The Legal Cheek View
US powerhouse Morgan Lewis & Bockius was ahead of the curve when it opened its first international office in London in 1981. Forty-five years on, with 33 global offices now under its belt, this international white-shoe firm is still at the top of its game, offering trainees in the capital a slice of something a little different.
Primarily, this comes in the form of the wide array of practice areas which rookies can enjoy during their training contract. Antitrust and competition, banking and finance, corporate, dispute resolution, employment law, intellectual property, investment management, structured transactions, and tax are all on the cards, as is the chance to get involved in some super interesting pro bono work. All new recruits will spend some time in either litigation or antitrust, and most will do a stint in corporate, but on the whole, the breadth of work on offer here is felt to be more diverse and balanced than some of the corporate and private equity-heavy work found at other US firms’ London offices.
For Morgan Lewis, diversity has continued to spell dividends. The firm does not formally disclose its global revenue, but Legal Cheek understands it sits north of $3 billion (£2.2 billion), keeping this US giant comfortably among the world’s largest law firms. Closer to home, the City office has had a particularly strong year, with London revenue rising by over 15% to £136 million. Headcount has also been creeping up in the capital, helped by a series of eye-catching lateral hires. Gemma Roberts, formerly co-chair of Goodwin Procter’s London office, joined as European private equity practice lead, while Philip Cheveley arrived from Covington & Burling as European M&A practice lead, a pretty clear signal that Morgan Lewis is looking to take a bigger slice of London dealmaking.
Despite its varied offering, the quality and intensity of the work at Morgan Lewis is as you would expect at any US firm, and true to form, trainees describe being hands-on from the get-go. As one described it, “you get very real responsibility from day one and are expected to contribute in deals.” Lean deal teams mean you’re “working directly with partners,” and “as such, the work is very stimulating because you play a genuine role in getting deals across the line.” As one of only six trainees each year, you can also expect to be “involved with real work and client or counsel-facing work” pretty early on, which our sources tell us also means “you don’t do many basic or process-heavy tasks,” result! Another rookie describes the work on offer at Morgan Lewis as “very global, interesting and always varied,” adding that “at times it can be challenging, but it is good to be pushed out of your comfort zone as a trainee, as it makes the transition to NQ easier.”
This is also how the vast majority of training is done at Morgan Lewis. Though our insiders did speak of some “limited formal training” to supplement the all-American approach of “learn on the job,” this is not a place for hand-holding. In the words of one current recruit, “it’s more about hitting the ground running.” Echoing this sentiment, another spy told LC, “you have to quickly learn to adapt and learn from any mistakes so that you don’t make them again. I have found associates and partners are always extremely willing to answer any questions I might have, and I feel that is how I have received the majority of my training.”
For a flavour of the work on offer, recent mandates show just how varied the London platform can be. Morgan Lewis represented Nebius on a multibillion-dollar AI infrastructure agreement with Meta, advised MSP Sports Capital on the sale of its interest in Formula 1 team McLaren Racing, and acted as English and US legal adviser to Kyrgyzstan on its $700 million debut sovereign bond offering. The firm has also advised on tech M&A, including Searchspring’s acquisition of AI-driven search and discovery company Klevu. In other words, trainees here can find themselves working on everything from AI data centres and sports investment to sovereign debt and cross-border tech deals.
Supportive and “highly approachable” partners are the norm at Morgan Lewis, and “responsive and helpful supervisors” are always on hand for questions or support. One trainee tells us, “there is a genuine open-door policy, even with the most senior partners. Even when given a discrete task, associates and partners take the time to explain the background and context, which can make the mundane tasks more interesting.” Another adds, “my supervisors have been incredibly helpful, and there have been times where I have been working directly with partners and have never felt as though I was unable to ask them a question. In fact, I have found that partners would rather I ask them questions than try and struggle through a task on my own.”
This positive feedback continues through to trainee level, as rookies report finding their peers “extremely supportive,” even if it can sometimes be “difficult to all get together when we are all busy,” they admit. In the words of another new recruit, “the trainee cohorts are all very close and supportive. You are given a lot of responsibility and client contact as a trainee, which can sometimes be daunting, so it helps that you can speak to other trainees about managing this.” All this lends itself to a fairly decent social life in the London office, with an annual trainee budget funding trips to London Shuffle Club and the occasional dinner or drinks, though some thirsty newbies are pining for a few more “impromptu trips to the pub.”
Luckily, you’re not just restricted to gallivanting with your fellow trainees at Morgan Lewis, as teams are said to be “supportive if you have evening plans and let them know in advance (e.g., theatre or a concert).” That being said, our sources note that “sometimes this means you may have to work late the next day or a couple hours on the weekend.” This is a fairly apt description of the work-life balance on offer at this firm, “quite up and down,” in the words of another rookie, “particularly at the crescendo of a particular case or deal.” In general, however, “associates and partners are very aware that you are still a trainee,” and at least one insider reports that more senior members “have encouraged me to take time off when possible.” We’re also told that there’s no culture of presenteeism here, so “no expectation to stay in the office if you don’t have work.” The general consensus is that “working weekends is rare but possible where you have a big deal or an upcoming hearing,” though on the whole our insiders informed Legal Cheek that “the balance is much better than I had anticipated it would be.”
For now, recruits burning the midnight oil can enjoy views of St Paul’s Cathedral from the firm’s current London base at Condor House, directly opposite the cathedral. Trainees share an office with their supervisor and, whilst there are some grumbles that the office “itself is quite outdated,” most are happy with their current digs, helped no doubt by the great lunch options nearby. Change, however, is on the cards. Morgan Lewis has agreed to take around 76,000 sq ft at Peterborough Court on Fleet Street, the former Goldman Sachs European HQ, as part of its London expansion. The refurbished building promises Grade A workspace, private terraces, a public courtyard, cycle facilities, a gym, and plenty of other amenities, which should come as welcome news to anyone currently finding Condor House a little past its prime.
Beyond London, Morgan Lewis has eighteen offices across the States, three in the Middle East (having expanded into Riyadh in 2025), a smattering of European hubs, and locations in Japan, Singapore, China, and Kazakhstan. Luckily for new recruits, the firm now offers trainees an international secondment in either Singapore or the UAE. Trainees can also spend two days a week working from home, and the firm is said to provide a “generous work-from-home allowance every six months” to accommodate all your home-working needs.
Inside the office, tech is said to be okay. Morgan Lewis’s team in the States is noted as being “very useful,” but much of the innovation on offer that side of the pond hasn’t quite made its way across yet. Other perks include “a good Deliveroo allowance and taxis home after 9pm,” “lawyer academies” in the States for new joiners, as well as the more standard package of private medical and dental, a cycle-to-work scheme, discounted shopping, and season ticket loans. However, the £57,500 starting salary is “great and probably the main perk” for at least one trainee. This figure rises to £62,500 in year two and £173,000 upon qualification.
Morgan Lewis has a history of pre-eminent pro bono work. In 1968 it led labour contract negotiations for a brand-new Walt Disney project, “Disney World,” and in 2015, the firm filed a historic amicus brief on behalf of 379 companies in the US Supreme Court, making a business case for legalising same-sex marriage. The London office has its own charity and community committee, which organises an annual office vote to decide on two charities to support through various fundraising events. Past events have included bake-offs, dress-down Fridays, sporting competitions, and a winter fair. The office also has an ongoing initiative with a school in Hackney, where staff volunteer to help vulnerable children who need support with their schoolwork.