JD Journal » new associates

McKenna Long & Aldridge to Include Psychological Test as Part of its Hiring Process

marvins — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:21:16 +0000

McKenna Long & Aldridge, an leading international law firm with more than 475 lawyers, announced that aside from grades, law review note, or Dalai Lama internship, the firm is now including another step in its hiring process- a psychological test. McKenna is now taking the recruitment process to a whole new level by employing a psychological test. McKenna is now requiring their potential associates to undergo a psychological test as part of the firm’s callbacks. Aside from the usual behavioral questions, the firm wants their new recruits to take psychological test to asses their psychological makeup.

Jennifer Queen, the firm’s head of recruiting and development, explained that the main reason behind it is the fact that they want to invest in the right people. “We started looking into [how we hire associates] back in 2007 when the salary increases hit. The salary was at $160,000 in D.C., and there were rumors that it might go to $180,000. That’s serious money. We’re a business, and want to invest in candidates the right way.”

Queen added that those who want to be part of McKenna will have to go through the new hiring model. “There’s the on-campus interview, where we look at the package of grades and experience. For the callback, we ask for a writing sample, and we ask candidates to do an online assessment test that takes 30 minutes. Then they come in, and lawyers are designated to ask certain questions-like “Tell me about the time you shared credit for an accomplishment,” or “the time you worked with someone you had a disagreement with.”

Morning Roundup

joshua — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:36:42 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Monday, July 26th. Here’s a look back at Friday’s stories.

New Jersey-based firm Archer & Greiner named a new president…

According to NALP’s Jobs & JD’s report released this week, employment is down but salaries are holding steady for law graduates…

A partner in the Dallas firm of Gruber Hurst Johansen Hail was selected as one of the nation’s “Most Powerful Employment Attorneys…

Dinsmore & Shohl added three new associates to its IP practice…

Dinsmore Boosts IP Group With Three New Associates

eric — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:03:08 +0000

Dinsmore & Shohl has recently added three new associates to its growing intellectual property practice. Anthony Bonner, Judith Cothorn and Keith DeMaggio join the firm at its Cincinnati office.

Mr. Bonner, formerly with Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer and Risley, focuses his practice on patent and trademark prosecution, copyright registration, and related litigation.

Ms. Cothorn, who comes to the firm from Frost Brown Todd , has practiced in patent and prosecution , patent opinions, and related litigation.

Formally trained as an engineer, Mr. DiMaggio’s practice focuses on patent prosecution in the mechanical and medical technology fields. He comes to Dinsmore from the firm of Darby & Darby.

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is comprised of more than 450 attorneys practicing in 10 offices throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The firm provides a broad range of integrated services to meet the needs of both large and small businesses, as well as institutions, associations, governments, professional firms and individuals.

Five Bolt Duane Morris Atlanta for Chamberlain Hrlicka

joshua — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:39:08 +0000

A group of five has left Duane Morris’ Atlanta office and joined Chamberlain Hrdlicka, a 120-attorney strong firm based in Houston.

The firm’s corporate and real estate practice group has added Kimberly S. Bunting as a shareholder and Mona Merz as senior counsel. Annete Idalski joins Chamberlain as a shareholder and will chair the Atlanta office’s labor and employment group. The firm also added associate Gerrard Grant, who joins the firm’s federal tax controversy group.

In a press release, the firm said the expansion of its Atlanta office was the result of surpassing its 2009 budget by 9 percent. The firm also has offices in Denver and Philadelphia.

“The growth of our Atlanta office is a direct result of the profitable year our firm had in 2009,” said Wayne Risoli, managing Shareholder of Chamberlain Hrdlicka. “We are delighted to have these fine lawyers join us.”

Bunting has over 20-years experience, which includes significant in-house experience for several large domestic and international companies. She practices commercial and corporate law.

Maerz has national and international M&A experience and is dually licensed in Germany and the U.S. She has assisted German and European companies in establishing and running their U.S. businesses.

Idalski has 15 years of employment litigation experience representing employers nationwide. She is joined in the employment group by Erin Harris, who specializes in employment litigation, including wage and hour class actions.

Greenberg Traurig Adds to London Office

joshua — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:31:09 +0000

Greenberg Traurig Maher, the London arm of Greenberg Traurig, has added two shareholders and an associate to its UK restructuring practice. Joining the firm as partners are Paul Atherton and Jason Salman; and Helena Potts joins as associate.

All three arrive from Kirkland & Ellis. Atherton brings experience in restructuring, corporate recovery and insolvency. He has represented financial institutions as well as directors, creditors, debtors and insolvency practitioners on a variety of global restructuring matters.

Salman has experience in restructuring matters, having focused on intricate financial restructurings, acting for corporate debtors, financial creditors, directors and insolvency practitioners.

Greenberg Traurig Maher was established in 2009 by Greenberg Traurig. The firm represents UK-based and multinational clients in many different sectors, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, energy, real estate, financial services, information services, automotive, entertainment, retail and communications.

Jackson Lewis Adds to Raleigh Office

joshua — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:21:16 +0000

Jackson Lewis has bolstered its office in Raleigh, N.C. with the additions of three partners and two associates from the Raleigh office of Cranfill, Sumner & Herzog.

Joining as partners are Patricia L. Holland, M. Robin Davis and Ann H. Smith. The two associates are Allison Serafin and Paul Holscher. With the additions, Jackson Lewis now has 10 attorneys in its Raleigh office.

Holland is a former assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina and has experience in a wide range of litigation and workplace law matters.

Davis has nearly 20 years experience and practices in a wide range of employment related matters, including personnel policies, employment contracts, restrictive covenants, employee training sessions, investigations, discrimination and harassment claims.

Smith has practiced defense litigation for over 10 years in Raleigh. Her practice focuses in the areas of employment, education and municipal and police law.

Jackson Lewis was founded in 1958 and has more than 600 attorneys practicing in 45 cities nationwide. Last week the firm reported a 10 percent jump in gross revenue in 2009.

Five Attorneys Leave Dorsey & Whitney for Fredrikson & Byron

joshua — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:19:25 +0000

The Minneapolis based law firm of Fredrikson & Byron announced yesterday it has hired three partners and two associates for their new Fargo, North Dakota office. The five attorneys all came from the Fargo office of Minneapolis based law firm Dorsey & Whitney.

According to today’s article in the Star Tribune, Fredrikson president John Koneck called the expansion “another strong step in our Midwest regional growth strategy.” In addition, Dorsey executives said the firm will serve existing clients with the remaining staff and attorneys in other Dorsey offices. As well, Koneck said partners Jon Strinden, Todd Zimmerman and Kristy Albrecht bring expertise in mergers and acquisitions and commercial and employment law litigation.

Since 1948, Fredrikson & Byron has established a reputation as the firm “where law and business meet”. The 240 plus attorneys in the Minneapolis headquarters serve a broad range of clients, including multinational corporations, public companies, privately-held businesses, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and family businesses.

With approximately 650 lawyers and 850 support staff, Dorsey & Whitney is the 60th largest law firm in the United States. The firm has 19 offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific, and offers services in more than 50 different areas of legal practice.

1,100 Legal Jobs Lost in January

sara — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:12:20 +0000

This week the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest employment report. The legal sector lost 1,100 jobs in January, a slight decrease from previous months. 2,100 jobs were lost in December, 2,900 jobs were lost in November and 5,800 jobs were lost in October. Between January 2009 and January 2010 the legal services industry has cut 44,700 jobs.

Two big law firms announced more lay offs in January and February. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati laid off 20 staffers and Howrey will cut 94 jobs, including 29 associate positions. Yet lay offs were 88% lower in January 2010 than they were a year ago.

One reason for the decline in lay offs could be that many deferred first year associates reported to work in January and this offset layoffs elsewhere.

Mintz Levin Defers Incoming Associates to 2012

sara — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:44:15 +0000

Correction: When this story first ran we incorrectly identified details that were part of another firm’s deferral plan with Mintz Levin. We apologize for the error.

Mintz Levin had deferred incoming associates until 2012. According to Gina Addis, the firm’s Director of Public Relations, associates were not given a firm start date when offers were extended and were told at the time that it would be deferred. The firm recently notified them that they would be starting in January of 2012.

Contrary to our initial post, the firm has not made a decision regarding a stipend and no interim work requirement has been set.

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, PC is a general practice firm with headquarters in Boston Massachusetts and offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Stamford, Connecticut, Palo Alto, San Diego, and London. The firm has 500 attorneys.

Cravath Changes Course on Deferred Associates

sara — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:45:24 +0000

Cravath, Swaine & Moore informed incoming associates that some of them can begin their employment with the firm this fall, one year sooner than originally planned. Hiring partner Rowan Wilson said in an email, “those who have not yet committed to something else for 2010-11, if they are interested in starting at Cravath in2010, we will be able to take some of them.”

Last June the firm announced delayed start dates for 120 incoming associates and in exchange each one received a monthly stipend of $65,000. How many associates the firm will take on this fall has not been decided. If too many associates decide to begin in the fall a lottery will be held by the firm to select associates.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore is a general practice firm with 500 attorneys in two offices. Founded in 1819, the firm is headquartered in New York City.

Last Minute Deferrals at Nixon Peabody

joshua — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:04:45 +0000

Forget for a moment that Christmas is right around the corner, and that Hanukkah has already begun. Nixon Peabody’s associates were supposed to start on January 4th, three weeks from now. Yesterday, 2/3rds of them found out that they have been re-deferred, indefinitely.

Yes, the economy is struggling and it’s rough all over. But any half way decent lawyer would have done their due dilligence and been prepared to start work in three weeks. They would have signed a lease, bought plane tickets, hired movers – in short, they would have committed time, effort and money into being prepared.

Memo to Biglaw: It’s too late. If you have associates scheduled to start work in January, you’re stuck with them now.

Davis Polk Bonuses

joshua — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:46:47 +0000

Davis Polk has announced its year end bonus schedule and, surprise!, it looks all too familiar. Yup, it matches the bonuses put out by Cravath, which match the bonuses of every biglaw firm to announce bonuses in the days after Cravath set the bar. New associates are receiving $7500, with seniors making $30,000 and everyone else sliding in the middle.

Davis Polk & Wardwell is an international law firm headquartered in New York. The firm employs more than 700 attorneys and is primarily known for its corporate, litigation and tax practices.

Two More Firms Match Cravath on Bonuses

joshua — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:02:29 +0000

Was everyone waiting to see what Skadden would do? Now that Skadden has fallen in line, it looks as though everyone else Is going to play ball too. Today, Willkie Farr and Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett both announced their bonus schedules and they’re a match for Cravath. New associates will get $7500 and the scale slides on up to cap out at $30k.

Arent Fox Revokes Offers to New Associates

joshua — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:23:00 +0000

On Monday we reported that Alston Bird was deferring its deferrals again, indefinitely. Arent Fox has taken a different approach. Rather than indefinitely extend deferrals, the firm has chosen to revoke the offers of several new associates. Those whose offers have been revoked have been paid $20,000 in compensation.

Arent Fox is a Washington, DC, based firm with three offices and 350 attorneys. It has a strong lobbying practice along with a broad array of practice groups.

Bryan Cave Pays Associates to Not Come to Work

joshua — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:10:14 +0000

In 1933 the Federal Government began paying farmers to not grow crops, in the hopes that reducing the supply would stabilize prices and help spur recovery from the Great Depression. Today, Bryan Cave becomes the third law firm to pay lawyers not to work. Certainly the goals of the Federal Government differ from that of a big law firm, and just as certainly the effectiveness of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 can be debated, but one comparison that seems firm is that the current market can’t bear the supply. There are simply too many lawyers for too few jobs. Paying new associates to not come to work, in effect subsidizing the legal industry, is one of many ways the market is handling the situation.

In the case of Bryan Cave, new associates are being offered $70k to not work. In some cases, these lawyers are being asked to, in effect, “go away”, while others are being paid to take a deferral. It’s unclear how many of each there are at this time.

Stroock and Pillsbury have already offered first year associates money to walk away in one form or another. If more firms continue to do this, will it have a net impact on the legal economy? How many new associates would need to be subsidized in order to “correct” the market? If this becomes an industry trend, we may find out.

Monday morning roundup

joshua — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:30:32 +0000

Good morning! Now that the weekend is behind us, here’s a quick look at Friday’s stories.

New associates at Sidley’s Washington DC office are being offered the chance to start early…

Four more partners have left cooley for other firms…

Fish and Richardson is reported to be closing up shop in Austin…

Winston & Strawn is laying off office staff and attorneys….

and there is a salary freeze and King & Spalding

And now for something different…

joshua — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:26:40 +0000

New associates at Sidley Austin are being deferred starting early this year in the Washington DC office. New associates are being given the option to begin after Labor Day to fulfill needs in certain practice groups. Associates in other offices have been offered voluntary deferrals and will begin working mid November.

Sidley Austin is one of the countries oldest law firms and includes Mary Todd Lincoln among its list of early clients. Formed in 1866 in Chicago, it has offices in 16 cities worldwide with 1,800 lawyers. Practice groups cover a broad range of areas and it has a long history with transactional matters and litigation.

Hancock & Estabrook Hires Associates

Erik Even — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:11:33 +0000

The Syracuse, New York firm of Hancock & Estabrook has hired three new associates.

Meghan S. Gaffey joins the firm’s corporate and health care practice. She previously interned for the Office of the Onondaga County, New York, District Attorney. Her JD is from the Syracuse University College of Law.

Christina M. Verone joins the litigation and zoning & land use practice. She was a law clerk for Justice Anthony J. Paris of the Onondaga County Supreme Court. Her JD is from the Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Robert C. Whitaker Jr. joins the firm’s labor & employment practice. He served with the US Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps as defense attorney, deputy staff judge advocate, prosecutor and legal assistance attorney. His JD is from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.

Founded in 1889, Hancock & Estabrook is one of Upstate New York’s leading law firms, employing 56 attorneys.

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.

O’Melveny & Myers Delays Start Dates

Erik Even — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:46:04 +0000

O’Melveny & Myers, which yesterday laid off 90 attorneys and 110 staff positions, is delaying the start date for its new associate class.

The new start date is December 2009. Typically, the firm’s new associates start between September and November.

We will be providing our incoming associates with a bar stipend, as well as bar and moving-related expenses. We have not asked incoming associates to defer their employment for a year and have no plans to do so. As such, we are not paying any related deferral stipend.

O’Melveny & Myers LLP is the 19th largest law firm in the world. It employs 1200 attorneys in 14 offices worldwide.

NLJ: Firms Hired Too Many Law School Grads in 2008

Erik Even — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:37:17 +0000

The National Law Journal reports that major firms brought on as many new associates in 2008 as they did in 2007, leaving them with many new hires despite the current industry-wide layoffs.

Despite the economic nosedive that began gaining momentum in 2008, the nation’s biggest law firms hired just about the same percentage of graduates from top schools last year as they did the year before.

At the same time, firms among The National Law Journal’s 2008 survey of the nation’s 250 largest law firms brought aboard more graduates from the 20 schools that they relied on the most, which themselves had larger classes.

The development suggests that law firms were not well positioned for the recession they now face.

The fact that law firms ended up hiring the same percentage of graduates in 2008 — and hired 5.3% more graduates than in 2007 — despite the impending economic turmoil demonstrates the challenges that law firms face in predicting their work force needs under the existing hiring system…

Via NLJ.

AmLaw: The Coming Law Firm Hiring Crisis

Erik Even — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:58:45 +0000

The American Lawyer expects a “a paradigm-shifting, blood-in-the-suites, terror-on-the-campus hiring and retention crisis” in 2009.

If nothing changes, this fall the same law firms that recently laid off lawyers will start welcoming large groups of new lawyers, whom they will pay too well and for whom they will have too little work. If the layoffs were about saving money in a downturn, the new hires will overwhelm any savings and will signal that the firms regard the economic crisis as little more than a mild detour on the golden brick road.

I wish it were otherwise. But consider the current Conventional Wisdom: At law firms work (and profits) are down, attrition is far below average, law school graduates hired in an optimistic time are about to join firms awash in anxiety, and the conveyor belt that will bring still more eager and talented young lawyers aboard is about to start up again.

This does not seem to be a sustainable situation. If it’s not, it will, at a minimum, force law firms to make a harsh choice between the lawyers they already have on staff and the ones they’re about to welcome.

Via AmLaw.