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McDermott Will & Emery

Interesting selling points

  • Chambers and Partners, a leading analyst of the legal market has awarded McDermott Will & Emery its highest ‘Band 1’ ranking for its Healthcare: Private Sector department.
  • Worked on complex, cross border work, including advising Evonik on the acquisition of PeroxyChem for $640 million.
  • Services a diverse range of clients at different stages of the company lifecycle, including startups raising series A financing.
  • Expanding rapidly in the UK through strategic hiring.
  • Significant commitment to D&I and CSR, with a broad range of support networks (e.g. the Gender Diversity Subcommittee and Racial & Ethnic Diversity) and pro bono opportunities (e.g. supporting the Joint Defense Collaboration). 

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

Practice areas / services

McDermott Will & Emery is a full-service law firm, with a broad range of practice areas including:

  • Antitrust
  • Business Restructuring
  • Corporate & Transactional
  • Crisis Management
  • Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
  • Employment
  • Global Privacy & Cybersecurity
  • Government & Lobbying Strategies
  • Government Contracts
  • Intellectual Property
  • International Trade
  • Investigations & White-Collar Defence
  • Litigation & Dispute Resolution
  • Private Client & Wealth Management
  • Real Estate
  • Strategic Solutions
  • Sustainability, Impact & ESG
  • Tax

Chambers and Partners, a leading analyst of the legal market has awarded McDermott Will & Emery its highest ‘Band 1’ ranking for its Healthcare: Private Sector department. See here for more information 

Key sectors / industries

McDermott Will & Emery services a broad range of industries, with some of its highest-value clients operating in the following sectors:

McDermott Will & Emery services the following industries: Alcohol, Insurance, Media, Entertainment & Sports, Private Equity and Technology. 

Work

McDermott Will & Emery consistently works on complex, cross border work. Some examples of its work include:

  • Pine Gate Renewables (PGR): represented PGR on a tax equity investment, debt financing, and negotiations of a long-term zinc battery warranty and services agreement.
  • Toku: advised Toku in connection with its entry into the US market and $8 million Series A financing.
  • Evonik: advised Evonik on the acquisition of PeroxyChem for $640 million.

Offices / global footprint / expansion

Offices / global footprint / expansion

Headquarters: River Point, Chicago, Illinois, US. 

Offices: McDermott Will & Emery has 23 offices across 7 countries, including offices in London (22 Bishopsgate ), Paris, Washington D.C., and Singapore.

Insights, internships and other opportunities

McDermott Will & Emery does not offer any internships or vacation schemes.

Training contract

McDermott Will & Emery offers a four-seat training contract, with each seat lasting six months. During their training contracts, trainees have the following seat options: corporate; employment; regulatory; energy; private client; health; tax; litigation.

Technology and innovation

McDermott Will & Emery is committed to utilising technology to provide clients with flexible and innovative legal services, with related initiatives including:

  • McDermott Access: McDermott Will & Emery’s online portal enables clients to instantly see the status of their projects, minimising uncertainty and allowing better matter management.
  • Discovery: McDermott Will & Emery uses advanced technology and data centres to review and manage information more affordably, accurately and efficiently.
  • Quantum Tracker: McDermott Will & Emery’s proprietary software enables budget management, in real time, to track and evaluate projected spend, minimising any budgetary surprises.
Corporate social responsibility

Pro bono efforts, volunteering and charitable giving is mission-critical to McDermott Will & Emery. In 2023 alone, the firm’s lawyers volunteered more than 70,000 hours. Recent projects have included:

  • Joint Cyber Defense Collaboration (JCDC): McDermott Will & Emery collaborated with JCDC on the High-Risk Communities Protection effort to defend high-risk communities, including civil society organisations, against cyberattacks. 
  • White Rock Chapel: The firm provided pro bono support to the White Rock Chapel, a Dallas church, which sits on a 1.2-acre property surrounded by multi-million-dollar homes. The firm helped the chapel get the permit it needed to operate. 
  • erklär mir mal: The firm helped the erklär mir mal founders to expand their platform and create a nonprofit company to continue educating people both online and through in-person workshops. The firm provided pro bono support to help launch the start-up. 

Diversity and inclusion

McDermott Will & Emery has launched a variety of initiatives to drive progress in justice, diversity, equity and inclusion (JDEI). To give a few examples:

  • McDermott Rise: McDermott Rise provides a set of free legal and business services to entrepreneurs of colour each year to help them launch and scale their endeavours with every expectation of success.
  • Racial & Ethnic Diversity Subcommittee: The Racial & Ethnic Diversity Subcommittee encourages a diverse and inclusive working environment. It provides access to affinity groups for the firm’s Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Asian American and Pacific Islander lawyers. 
  • Gender Diversity Subcommittee: The Gender Diversity Subcommittee drives the longstanding commitment to gender equity. The committee provides market-leading benefits, targeted coaching and mentoring programs.