About New York Careers

The New York office offers attorneys high-caliber, dynamic international work and an exciting and vital New York practice, with the benefits of a congenial but professional mid-sized office. We seek to hire highly motivated individuals from top law schools who have demonstrated strong intellectual capabilities and promising legal skills, both academically and in nonacademic endeavors, and who show the potential to play an active role and take significant responsibility in developing our practice and servicing our clients' needs. We value teamwork, judgment and productivity as well as varied life experiences including extracurricular activities.

Our recruiting efforts involve a summer associate program for law students who have completed their second year, a first year program for law school graduates, and lateral hiring of qualified lawyers at various levels of experience for the continuing growth and development of the practice in New York.

Click here to view current vacancies in New York.

Summer Associate Program

• General. The primary goal of our Summer Program is to afford law students the best possible opportunity to learn about the practice and people at the firm, through a broad range of work assignments, regular and effective feedback and informal social activities over the course of the summer.
• Work Assignments. Summer associates generally spend 10-12 weeks with us and rotate among the four practice groups: Finance, Corporate, Litigation and Tax. Each rotation lasts two to four weeks, depending on the work flow, interest of the summer associate and nature of the assignments involved. Of course, given our size, the rotation system may be tailored for certain individuals as necessary to satisfy the specific interests of each individual or the requirements of a particular transaction or case. Our approach is to involve summer associates in transactions and cases so that they get a realistic sense of the legal work and office environment at Watson Farley. Summer associates regularly meet with our clients (which include Fortune 500 companies and large international banks), attend closings, and go to court. Due to our size, each person is an investment and special interest is taken in the professional development of each individual.
• Evaluation. Feedback is a very important aspect of the Summer Program, and we endeavor to provide both formal and informal reviews of Summer associate work. Because our staffing is very lean, there is a high level of direct interaction with partners which allows for informal feedback on each assignment. Formal reviews are conducted mid-summer and at the end of the summer.
• Social Activities. Our formal and informal events allow our summer associates and the attorneys to get to know each other both in the work context and outside the office. Our summer associates typically integrate with the permanent lawyers and socialize on an informal basis at various social gatherings including lunches, drinks and other New York summer activities. We also organize theater, dinner and other formal events, but not on a scale to mislead about associate life in New York.

First Year Associates and Lateral Hiring

• General. While many first-year associates are graduates of the Summer Program, we also hire third-year law students who have not previously worked at the firm, as well as lateral associates at all levels. We expect our associates to assume as much responsibility and to handle as much direct client contact as possible, as quickly as possible. We also believe that exposure to a variety of clients, transactions and legal issues will prove to be the best grounding for a successful career with Watson, Farley. Our salaries are competitive with most major New York firms.
• Work Assignments, Training and Evaluation. Generally, first-year associates rotate through each of our four practice groups for three or four months each. Periodic evaluation and feedback and consideration of each associate's career path is an important part of our program for all associates at Watson Farley. All associates participate in in-house training seminars and have the opportunity to work with, and learn from, lawyers who are acknowledged experts in their fields. We pride ourselves in offering our associates a high level of hands-on experience.

How to Apply
We currently visit on-campus and/or attend job fairs with the following law schools: New York University, Columbia, Fordham, Cornell, Boston College, Boston University, Tulane, and University of Virginia. We also welcome applications from qualified candidates attending other law schools. Resumes should be sent directly to our recruiting coordinator, Sandi Lantz, by mail to the address provided below.

The firm’s lateral hiring varies based on the needs of the practice groups. Interested applicants should submit resumes and transcripts.

If you are interested in applying to the New York office of Watson, Farley & Williams, send your resume and transcript to:

Sandi Lantz *
Recruiting Coordinator
Watson, Farley & Williams
100 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10017

Tel: 212-922-2200
Fax: 212-922-1512

Equal opportunities
Watson, Farley & Williams is an equal opportunity employer
and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability or age.