Companies McDermott Will & Schulte

McDermott Will & Schulte

Chicago

Total Offices: 13

3,597 Total Employees

Year Founded: 1934

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What's It Like to Work at McDermott Will & Schulte?

Updated on September 08, 2026

This page summarizes recurring themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about McDermott Will & Schulte and has not been reviewed or approved by McDermott Will & Schulte.

What's it like to work at McDermott Will & Schulte?

Strengths in compensation, development infrastructure, and inclusion are accompanied by BigLaw intensity and the transitional demands of a recent large-scale merger. Together, these dynamics suggest a high-upside environment where strong rewards and learning coexist with elevated hours and some short-term stability and integration considerations.

Key Insight for Candidates

Defining tradeoff: A uniquely wellness-forward, credit-bucket model (including billable wellness, pro bono, and training hours) coexists with classic BigLaw intensity and merit-tied bonuses. This matters because the credits ease stress optics and help hit targets, but real client-billable expectations—and workload spikes—remain high to realize full compensation.

Evidence in Action

Wellness Credits Normalize Care — The McDermott Well program credits up to 25 wellness hours toward the 2,000-hour target, alongside 100 pro bono, 75 professional development, and 25 JDEI hours. Employees perceive a genuine, people-first culture and feel safer prioritizing mental health while still meeting bonus criteria.
Transparent Leadership Town Halls — Regular leadership town halls share financial performance, strategic goals, and post‑merger integration updates. This candor shapes a high-trust perception of management and helps employees contextualize workload shifts and firm priorities.

Positive Themes About McDermott Will & Schulte

Compensation: Pay matches top-of-market salary scales, with potential to exceed market through merit-based bonuses tied to strong performance and hours. Recent moves tracked peer raises and maintained market-leading competitiveness.
Learning & Development: Structured mentoring, transparent teaching, and early responsibility on sophisticated matters are emphasized across the platform. Billable credit for pro bono and formal training programs reinforce a career-accelerator environment.
Belonging & Inclusion: Long-running DEI commitments, including LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and partnerships, are highlighted. Visible JDEI programming and culture marks suggest an inclusive environment across offices.

Considerations About McDermott Will & Schulte

Workload & Burnout: Demanding, client-driven hours are typical of busy groups, with spikes around deals and deadlines and targets around 2,000 hours to maximize bonuses. Variability by office and practice means intensity can run especially hot in funds/PE and corporate teams.
Change Fatigue: The 2025 merger introduced ongoing integration work—systems alignment, staffing realignment, and uneven group-level transitions—that can affect predictability. Office- and practice-level fit requires diligence while the combined platform continues to harmonize.
Job Insecurity: Targeted associate reductions reported in 2026 created pockets of uncertainty in certain groups and offices. Lateral movement during the same period added to short-term stability concerns for some teams.

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These insights are generated using AI and may not reflect internal data or verified company information. They are intended solely for general informational purposes and should not be considered a definitive assessment of the company’s reputation. If you are a representative of this company, and would like this page to be removed, you may contact us via this form.