Particularly because we do not hire associates laterally, it is very important to us that we make offers to candidates who have the potential to excel in our challenging environment, and equally important that those who accept our offers do so because they believe Cravath is the right place for them.

How hard is it to get into Cravath?

Cravath is no more selective than its peer firms and in many ways less so. Its prestige comes from a bygone era, 50-100 years ago, when the firm actually had some mega cases. The market is a lot more competitive now, so a lot of the firms in V20-30 range all have the same clients, same cases, etc.

Does Cravath only hire from Harvard?

Paul Cravath sought to hire only the "best of the best", and primarily looked to Harvard, Yale, and Columbia law schools for candidates. ... Early law firm hiring practices paid the associates nothing, except what they could bring in for themselves.