Working for a New York law firm offers the career challenge of a lifetime for lawyers prepared to do the groundwork necessary to get in. Neil Frame reports

All of the major regional US firms have a presence in New York City, in addition to the internationally renowned Wall Street firms at the forefront of cutting-edge deals. Several major UK international firms also have bases in New York, although the New York legal market is rightly seen as one of the hardest markets in the world to break.