Cleary Gottlieb
New York, NYWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA +1
FIRM PROFILE
Venable
- Annapolis, MD
- Baltimore, MD
- Chicago, IL
- +11
The “biggest firm in Maryland” with business transactions, litigation and IP matters aplenty for anyone Ven-able and willing.
About the Firm
- 15
- National Offices
- 0
- Overseas Offices
- Undisclosed
- Associates
- Undisclosed
- Partners
There’s no place like it, and it’s where the heart is, after all, but where you call ‘home’ is also an important part of who you are. As one junior put it: “Venable is the biggest firm in Maryland,” and there’s no doubt that its excellent reputation in the State was a big part of the draw for the current cohort of juniors. That said, there’s a lot more to the firm than just its roots: “They are a large firm that handles IP and has a good reputation in IP, so I was interested from the get-go,” one told us. This sentiment is echoed by Chambers USA, which awards the firm top recognition for its intellectual property (trademark, copyright and trade secrets) practice in DC, as well as high praise for its patent prosecution efforts. That’s alongside top-tier rankings in general commercial litigation, corporate M&A, and employee benefits & executive compensation in Maryland.
“What keeps me here is a variety of factors including the culture, the mentorship, and the inclusion, and the benefits are phenomenal.”
“What keeps me here is a variety of factors including the culture, the mentorship, and the inclusion,” one junior explained, “and the benefits are phenomenal.” Although Venable has long standing roots in Maryland, the firm’s largest office is located in DC, with fourteen others across the US.
Summer Program
- Undisclosed
- Summer Places
The firm uses a centralized staffing system for summers, however insiders told us that if you meet someone during the summer and are interested in the work they do, it’s also possible to receive work directly. Previous summer associates praised the firm’s efforts to provide them with substantive billable matters - work on research projects, preparing filings, writing memos, document review and partaking in mock deposition exercises. Activities during the summer include happy hours, baseball games, paint and sips, cooking classes, bowling and karaoke. The advice from the current crop? “You need to keep an open mind to the different groups the firm offers. You never know what will pique your interest” one told us. Another associate added: “Enjoy it! Make the most of it and meet as many people as you can, try everything.”
Strategy & Future
Charles Monterio, firmwide hiring parter at Venable tells us that the firm is focused on investing in its summer program and developing home-grown talent to support growth. Artificial intelligence, Monterio highlights, is a key part of that evolution: “We are approaching it in a thoughtful and deliberate way, actively evaluating and implementing tools to enhance efficiency.” Part of this thoughtful approach means ensuring the firm’s lawyers are taught to use the tools in the best way: “We are focused on integrating these developments into the training of our lawyers, including associates and summer associates.” This is all part of a broader aim to focus Venable’s efforts on “how associates and partners can leverage AI to make them better, as opposed to replacing tasks that they do,” as one insider put it.
The Work
We heard that many practices within the firm have a workflow projection system where associates estimate how many hours they will work over the next two weeks and add what matters they’re working on. This information is then sent to the practice group leader who decides on the basis of that information where to assign work. That said, some departments work a little differently – we heard that commercial litigation will circulate email blasts to see if anyone is available to help out on a matter, which is then assigned on a first come first served basis.
“…attention to detail is important. A lot of the stuff we’re looking at are very long disclosures, and here the smallest of errors can make a big difference.”
Diving into the corporate practice group at Venable, the group is split between M&A and corporate work, where insiders described working on corporate governance and securities matters for Maryland corporate entities. “We do a pretty wide range of work” noted one junior, who highlighted how they often found themselves working on IPO proxy contents, securities offerings, M&A transactions and special community representations, as well as 40 Act work, often for large public companies and PR investment companies. Interviewees told us that a lot of the time they’re reviewing against governing documents - which meant that the work can get quite repetitive - and therefore, “attention to detail is important. A lot of the stuff we’re looking at are very long disclosures, and here the smallest of errors can make a big difference.”
Corporate clients: Marriott International, Perdue Incorporated, Dolby Theatre SSP. Represented Bridger Aerospace - a leading aerial firefighting and wildfire management services company - in its $50 million acquisition of two Canadair ‘Super Scooper’ Amphibious Aircraft from MAB Funding.
The firm’s IP litigation group operates separately from the broader litigation group. The group is itself split into two sub teams: technology and life sciences. At the junior level, responsibilities often center on contributing to doc review and helping on expert reports. Juniors are expected to develop a good grasp of their clients’ patents, including understanding the history as well as any vulnerabilities that may be exposed in a dispute. This also means an opportunity to engage closely with cutting-edge technologies, with pharmaceuticals also forming a key part of the practice. According to our associate survey, the vast majority of juniors in the IP group agreed that partners were invested in their personal career development, and there were positive comments about team camaraderie too.
Intellectual property litigation clients: Sanofi, Canon, Arthrex.Represented Novartis in patent litigation against generic drug manufacturer MSN related to Novartis’s Entresto® heart failure product.
“We do everything, it’s the nature of our group, it’s always different industries that I’m learning about.”
As one junior in the firm’s commercial litigation group told us: “We do everything, it’s the nature of our group, it’s always different industries that I’m learning about.” We heard that a lot of matters stem from a breach of contract, as well as matters focusing on construction cases that have gone wrong. Although these were the two main work strands, interviewees also spoke about antitrust work, competitor-related issues, and some arbitration cases. Life in the group means “you have to be ok with not knowing what you don’t know. You won’t know the area of law every time, you need to embrace that.” As one source reassured: “There is beauty in familiarizing yourself with the facts of the case. You need to be a sponge and willing to learn.” Time management is also an important asset due to the nature of the work, “there’s so many matters happening at once, all with different deadlines.”
Commercial litigation clients: CBS, Walmart, Doordash, Morgan Stanley.
Career Development
“Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m being trained, I learn so much through talking with partners and seeing their viewpoints.”
Insiders at the firm highlighted “tons of training opportunities,” including AI-focused sessions to make associates aware of the tools the firm provides. As is often the case however, a lot of the best bits come from the more informal routes. As one junior put it, “There’s a lot of coaching on matters where partners explain things to you. Most training comes from trial and error, they give you a document fully expecting you to screw up, then they give you comments about where you went wrong and why.” Juniors are also regularly invited along to networking events alongside the partners: “Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m being trained, I learn so much through talking with partners and seeing their viewpoints.”
Hours & Compensation
- No requirement
- Billable hours requirement
The billable hour requirement sits at 1,850 hours, with 50 pro bono hours allowed to go towards that target. Juniors told us that they had no problem hitting this target, calling it “very achievable.” Average hours at the firm, of course, depends on the group. In corporate, associates mentioned working ten-hour days on average, with commercial litigation closer to eight. “I might have four weeks where I’m working 70 plus hours, but that’s not super common. It’s only for around three months of the year.” Juniors told us that the firm recently switched to a non-lockstep salary, and “they assess whether a person can receive a bonus on things outside of billable work,” although there is still a productivity bonus tied to billable hours only. As one junior told us: “They give you a spreadsheet at the start of the year stating that if you hit your goal, you get X amount, and if you go above, you get Y.”
Culture
While ‘laid back’ might be a stretch too far for the cut and thrust of law, “relatively speaking, being able to go with the flow and being accommodating for each other” is an important part of the recipe for success at Venable. Sources also told us that associates at the firm need to be thinking ten steps ahead. “You need to anticipate how the case will shake out from all angles” noted one interviewee. Having a strong work ethic was also a pointer, “it will help build your brand and reputation, people will want to work with you.”
Venable has a three days per week in-office policy. Sources spoke about the benefits of having their own office too, “we’re not in a bullpen, I like having a door I can close!” Sources in the DC office also told us how the firm offers discounts to movie theaters, as well as the opportunity to attend events with clients.
Venable is recognized as a Strong Performer for Culture in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.
Pro Bono
- Undisclosed
- Total Us Pro Bono Hours
- Undisclosed
- Average Pro Bono Hours Per Attorney
“I’ve appreciated that it’s given me the freedom to learn about the case, be the leader and be in front of the client.”
When it comes to pro bono “they are very encouraging” one junior told us, “I’ve appreciated that it’s given me the freedom to learn about the case, be the leader and be in front of the client.” Not only does the firm encourage associates to partake in pro bono, insiders also told us how “they have a very encouraging mindset in terms of us incorporating it into our case load.” There was some frustration with the 50-hour cap on the pro bono associates can count towards their billable target, but this was caveated with the fact that “my team never discourages me from working on a pro bono case. They tend to be very happy that I’m working on pro bono.” We heard that past pro bono work includes a large number of immigration-related cases, as well as prisoner rights, and art-related matters.
Inclusion
The firm offers a range of affinity groups, which associates praised for “allowing us to connect with others and receive guidance from them.” Juniors spoke to how the groups do a good job of reaching out, adding that they put on events for the group specifically but also for the firm as a whole. One source told us that “people get together once a month and you can join the groups based on your interests.”
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Top Figures
- Washington D.C.
- Largest US Office
- 858.2
- Revenue (£m)
- $215,000
- 1st Year Salary
- 14
- Partners Made
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