Simpson Thacher has eleven offices: five in the United States, four in Asia, one in Latin America and one in Europe. New York has long been the largest, but our clients’ businesses cross all state and national borders and, as a result, none of our offices are “branches.” They all reside in the trunk of the tree.
For a prospective associate, the most important information we can offer is a look at the offices from the vantage point of the associates who work there. They can best provide the flavor of their home offices and speak to each office's individuality and accomplishments.
To learn more about individual offices at Simpson Thacher, please see our full Offices section by clicking on the link in the navigation bar above.
Liang Wang
On working in Beijing
I joined the Beijing office last year, a few months after it opened. I was attracted to Simpson Thacher mainly because of its premier private equity, M&A and capital markets practices, but also because the Firm has a clear vision of what it plans to achieve here in Beijing: an integrated platform that offers unparalleled transactional legal services in China.
We currently have eight lawyers and the team is growing. U.S. private equity funds are turning their attention to China for growth opportunities, and we work on a lot of exciting transactions with complicated structures. On the other hand, as more and more Chinese companies are beginning to enter into global competition, they’re beginning to turn to foreign law firms for advice on complex commercial and transactional matters and we are among their top choices.
One big advantage in every smaller office, of course, is that associates are routinely exposed to a large variety of projects and given substantial early responsibility, and that’s certainly the rule here. In the meantime, we’re working with some of the best M&A and capital markets lawyers in Asia and receive excellent training from them. China is genuinely an exciting place to be right now. The social and economic changes taking place are immense. I love it.
Kristina H. Kang
On working in Hong Kong
I was initially prompted to leave sunny Southern California for the Hong Kong office because of Simpson’s leadership reputation in the financial markets and the strength of its presence in Asia. As a Korean American, I was also especially drawn to the Firm’s great reputation in the Korean market.
I’ve worked in Hong Kong for five of the past six years and I’ve witnessed our Asia practice amass an impressive track record, one that establishes us as a genuine market leader. We’ve been involved in substantially all of the landmark transactions in Korea. Our client roster includes local multinational corporations, commercial banks, government entities and the local practices of all the major investment banks and private equity firms.
I’ve seen a real evolution over the past five years as the office has grown to 30 lawyers, many of us fluent in Korean or Chinese. We’ve moved into new office space with terrific views of Victoria Harbor and Hong Kong Park. Our summer associates program has expanded over the years also, and in 2007 we had ten summer associates spend four to eight weeks with us.
In addition to the frequent business travel, living in Hong Kong is great. The city lives up to its various nicknames — like 'The Hub of Asia' and 'The Pearl of the Orient.' I believe I’m in the right place at the right time and it’ll take a lot more than the lure of sunny Southern California (or elsewhere for that matter) to take me away from here anytime soon.
Alvaro Gomez de Membrillera
On working in London
Our clients view Europe as a single market and they see London as Europe’s financial center. As a result, this office covers capital markets transactions of every type throughout the continent. I work across capital markets, banking and M&A, and we have a large contingent of real estate, competition and tax lawyers in the office as well.
London has become a substantial office for Simpson Thacher in the past two decades. I’d say we’ve achieved critical mass, and the work is always exciting. We play quarterback for many of the Firm’s M&A transactions. We may structure a transaction, for example, as well as manage different legal teams across a variety of jurisdictions. This kind of cross-jurisdictional knowledge is a key driver outside M&A as well. One national law may apply to a contract, for instance, while the ability to finance the deal will depend upon international markets, and the structure may involve U.S. taxation. We have a leading U.K. finance practice, and we have a healthy mix of work from U.S. and European clients.
On the personal side, anyone who’s ever visited London knows it’s a great city. And serving in a different legal environment is a tremendous career opportunity — a door opener to new people, new patterns of work, a new world. I am a Spanish national so London is not as different from everything I know as for some, but I find it truly exciting and rewarding to live here.
Jason A. McFall
On working in Los Angeles
I joined the LA office in 2002. At that time, we were located in Universal City, where we were close to one of our primary clients, Universal Studios. Since then, the office has grown and the work has diversified significantly. We have a first-tier practice that compares favorably to the largest LA-based firms.
On the litigation side, our growing team of LA-based litigators represents corporate and financial services clients in a broad array of disputes pending in state and federal courts in Southern California and across the western United States. On the corporate side, we work with some of the country’s premier private equity and investment management firms, in LA and elsewhere.
I get the benefits of being part of a world-class law firm with a 'boutique' 25-lawyer atmosphere. For example, I routinely work with lawyers in Palo Alto as part of an integrated California practice. Some of our clients focus on Asia, so our practice also extends to the Pacific Rim, where we work hand in hand with our Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beijing offices.
We’ve made three new partners in LA since 2002 (we have five altogether) and we’ve recruited dozens of local associates, to complement those who relocated from the NY office. We have the advantage of being a close-knit and collegial office, while being well-integrated into the Firm as a whole and having all of its resources available to us. And as you’d expect, it’s hard to beat the combination of NY compensation, premium work, and the recreational and cultural activities available in Southern California.
Keeley C. Wettan
On working in New York City
When I was growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, I dreamed of working in a prestigious New York law firm. When I actually had the chance to join Simpson Thacher's New York office, I hoped my real-life experience would come close to those big dreams. Five years later I can honestly say they've all been more than fulfilled.
Located directly across from such historic sites as Grand Central and the Chrysler Building, the New York office is the heart of Simpson Thacher’s global practice. I love being part of a high-energy firm with hundreds of lawyers working on litigation and corporate deals for the world’s best companies. At the same time, the office has a collegial and warm atmosphere, making it feel much smaller than it is.
Due to our proximity to all the top financial institutions, the New York office provides associates with a rare opportunity to work face-to-face with top-tier global clients and gain world-class experience and hands-on training from some of the top lawyers in the world. I’ve had the good fortune to work on high-profile cases that my friends later read about in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. And working in the heart of Manhattan is always exciting.
Hillary C. Mintz
On working in Washington, D.C.
Our Washington, D.C. office opened its doors in 2005. I was fortunate to be among a group of five dedicated partners and associates from New York to introduce Washington, D.C. to the Firm.
Since the beginning, our practice has focused primarily on antitrust litigation, merger review and enforcement, international arbitration, securities enforcement, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters, and government and internal investigations. As we have steadily grown and expanded, we added a regulatory capability, including for national security reviews of foreign investments in the U.S. and, just in the past year, a corporate practice. We work hand in hand with our colleagues in New York and our other offices.
What’s unique and most gratifying about working in a medium sized office is the quality of the relationships I've developed with my colleagues. Simpson Thacher's spirit of collaboration and collegiality abounds in our office. Working in the Simpson Thacher D.C. office allows for a lot of responsibility and hands-on training. We have a special culture and environment working here, along with the resources and reputation of Simpson Thacher. We think we have the best of both worlds here in D.C.
Jean Park
On working in Palo Alto
As an associate in our corporate department, I focus on capital markets and securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance matters.
We’re home to more than 70 lawyers, and we service a diverse range of leading technology companies, private equity firms, and financial institutions – all of which makes this office an exciting place to work. Our practice groups consist of corporate, litigation, IP, tax and employee compensation and benefits, and the office largely develops its own clients across these practice areas. Associates here benefit from direct interaction with clients and are encouraged to take on significant responsibility as junior attorneys.
I’m lucky to be developing my career in Palo Alto. The work here is interesting and challenging, and the culture and size of the office make it easier to work more closely with and get to know the partners and other associates. It is quite common to see partners and associates from different practice areas eating together in our cafeteria chatting about life, work, world events and everything else. The office location also has unique advantages, including easy access to city life as well as incredible hiking, jogging, biking and sailing. With warm weather most of the year, there is always an outdoor activity or a trip to the wine country or Lake Tahoe to be enjoyed on the weekends as well.
Vijay Sekhon
On working in Los Angeles
I was a summer associate in the Los Angeles office in 2005 and worked in the office as an associate from 2006 until 2009. I returned to the Los Angeles office at the beginning of 2011 after spending approximately 18 months in Washington, DC working for the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Apart from the obvious benefits of Southern California’s idyllic weather, the primary appeal of the Los Angeles office for me was the opportunity to work on some of the Firm’s most sophisticated transactions with access to the global resources of the Firm while having the advantages of a smaller, more intimate office.
The Los Angeles office is comprised of approximately 30 lawyers that serve some of the Firm’s largest corporate and litigation clients. As a corporate transactions lawyer, I have the opportunity to work with some California-based clients as well as national and global clients in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and securities.
The size and collegial atmosphere of the Los Angeles office present significant opportunities for associates like me to work closely with partners and obtain a level of training, mentoring and client exposure that might not be as readily available in a larger office. The Los Angeles office is also deeply committed to the Los Angeles community and sincerely supports and encourages associate initiatives and participation in local public service programs and pro bono matters.
Mark Chorazak
On working in New York
Simpson Thacher is a global law firm, with both its history and headquarters based in New York City. Located just across the street from Grand Central Station, Simpson Thacher is in the heart of midtown Manhattan. That certainly makes for an easy commute, but the firm’s location is symbolic of a larger, more important point: Simpson Thacher is at the center of some of the most prominent and cutting-edge transactions and cases, from the firm’s historic representation of the U.S. Treasury Department during the height of the U.S. financial crisis to the representation of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity in its successful constitutional challenge to the public education funding system in New York State.
The opportunity to work on deals that my family and friends later read about it the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal is not the only reason that makes working at Simpson Thacher an exhilarating experience. By far, the most rewarding aspect of being a Simpson Thacher attorney is working with, and learning from, partners, associates and clients on challenging legal questions in a collegial environment. With over 600 attorneys, the New York office exposes new associates to a wide range of practice areas and attorney styles—a truly unique opportunity for someone at the start of his or her career to develop into a well-rounded, thoughtful lawyer.
Of course, another advantage to working in New York is living in New York! The city offers something for everyone, from top-notch restaurants to world-class museums. Whenever I go for a run in Central Park and catch the panoramic view of midtown as I wind around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, I am reminded of how special New York is.
