Does anyone have any insights for
Arnold & Porter? I have an interview coming up but there's not that much online to research because it's such a small firm. Thanks!
Hiya
@elena11
This is a good question. Their London office has a strong regulatory and disputes focus, with particular expertise in the life sciences and tech sectors. If you check their
Chambers Student profile, you’ll see that they are ranked highly in areas such as public international law, financial crime, and product liability in life sciences. These strengths also indicate that, in terms of competitors,
Arnold & Porter is often compared to firms like
Cooley and
Covington & Burling. If you’re preparing for your interview, it could be useful to consider how the firm differentiates itself from these other firms, especially in terms of practice areas or the types of clients they attract.
In terms of experience, the London office has been involved in some notable client matters in the UK and more internationally. They
advised on the restructuring of Cineworld, which closed in July, with partners Jeremy Willcocks and Emilia Morris leading on corporate and restructuring issues, including those related to Cineworld’s London Stock Exchange listing. Their competition team is also
representing (sorry the link is paywalled) major companies in ongoing claims related to the European Commission’s decision on the European trucks cartel. Their clients in this matter include Heineken, Diageo PLC, and AB InBev.
I've been trying to do some research for you about their financial performance, but this is slightly harder to assess. This is because the firm's London office hasn’t disclosed key financial data to publications like The Lawyer (which often tracks growth and revenue trends). That said, there are some indicators of their progress. In 2024, The Lawyer noted that the firm's headcount saw a small increase, going from 46.5 full-time equivalent lawyers in 2022 to 46.7 in 2023. Firm-wide, though, revenue grew from $1bn in 2022 to $1.1bn in 2023 (with an estimated 3.9% of that revenue coming from the UK office).
For your interview, I think it could be useful to highlight the firm’s regulatory expertise and high-profile work, particularly in life sciences, tech, and competition. Given the firm’s size in London, you might also want to consider how that affects trainee experience - the usual point that smaller teams can mean greater exposure to complex work early on. If you haven't already, it’s worth looking at their Chambers UK and Legal 500 rankings to get a sense of where they stand in different practice areas and how that fits into your own interests/motivations for joining the firm. I hope this helps and best of luck with the interview!
