Top Law Schools

Building out a list of Chicago firms for our delayed OCI. Have a return offer at my 1L SA firm. I like them so I will have a slimmed down OCI list. Importantly, I am really interested in trying to pursue employment law after graduation. Which firms should I prioritize? So far, I have Sidley, Kirkland, Morgan Lewis, Proskauer, and Baker on my radar. Are those good for my goals?

Employment litigation? Employee benefits? Or transactional employment stuff (which tends to fall on employee benefits side)?

I’m only familiar with employment litigation, but your best options in Chicago are Jones Day, Morgan Lewis, Proskauer (smaller office, but a few top notch employment partners), McDermott (newish group), and Seyfarth. Beyond that, you quickly fall to pure employment firms (who don’t pay close to market), like littler and Jackson Lewis.

I don’t think you’ll have meaningful opportunities for employment litigation at Kirkland or Sidley — too high of rates/not a focus at those firms. I don’t know much about Baker’s employment lit group in Chicago (if it exists).

Echoing the above. “Employment” at the top firms will mostly be class action litigation or executive compensation (this is what those firms call “transactional employment law”). Firms that probably have more actual employment work are those mentioned above and Mayer Brown and Winston & Strawn.