The Legal Cheek View
Meet White & Case at Legal Cheek’s first Virtual Law Fair of the autumn on Wednesday 2 September 2026.
Since its inception in 1901, White & Case has laid its claim to being the cosmopolitan’s favourite law firm. From helping make the Red Cross an international institution in 1915, to being one of the first US firms to set up shop outside of America, with its Parisian office in 1926, W&C has always stood behind its global mantra “to serve clients wherever they are”.
Nowadays, you’d be hard pressed to find a location that doesn’t have one of White & Case’s 40 plus different offices nearby and, given the firm’s international spread, it should come as no shock to learn that secondment opportunities are a massive pull at White & Case. All rookies are given the opportunity of doing an international secondment, usually in their fourth seat, with Paris, Stockholm, Geneva, Madrid, Singapore, Prague and Helsinki just some of the names on the menu for London trainees these past few years.
All this international work has translated into significant financial gains. An 8% increase in revenues has seen White & Case remain above the $3 billion threshold for the second consecutive year, with the firm’s top line now sitting at a healthy $3.6 billion (£2.7 billion), up from $3.4 billion (£2.5 billion) the year before. Profit per equity partner (PEP) has also climbed again, rising 10% to $4.4 million (£3.3 million) from $4 million (£2.9 million). Closer to home, the firm’s London office posted record revenue of $584 million (£439 million) — up 5% year-on-year and $187 million (£141 million) higher than five years ago.
And it’s not hard to see where those revenues are coming from. Among the firm’s more notable recent mandates, the London team advised Deliveroo on its £2.9 billion takeover by US food delivery giant DoorDash, the biggest UK public takeover of 2025, as well as Cathexis on the $5.8 billion sale of hyperscale data centre developer Yondr Group. On the capital markets side, the firm guided Barclays and BNP Paribas as joint sponsors on the £2.5 billion London Stock Exchange IPO of French broadcaster Canal+, the largest UK listing in over two years. The firm has also advised a club of private credit funds on the financing of the £5.4 billion buyout of FTSE 100 wealth manager Hargreaves Lansdown, and on the litigation front, successfully defended Microsoft against a $4.6 billion patent claim brought by software company Corel. Not a bad run by anyone’s standards!
The latest stats show that more than half of White & Case’s work has a cross-border element and this fact is certainly felt by rookies in the London office. As one told LC, “I have worked on major front-page-headlining transactions and helped to draft new legislation for a sovereign nation on behalf of their government.” We’re also told that there are plenty of “opportunities to get involved in business development and pro bono to see multiple aspects of the business” and don’t be surprised to be thrown straight in at the deep end either: “From my very first day I was given client exposure and asked to liaise with opposing counsel! I love the sense of responsibility”. Whilst there are some “unavoidable basic tasks” for new recruits to cut their teeth on, our sources tell us that “document services are available to pick up the load on more tedious tasks like proofreading and running redlines” leaving trainees to do the more “substantive work”. Overall “very interesting work with a good variety of clients” is what you can expect from W&C.
Another Legal Cheek spy gives us this in-depth insight into their experience: “I am a trainee in tax and in addition to the more process-based corporate support work we do, I am genuinely being given the opportunity to draft research memos to funds exploring novel structures or investors wondering how the [general] election will affect them in relation to complicated IHT and property tax regimes. I work with almost every team: wiith the employment team we were exploring whether a CEO could live abroad for employment tax purposes the other week. We really are answering questions for which there is no clear answer, looking in-depth into case law and legislation and presenting novel answers to the extremely complex questions posed by clients.”
The training itself comes highly rated. There are “two full weeks of department-specific training at the start of the seat, continued interactive training sessions throughout the TC, and regular ‘lunch-and-learns’ run by graduate recruitment,” one source informs us. The level of support can vary between seats, with another spy noting that “larger departments such as project finance have more structured training”. More informal training is offered on the job, making the quality supervisor-dependent, but rest assured, “most supervisors are usually receptive to putting you on a range of deals to ensure you get broad exposure early on”.
White & Case, which competes with the Magic Circle, offers around 50 training contracts annually at a neat salary range starting at £62,000 for trainees and £175,000 once newly qualified. For that, you are expected to put in the hours and then some. While some rookies whisper of “horror stories from certain finance teams where late nights are common and work/life balance non-existent”, others are pleasantly surprised that they “haven’t had to work any weekends or cancel midweek plans yet”, especially “considering the calibre of the firm”. As one level-headed lawyer describes it, “you learn how to manage and communicate your capacity as you are often across multiple deals with different teams, which sets you up well for being an associate. Evenings can be late however weekend work is limited and you usually get a heads up in advance if you will be needed.”
The firm’s Old Broad Street office is fresh off a revamp and insiders are impressed with the new “modern style” that one source says “really helps add to the overall vibe.” The floors are described as “very nice with good tech and a nice layout,” with café stations on each floor to keep caffeine-hungry recruits going. Trainees are particularly keen on the fact that the entire building belongs to White & Case, which “helps to foster a collegiate environment.” That, and the critically acclaimed free in-house eatery, Broad St Kitchen (BSK), which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner alongside unlimited snacks and fresh coffee throughout the day.
“I would have thought someone was pulling my leg if they told me they ate gourmet omelettes each morning, duck breast for lunch, and pork belly for dinner before heading home,” one well-fed respondent explains, adding that cakes and barista-made coffee are available all day, all free of charge. The main issue, it seems, is keeping the waistline in check.
You’ll also be spending your days with a “close-knit” trainee intake, who are always there for “advice” or just to have a “coffee chat” with, according to LC sources. “The trainee intake is great, super supportive and there is never a sense of competition, even during seat selection / secondments / qualification. Some of my fellow trainees are now my closest friends!” beams one happy recruit. Quarterly team socials, office wide events and a local bar named Andrea’s (which offers a White & Case discount) also means that there are plenty of social events to keep junior bonds solid. Football fans might also be keen to learn of the firm’s annual world cup which brings together over one thousand colleagues from forty offices for annual football and volleyball tournaments.
Further up the ladder, supervisors and associates are said to be “very approachable”, while those at the very senior levels are “super keen to answer questions”. Another source praises the open-door culture and overall friendliness, “I love that I’ve been able to get to know them on a personal level as well.” Whilst we’re told that levels of approachability can vary between departments, it is said to be very good overall.
While White & Case has attracted mixed reviews in Legal Cheek surveys when it comes to its use of technology, things appear to be improving at pace. Following the hire of a senior figure from iManage, as well as top tech talent from Deloitte and Latham & Watkins, the firm recently launched its own AI assistant, Atlas, and struck a strategic partnership with AI company Legora.
While the technology story is still developing, the perks on offer are already well established. W&C lawyers receive an annual £500 wellbeing allowance to be spent on anything from gym memberships to music lessons to beauty treatments, alongside theatre ticket discounts, wine tasting events, corporate massages, free taxis home, Deliveroo after a certain hour, volunteering opportunities, and private dental and healthcare cover. Free mortgage advice rounds out a pretty compelling package. Cricket fans, meanwhile, will also be pleased to hear that the firm has a private box at Lord’s.