plan it well and give advance notice – I went on a two-week vacation and barely got bothered at all!”

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Benefits & Quality of Life in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Culture

Beyond being “very nurturing and concerned about your success,” we got the impression that on the whole juniors at Patterson felt the firm is “wholesome; everyone is welcoming and supportive without feeling like there is any required socializing – you can enjoy your coworkers at work and then go home!” Associates felt like there were no expectations when it came to going to events like happy hours, partially because “a lot of people have families (…) there’s no fraternity vibe here.” Our interviewees were aligned on the fact that “it’s a place that supports people having a family and spending time with them.”

“…everyone is welcoming and supportive without feeling like there is any required socializing – you can enjoy your coworkers at work and then go home!”

Partners still expect associates to be in the office at least three days a week (with Wednesdays as an anchor day), something which those we spoke with weren’t too disappointed with because “interactions happen much more organically.” Associates are spread across the headquarters – “we have our own offices which is great!” – without being segregated by subject matter or department “so we’re all conversing throughout the day.” Although associates are under no obligation to attend socials, they do still happen for those who are interested. Every month associates have a class lunch – “it’s good to see what everyone your level is doing” – there’s a ‘new hires tea’ to celebrate newcomers to the firm, and the office holds monthly lunches and evening activities to keep people familiar with each other.

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler is recognized as a Strong Performer for Culture in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Pro Bono

Our interviewees were very positive about Patterson’s approach to pro bono, especially around the firm’s praise for associates taking it on, the opportunities provided, and the pro bono policy. Patterson hosts a pro bono tea, which is a 45 minute presentation on the top cases the firm has worked on with a cocktail hour at the end of it!– and “we take on a lot of big pro bono that can take up significant time, and that’s given me good experience.” Every new starter is assigned a pro bono matter to do alongside their billables, which is given to them by their assignment coordinator. “It battles for billable hours” in a way that can allow associates to take on hundreds of hours a year, although all are highly encouraged to take on at least 20 hours -“they do make a concerted effort to ensure we do it.” Associates work on a “broad range of matters,” either getting them directly from the pro bono assigning partner or from “weekly blasts from different clients we work with, like federal courts looking for people to take on cases.” We heard that immigration cases were par for the course for newbies at the firm, but a number of associates mentioned that they do “a lot of AMICUS briefs and SCOTUS” work.

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Pro Bono in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Inclusion

Resource groups at Patterson are “open to everyone,” and they hold events throughout the year to celebrate cultural occasions. The firm, for example, hosted a Lunar New Year party, and we heard that the Women Lawyers at Patterson group seemed relatively active. Other groups include Black Lawyers at Patterson, Out Lawyers at Patterson, Parents at Patterson, and Veterans and Families of Service members at Patterson. “Those events haven’t really changed,” over the past year, and the firm’s raison d’etre “is still about championing women and gaining mentorship.” Patterson also reflects its commitment to inclusion by delivering a fellowship to first years who have demonstrated a commitment to civil and human rights.