Overview
Introduction
Founded in 1938, Benesch is one of Cleveland's most notable law firms, but it has expanded beyond its Midwest roots to provide legal services coast-to-coast, counseling clients in more than 20 industries. The firm's core practices are Corporate & Securities, Commercial Finance & Banking, Healthcare, Information Technology, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Litigation, and Real Estate. The firm takes training seriously, and associates appreciate the transparency into career development at th...
Firm Stats
Total No. Attorneys (2023)
No. of Partners Named (2024)
Featured Rankings
No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2024)
No. of Summer Associates (2024)
Base Salary
Vault Verdict
Benesch offers pleasant surroundings, supportive partners, and strong career prospects. Hiring focuses on students with top grades from local law schools or with connections to the hiring office region or city and work experience. The firm emphasizes friendliness, support, and teamwork. Coworkers enjoy social events together, and families are included at annual events. Partners are approachable, generous with their time and feedback, and invested in associates’ professional development. Associates benefit from partners’ hands-on mentorship and instruction, as well as from structured training platforms. Numerous people and resources help lateral hires integrate effectively. Work assignments—allocated through a free market assignment system—vary and are largely consequential, and al...
About the Firm
Founded in 1938, Benesch is one of Cleveland's most notable law firms. The firm has been recognized for its corporate, healthcare, and real estate work.
Midwest Roots and Worldwide Growth
Cleveland attorneys Alfred Benesch, Jerome Friedlander, and I. Robert Morris founded the firm at the tail end of the Depression. Benesch, a prominent player in Cleveland politics, had served as a judge in Cleveland's police court, a city council member, and State Director of Commerce. He was also heavily involved in area schools as a member of Cleveland's Board of Education—a local elementary school was eventually named after him. Robert Coplan joined the firm after serving as a naval aviator during World War II and built up the firm's tax practice. In 1958, George Aronoff joined the f...
Associate Reviews
- “The firm's culture is great, including between departments, and there is a very good associate rapport through mutual support, encouragement, and teamwork. Interactions are organic, and there are always a number of firm-hosted events or sponsored events that are enjoyable so that new and existing attorneys can meet others.”
- “The firm's culture is collegial, collaborative, supportive, friendly, and overall positive. Associates and partners in my practice group socialize organically in the office and outside of work. The relationship between lawyers and staff is friendly and respectful.”
- “We work hard and produce high-quality work while understanding that everyone has a life, and we use a team effort in order to balance that with work. People have fun here while working hard.”
- “Extremely collegial; almost entirely laterals from bigger firms who have left the competitiveness/bad attitudes behind. A mixture of firm-sponsored social events and organic. Annual family events include kids and significant others.”
Why Work Here
Benesch offers a close-knit community where you can bring your authentic self to work each day. Our explosive growth and mid-sized position in the market creates opportunities to serve national, name brand clients while receiving individualized training and mentorship to fuel your growth. Our entrepreneurial culture means new ideas are welcome, hard work is recognized and rewarded, and associates can drive change and make an impact. Our investment in a dedicated integration manager assigned to each new lawyer further emphasizes our commitment to maintain a workplace where every team member can grow and thrive. Our above industry average lawyer retention rate demonstrates that lawyers come to Benesch to stay, many citing our culture, substantive work opportunities, focus on professional development, and flexible career paths.
Getting Hired Here
- “I am on the hiring committee for my office. We look at a candidate's resume in sum. Grades are a huge component; law school activities like journal, moot court, and work experience are also considered; and we certainly look at whether a candidate is diverse. We also assess flight risk; Benesch is not up-and-out, and we want people who will stick around.”
- “The firm has quite the competitive hiring process. Most positions are not posted on public sites, and candidates are either brought in through internal recruiting or select recruiting firms. The firm does offer training for those who interview candidates.”
- “Grades are important, but we also like new hires with interesting and applicable professional experience. Personality and finding the right culture fit is incredibly important. We look to hire from our local law schools as well as individuals who have strong ties to our office locations. Yes, we have training, core skills to assess, and scoring rubrics to use during the hiring process. We also like to have numerous people within the firm interview each finalist to make sure there is broad consensus.”
- “Firm has been hiring a number of laterals from other BigLaw shops.”
Perks & Benefits