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Squire Patton Boggs

Interesting selling points

  • Squire Patton Boggs is known for its international arbitration, political lobbying and dispute resolution work. 
  • Chambers and Partners has awarded the firm Band 1 rankings for its Environment, Pensions, Tax, Employment, Corporate/M&A: £25 million and above, and Employment departments.
  • The firm has worked with a number of high-profile clients including Goldman Sachs, the Republic of Kosovo, Burberry, BMW, Manchester City, and the New York Transportation Corporation. 
  • Trainees sit in six rather than the traditional four seats during their training contract at the firm. 
  • The firm won the Legal Technology Team of the Year award at the Legal Business Awards UK 2022 for its legal tech innovation Global Edge, which is a complementary suite of tools designed to give clients access to business critical information related to the employment market. 
  • In 2023, the firm launched an Access to Law Scholarship Programme in the UK, which offers scholarships to selected individuals who are underrepresented in the legal profession. Scholars have a chance to gain work experience and receive financial support throughout their degrees. 

We cover these selling points in more detail below, alongside other relevant firm facts and characteristics.

Practice areas / services

Squire Patton Boggs is a full-service global law firm, with the following practice areas: 

  • Business Immigration 
  • Communications 
  • Competition – Antitrust 
  • Corporate 
  • Data Privacy, Cybersecurity & Digital Assets 
  • Environmental, Safety & Health 
  • Financial Services 
  • Government Investigations & White Collar 
  • Institutional Investors 
  • Insurance & Reinsurance 
  • Intellectual Property & Technology 
  • International Dispute Resolution 
  • International Trade 
  • Labor & Employment 
  • Litigation 
  • Pensions
  • Public & Infrastructure Finance 
  • Public Policy 
  • Real Estate 
  • Restructuring & Insolvency 
  • Tax Credit Finance & Community Development 
  • Tax Strategy and Benefits 

Chambers and Partners a leading analyst of the legal market, has awarded Skadden its highest ‘Band 1’ ranking for the following departments: Environment, Pensions, Tax, Employment, Corporate/M&A: £25 million and above, and Employment. See here for more information

Key sectors / industries

The firm services a range of clients, but its most profitable clients operate in the following sectors: 

In addition, the firm services the following industries: Automotive & Transportation, Aviation, Chemicals, Construction & Engineering, Energy & Natural Resources, Healthcare, Hospitality & Leisure, Industrial Products, Infrastructure, Life Sciences, and Retail. 

Work

Squire Patton Boggs’ work includes: 

  • Republic of Kazakhstan: The firm advised the Republic of Kazakhstan on a successful benchmark bond issue of $1.5 billion. 
  • Royal Mail: Squire Patton Boggs advised on the Royal Mail Collective Pension Plan, the UK’s first and so far only collective defined contribution plan. 
  • Vespa Capital: The firm advised Vespa Capital on its investment in Right Legal Group. Vespa Capital is a leading private equity investor in the UK lower mid-market supporting niche and disruptive high growth services and technology businesses.
  • Goldman Sachs: the firm assisted Goldman Sachs with the closing of a precedent setting deal for the development of a new stadium in Nashville. The bond sale set a subsidy record with $705.1 million of bonds allocated to help finance the construction of an estimated $2.1 billion state of the art domed stadium. 

Offices / global footprint / expansion

Headquarters: Cleveland, 1000 Key Tower 127 Public Square

Offices: the firm has over 40 offices across the world, including offices in the US, China, Australia, Japan, and the UK. 

Insights, internships and other opportunities

The firm offers summer vacation schemes in its UK offices, including in Birmingham, Leeds, London and Manchester. Each scheme is a weeklong and is held in June. The schemes enable attendees to learn more about the firm and experience what life is really like at the firm, and participants are required to deliver a presentation at the end. The firm uses the vacation schemes to recruit trainees. 

The firm also runs a number of open days, which provide an insight into the firm’s practice areas and offers prospective applicants application tips. Open days are offered at the firm’s Birmingham, Leeds, London and Manchester offices. Moreover, the firm offers complimentary webinars for prospective applicants (which provide hints and tips), as well as work experience and paralegal apprenticeships. 

Training contract

Squire Patton Boggs recruits around thirty trainees per year across its UK offices. Trainees sit in six seats, exposing them to a wide range of practice areas. Trainees also benefit from formal training such as practice group inductions, legal and technical training, and business skills training. Trainees are also offered coaching and mentoring from associates and partners.

The firm encourages trainees to provide mentoring to aspiring solicitors and apprentices to help build leadership skills. Trainees benefit from dual-tier supervision to ensure they are supported throughout, including from day-to-day practice area supervisors and a partner supervisor.

Secondments

Trainees have the option to apply for an international or client secondment during their training contract. 

Technology and innovation

The firm is committed to doing “whatever is needed” for its clients and in a rapidly changing world, this is evidenced by its technology and innovation offerings, including: 

  • Global Edge: for the firm’s development of this employment law resource, the firm won Legal Technology Team of the Year at the Legal Business Awards UK 2022. Global Edge is a complementary suite of tools designed to give clients access to business-critical information. 
  • Global IP & Technology Law Blog: Squire Patton Boggs prides itself on its thought leadership in various areas of technological development. An embodiment of this is its regularly updated Global IP & Technology law blog produced by various members of the firm from across the globe. 
  • Lexology’s Global Data Review: The firm was ranked ‘Elite’ by Lexology’s Global Data Review putting it among 20 elite firms for its data privacy and cybersecurity practices. 

Corporate social responsibility

Squire Patton Boggs’ pro bono work is “deeply rooted in dedication to the communities” the firm works in. Examples of its pro bono work include: 

  • NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund: the firm represented the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund in urging a US state Supreme Court to hold that evidence seized as a result of unconstitutional, racially motivated traffic stops should be suppressed under the equal protection and unreasonable searches and seizure provisions of both the state and US Constitutions. 
  • Birmingham Legal Advice Clinic: trainees and other members of the Squire Patton Boggs team at its Birmingham office volunteer regularly at the Birmingham Legal Advice Clinic, which provides free legal advice. 
  • Disability Rights Florida: the firm’s Florida lawyers partner with this not-for-profit organisation (which helps students with physical or mental disabilities to access the public education system), through providing legal representation in connection with individual cases. 

Diversity and inclusion

The firm champions open dialogue, collaboration and equal opportunities within its diversity and inclusion policy. Examples of its work in this context include: 

  • Resource Groups: the firm has established a number of resource groups to provide opportunities for networking, mentoring, support and professional development for lawyers and staff with similar backgrounds, lifestyles, experiences or interests. 
  • Access to Law Scholarship Programme: in 2023, the firm launched its Access to Law Scholarship Programme, in collaboration with the Social Mobility Business Partnership. It is a three-year programme that provides support to seven year 13 students from less advantaged backgrounds who are seeking a career in law. This includes support with their university tuition fees, an annual bursary of £2,500 for cost of living expenses, and work experience opportunities. 
  • Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification: the firm achieved the Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification Plus from Diversity Lab. The rule asks law firms to consider at least 30% historically underrepresented lawyers when appointing individuals to leadership roles, promoting to equity partnership, and more.