What's the Company Culture Like at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP in New York?

Key Insight for Candidates

• Collaborative & Supportive Culture: Colleagues in New York are often described as professional, approachable, and team‑oriented, with open‑door mentorship and a courteous, low‑drama tone. Much of the firm’s culture is anchored in New York, reinforcing a respectful, team‑driven environment.
• Learning & Knowledge Sharing: Training in New York benefits from structured workshops, frequent feedback, and partners’ accessibility, providing early responsibility and skill‑building. The largely in‑person model is framed as supporting mentorship and collaboration locally.
• People-First Culture: Benefits in the New York office include an on‑site Health & Wellness Center, signaling tangible attention to well‑being alongside demanding client work. Feedback suggests time off is respected when matters allow, reinforcing care for people in a high‑performance setting.

• Workload & Burnout: Work in New York is described as long, intense, and unpredictable, with a pace aligned to elite New York matters that can strain balance. Feedback links the demanding cadence to periods of sustained workload pressure.
• Rigidity & Resistance to Change: Return‑to‑office expectations emphasize a structured, mostly in‑person model, and feedback suggests the policy could be more flexible for New York teams. This reduces perceived autonomy for some employees.