| Williams & Connolly | The Edward Bennett Williams Building, 725 12th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20005 |
| (202) 434-5000 Fax: (202) 434-5029 |
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Washington, DC-based Williams & Connolly LLP is one of the more prestigious firms in the nation - and one of the most tight-lipped. The firm almost never speaks to the press about its clients and actively attempts to keep a low profile. This low profile is evidently attractive to well-known clients such as President Bill Clinton, hotel tycoon Leona Helmsley, former army colonel Oliver North, and junk bond king Michael Milken. Williams & Connolly LLP has over 170 attorneys on staff.
Legendary founder
Williams & Connolly LLP was founded in 1967 by the late Edward Bennett Williams and Paul Connolly. Williams was famous for defending Teamsters union head (and alleged mob associate) Jimmy Hoffa in 1957. (Other notorious Williams clients include Joe McCarthy, Frank Costello, Richard Helms, and Michael Milken.) He later argued successfully in front of the Supreme Court for limitations on the power of the police to search and seize evidence from criminal defendants. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan once praised Williams as one of the greatest advocates ever to appear before the nation's most powerful judicial body. As the firm's reputation grew, top Washington lawyers joined the practice, including Joseph Califano, who brought the Democratic National Committee to Williams & Connolly LLP as a client. Williams & Connolly LLP now has an established reputation as one of the nation's premier litigation defense firms.
All over Washington
While Williams & Connolly LLP has recently attracted notice for defending the First Family, it has been involved in numerous other high-profile Washington cases spanning the political spectrum. Partner Terrence O'Donnell has represented the Republican National Committee, and partner Jack Vardaman has advised former vice president Dan Quayle. Another well-known partner, Brendan Sullivan, defended Oliver North during the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal and four FBI agents involved in the controversial 1992 Ruby Ridge shootout. More recently, he defended former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros against allegations of making false statements to the FBI during a background check. Perhaps following the famous advice of founder Edward Williams - who once said that a delay is as good as an acquittal - Sullivan fought for and earned numerous delays, pushing the trial back almost a year and a half. Despite the millions of dollars spent by the independent counsel on his prosecution, Cisneros ultimately walked away with a plea to one misdemeanor count and a small fine.
Hola
Williams & Connolly LLP partner Gregory Craig (who helped represent President Clinton during his impeachment trial) represented Juan Miguel Gonzalez, father of Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez, in his dealings with the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Department of Justice (not in his dispute with Elian's relatives in the U.S.). While he might belong to a low-key firm, Craig could hardly avoid publicity when the INS recovered Elian from his relatives in April 2000. Craig's previous experience with well-known clients includes serving as one of two lead lawyers in the representation of would-be assassin and Jodie Foster enthusiast John Hinckley, Jr. Craig won an acquittal for Hinckley, Jr. on an insanity plea.
It's not all DC
Although Williams & Connolly LLP is reknowned for handling government cases, the firm does have many other clients. Corporate clients include Archer Daniels Midland, General Electric, Norplant manufacturer American Home Products, and Lockheed Martin. The business practice group accounts for 20 percent of revenues. In a holdover from the days of Edward Bennett Williams, the firm represents the Teamsters' union as well.
Williams & Connolly LLP is proud of its distinguished sports law practice. The firm represents athletes at both the professional, and amateur levels, as well as sports teams, player unions, coaches, leagues, and owners. Notable athletic clients include NBA players Patrick Ewing and Grant Hill and WNBA star Chamique Holdclaw.
The granddaddy of all clients
Williams & Connolly LLP's biggest client is perhaps the biggest of them all - the firm has represented President Clinton since 1992. Partner David Kendall guided him through the Whitewater affair, and the firm continued to represent him during his 1999 impeachment trial. Many legal analysts speculated that Clinton's response to the Monica Lewinsky scandal - including his terse public denial - was the result of Kendall's advice. Kendall's tough questioning of independent counsel Kenneth Starr in front of the House Judiciary Committee, in which Kendall questioned the investigation rather than its findings, unsettled Starr but was nonetheless criticized. In the end, Williams & Connolly LLP won a public victory when the Senate acquitted Clinton. Williams & Connolly LLP will keep the Clintons as clients - partner Robert Barnett agreed to represent them in all matters after the president leaves office in 2001.
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"Pretty much everyone clerks"
Associates say that although there is "no hard-and-fast grade cutoff." Successful candidates at Williams & Connolly LLP normally come from a "real top school or are people with extraordinary resumes from outside the top 10." The school has a "strong history" with Georgetown University, from which name partner Edward Bennett Williams graduated. Additionally, the firm has "a lot of partners from Harvard and Yale." Other popular schools at the firm are Chicago, UVA, Texas, and Stanford.
Although the firm favors law review members and clerks, an insider notes that there is "no paid clerkship bonus, except for Supreme Court clerkships." (When considering partnership track and compensation, however, the firm gives credit for clerkships.) "Pretty much everyone here clerks," reports one associate, although she is quick to point out that the firm is not "snobby" about clerkships and does not necessarily favor those with federal circuit or appellate clerkships over those who clerked for federal districts. (Supreme Court clerkships, of course, are a different story.)
Interviewers are sure to ask applicants: "Why are you interested in the firm?" Says an insider, "The attorneys at this firm are interested in the law and in litigation. They like dealing with legal issues and are excited by them. If you don't have that kind of enthusiasm for the law, it shows easily."
Summer program does not mean sure thing
"Basically, I'd say we get about half of the associates from the summer program; the rest are people who contact us, often while doing a clerkship," says one insider. That contact warns that landing a summer position with the firm can be extremely difficult: "It's a lot harder to get a job here as a summer associate. The summer program is still fairly small and because we interview at 12 to 15 schools, the firm likes to get somebody from each of those schools. So you really only have one or two from each school and because of that it's really artificially restrictive. There are lots of people walking around the office who interviewed for the summer program but didn't get in. They went back to school, got clerkships, and now work here."
Those applying for the firm's summer program can expect four to six interviews in the callback round in DC with "half-and-half partners and associates." After the interviews, the candidate will generally be taken to lunch with two associates. The format is similar for those applying laterally or from clerkships. A contact tells us that the firm "doesn't hire a lot of laterals. When they do, they are mainly people a couple years out. More than three years out, it's really not many people."
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There is no "I" in Williams & Connolly LLP (Well, there is, but you get the idea)
One third-year associate at Williams & Connolly LLP says the firm "feels more like a team than a corporation." Other insiders say W&C has a "pervasive team spirit" and "a very unstructured environment." The personalities of the firm's lawyers shine through and shape the corporate culture.
No fungible units
Insiders report few problems with W&C partners. "I have had a terrific working relationship with Williams & Connolly LLP partners," comments one litigation associate. "From my first year at the firm, my opinion was valued and sought after. Maybe this is because Williams & Connolly LLP raises 99 percent of its partners from within, so it makes sense to treat associates as valued colleagues and potential future partners, not the 'fungible billing units' of Wall Street law firm fame."
"You might beat us but you won't outwork us"
As at most firms, hours at Williams & Connolly LLP are cyclical, with a significant spike around trial time and deal time. "Everything comes in waves, but the hours are somewhat longer than at other DC firms," says an insider. Another associate begs to differ, laying out a well-reasoned argument to support his view. "Although a lot of people work hard here, the sweatshop label is misplaced," says that source. "There is simply no concept of face time, and if you walk around on a weeknight after 7:15 p.m. or so or on a weekend there are not a lot of people around." That insider continues: "The really high billers are either people who are workaholics by nature or people who said yes to a case that put them over the top hours-wise because it was too juicy to pass up - a good white collar case, libel/First Amendment, good travel, working with a cool partner - or those who are in trial. In trial, all bets are off; you might beat us but you won't outwork us."
Pay: no bonuses, but that's OK
While most at Williams & Connolly LLP are satisfied with the pay structure, there is some controversy over the lack of bonuses. "Williams & Connolly LLP does not award hourly-based bonuses," reports one fourth-year associate. "There is resistance, among both partners and associate, to such a system. The rationale is that it would encourage both inflated billing and inefficiency and would pressure associates to spend more time in the office than they otherwise would." Another source says, "I am okay [with the lack of bonuses] because first, I don't want to work the extra hours to get them; second, we have a cohesive bunch of associates, and I'm just as happy not to have what is likely to be at least the mildly divisive issue of who-gets-what bonus; and third, W&C has always made a lot more partners than other DC firms so the ultimate payoff is more assured."
Lunch and tickets
In addition to the dining hall, which provides free lunch and the opportunity to meet that special someone, the firm has choice seats at DC-area sports teams, including the Baltimore Orioles and Washington's Wizards, Redskins, and Capitals. When traveling, it's "firm policy that we fly first class - the firm will pay the difference if a client doesn't pay for first class." Also available for associates: a gym described as "small" and "mediocre" and access to the firm's Manhattan apartment when traveling to New York.
Stand by me
"Like all big firms, people leave, but Williams and Connolly has an extremely small number of people [who] go to other DC firms - most go to government or make a geographic move," says a lawyer. Another insider concurs, saying that "people leave because they have great opportunities in other areas of the law."
(Almost) everybody's happy
Those who love to litigate may find Williams & Connolly LLP as close to nirvana as one can get on Earth (and certainly in DC). One associate calls Williams & Connolly LLP "a fantastic place to work if you like litigation and find it challenging and fulfilling." The pluses include "very funny, very likeable colleagues." At Williams & Connolly LLP, lawyers get "lots of responsibility early [and] associates keep their own schedule with little oversight or second-guessing of workload," highlighted by a lack of a billable hours requirement. "I picked this firm because I thought it was the best in litigation in DC and had the best white-collar practice," says one source. The reputation of the litigation practice was mentioned several times as a factor in choosing Williams & Connolly LLP. The other main factor cited by many sources was the responsibility awarded to associates.
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Donna M. Downing
Recruiting Coordinator
(202) 434-5605
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Arnold & Porter;Covington & Burling;Cravath, Swaine & Moore;Kirkland & Ellis;Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison;Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering
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