JD Journal » apprenticeship

Day Pitney to Revamp Summer Associate Program

Erik Even — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:23:11 +0000

Day Pitney, which in May laid off 20 lawyers and deferred incoming associates to January 2010, has announced it is revamping its Summer associate program for 2010.

The new eight-week program will focus on apprenticeships and practical experience, shadowing lawyers and getting one-on-one coaching. The program will also include workshops and community service activities.

The new program will be introduced at the firm’s headquarters offices in Hartford, Connecticut and Florham Park, New Jersey.

Compensation information has not been released.

Day Pitney employs 382 attorneys spread across nine offices in four states and the District of Columbia. In 2007, Day Pitney ranked 113th on the National Law Journal’s list of the 250 largest American law firms.

Howrey Adopts Apprenticeship Model for First Years

Erik Even — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:45:47 +0000

Howrey, which laid off 25 staff in April, is adopting an “apprenticeship” program for its incoming associates, similar to that proposed by Drinker Biddle in May.

Under Howrey’s Tier 1 Program, new associates will spend only one-third of their time in their first year on billable client work. The rest will be spent on pro bono work and training programs.

In the “Howrey Academies,” associates will be taught writing, get assigned to trial teams, plus other programs.

In year two, associates will work on client secondments, judicial externships, and other advanced development opportunities. Billable hours in the second year will be capped at about half of total hours.

The bad news? The Tier 1 Program will be limited to a select number of associates each year. Compensation is annual salary of $100,000, plus $25,000 upon acceptance of the job offer to defray law school loans or third year law school expenses.

In their second year at the firm, participants will receive an annual salary of $125,000 and a $25,000 bonus upon successful completion of the program, and entry into Tier 2 of Howrey’s associate development program. Higher compensation may be offered to candidates with special qualifications, such as advanced technical degrees or clerkships.

Howrey LLP was founded as Howrey, Simon, Baker, & Murchison in 1956, and was the first national anti-trust law firm. It has more than 700 attorneys in 17 locations worldwide.

Frost Brown Todd Cuts Incoming Associate Salaries

Erik Even — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:38:49 +0000

Incoming associates at Cincinnati’s Frost Brown Todd will get a lower salary, although specific numbers have not been released.

In addition, the new associates will spend their first 1,000 hours in an “apprenticeship program.” Clients will be billed at a lower rate for work done by “apprentices.”

I keep putting the word “apprentice” in quotes because an apprentice is a 16-year-old learning to swap out a transmission, not a professional with a college degree and a law degree.

Those who complete the apprenticeship program can earn a merit-based bonus, and the opportunity to get on the regular lock-step pay track after one year.

The firm’s most famous former associates are Jerry Springer and Kenneth Starr. So, way to contribute to America, guys.

Frost Brown Todd LLC is one of the largest law firms based in the Midwestern United States. It resulted from the 2000 merger of Frost & Jacobs LLP, a Cincinnati-based firm, with Brown Todd & Heyburn PLLC, a Louisville-based firm. It presently has 370 attorneys working in nine offices throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia.