The Work
Paul Hastings makes both general and practice group-specific offers. Projects are assigned to juniors when they first start at the firm; after that, the formality of work assignment varies. “Technically there is a formal system, but most partners in litigation don’t use it,” one DC associate explained. “Sometimes work comes through the general system, but most associates get work informally.” The assigning partner usually has an overview of each junior’s workload to make sure work is divided evenly.
In New York, “there is a formal assignment system for first and second-years; an assigning partner checks on the status of juniors weekly.” In Atlanta, by comparison, “it’s every man for himself. It’s generally up to you to develop and cultivate relationships with practice group leaders.” In LA, “when things are slow, you will sometimes be scrambling and knocking on doors and sending e-mails.”
Associates are generally satisfied with the level of responsibility they get. “The substantive nature of my work is as good as it can be for a junior associate,” a New Yorker said. During the first few months to a year, most associates work on large cases doing discovery work, document review, research and due diligence. More exciting work like responses to the client, preparing cases for trial, arbitrations and authoring motions for summary judgment come a little later.
Client contact is strong in the corporate department and weaker in the litigation group, although it does depends on each partner’s style. “I have a tremendous amount of client contact. I have contact with a few different parties on a daily basis,” a corporate associate commented. Meanwhile, a litigation associate said: “I haven’t had much client contact because our clients are so big, but I was e-mailing one on an arbitration case and I have a standing invitation to visit his ship in Houston.”
Training & Development
A new competencies-based review system has just been introduced, which requires associates to produce a ten-page self-evaluation with examples of how they have progressed toward “mastery” of 12 key competencies. The system “takes the subjectivity out of the process,” yet is generally viewed as “very tedious,” “a bit of a nightmare” and “kind of silly.” Associates are not sure what the rankings mean, whether partners read all reviews, and to what degree they count toward bonus assessments.
Some associates feel that the review does have its benefits and that “some people didn’t like it because, like all new systems, it was something of an adjustment.” Chair of global attorney development Jim Owens clarified that the review is aimed at helping associates develop their careers, while the bonus evaluation system is separate.
The firm offers an in-house CLE training program and accreditation system, with which associates are generally very satisfied. Training sessions are organized both by firm management and the attorney development committee. Additionally, “when joining the firm we all spend a week in San Diego with training lectures given per practice group,” a New York associate said.
The consensus is that senior associates and partners provide excellent on-the-job training. “My team has been good with giving feedback on what we’re doing right and what we might improve upon,” an Atlanta associate reported. “I also get non assignment-related professional advice from partners.” There isn’t a one-size-fits-all mentoring system. In New York and LA, juniors are placed in a mentor group; in the smaller offices more informal arrangements prevail.
Offices
The biggest office, in New York, is located midtown at Park Avenue and 55th Street, and is “not your typical all-wood style – rather, very open with a lot of glass.” Associates share offices until the end of their second year. “The sharing system’s alright; my officemate is great and we get along,” one said.
Elsewhere, “it’s not like in New York, we all have individual rooms with windows.” The DC office has a sunny roof terrace with a view of the Washington Monument, which is used for events during the summer program. In LA Paul Hastings managed to renegotiate the lease of its six floors of offices, so that “the firm’s name is now on the building.”
Interaction between offices is extensive. “We worked on a Supreme Court case with associates from Palo Alto, San Diego and DC,” an LA junior said. A DC associate echoed experiences of juniors across all offices when recalling “working with our offices in China and Milan.” The firm operates an 18-month overseas program for two or three midlevel associates every year. Applicants “submit something akin to a business development plan; they need a partner-sponsor and then a committee will judge the request,” chair of global attorney development Jim Owens explained.
Culture
The firm’s New York and DC offices are described as “open and friendly” with a “West Coast feel,” even though “work can be stressful and the firm expects you to work hard and do as much as you can for the client.” It was acknowledged that “people are smart and hard-working, but not pretentious – you rarely have people shouting at you.”
The LA and San Francisco offices are described as “laid back,” “not very formal,” “more casual,” “very friendly,” “helpful” and “cooperative.” The Atlanta office is similarly laid back and is “a lot of fun, full of really outgoing people with a 'work hard, play hard' attitude.”
Associates across the firm enjoy socializing at non firm-sponsored events. “I feel I have friends here across departments; people who I’d have a beer with after work,” one said. Monthly events like lunches, baseball games, wine tasting, happy hours all take place. Official firm social activities have been scaled back in the last year; big external parties have been replaced by in-house events. An associate in LA joked that a recent holiday party featured “one lonely guy playing a violin in an office.”
As a consequence of budget cutbacks, long working hours and confusion over the new review system, morale was somewhat low at the time of interviews: more so, it seemed, in DC, San Francisco and Atlanta than elsewhere. “Being the most expensive firm in the city is not great,” an Atlanta associate said, noting that some clients are looking for a more economical option. Those in DC and San Francisco also feel less clued-in to firm goings-on than juniors in LA and New York. “No, I don’t feel in the loop, although we do have a 'chair chat' with the managing partner once a year,” a San Francisco associate commented.
Hours & Compensation
The firm’s billing target is 2,000 hours. It is often referred to as a “budget,” indicating a focus on associates’ profitability. “Corporate was pretty slow in 2009. It was a difficult year to hit budget, and most people didn’t,” one explained. Litigators reported that work levels were above expectation in 2009. “In my office and department we are simply crazy, so I had no trouble reaching my target last year,” one said.
Associates on both coasts report long working days, starting between 8.30 or 9.30am and lasting until anywhere between 7pm and midnight. Weekend working is also common. “For nine of twelve months last year I was in the office until 8pm and worked most weekends,” one San Francisco associate said. There is no face time requirement, but “it would be nice if I didn’t have to answer questions on my BlackBerry at 10.30pm on Sunday evenings,” a DC junior said.
Paul Hastings’ financial year runs from February 1st to January 31st, which allows it to closely follow market standards when it comes to bonuses. Meeting the billing target qualifies associates as in good standing for a bonus.
Pro Bono
Pro bono is important at Paul Hastings. The number of hours that count toward billing targets is unlimited, provided the pro bono committee approves them first. “We were encouraged to take up pro bono work by partners in the litigation group, as it’s a chance to see a case from beginning to end and gain valuable courtroom experience,” an Atlanta junior recalled.
Most associates had done between 50 and 100 pro bono hours in a year. A small number reported doing as many as 400 or 500 hours, although this was mostly due to the smaller amount of available billable work.
Associates are free to choose pro bono work in whatever area they wish. “I do a lot of work on immigrant cases, although other people in my department have helped charities file for tax-exempt status,” a corporate associate said. Another junior said: “I got to work on two US Supreme Court briefs, a First Amendment religion case and a Sixth Amendment right to counsel case.” A number of awards are handed out annually for associates who have shown the greatest commitment to pro bono.
Diversity
Nearly one in five partners in the firm are women, but in the associates' ranks, women outnumber men. A number of departments, such as corporate in LA, reportedly have a heavy female presence.
The firm has diversity committees and coordinators in all offices. “Our diversity committee is proactive in community outreach, and sponsors events related to the Asian, Black and Hispanic Law Students’ Associations,” one Atlanta associate said. The New York and Los Angeles offices are highly diverse, with well over 20 Asian-American lawyers in each. Representation of African Americans is weaker, and one associate reported: “In New York we only have one African-American partner.”
Get Hired
The firm’s 2010 summer program consisted of approximately 90 law students – half the size of the 2008 class – across all nine US offices. OCIs are held at most or all of the 30 top law schools. “We’re looking for students with strong academic, communication and leadership skills who preferably have some prior work experience,” chair of global recruiting Leigh Ryan said. “Ideally, work experience would mean having had substantive responsibility in a position related to their area of law. For example, if they want to work in the corporate group, then having worked in business or finance is a plus.”
Associates at Paul Hastings come from a variety of backgrounds and almost all have had substantive work experience before law school. Work experience is not a must, though. “We’re also happy to talk to people who have, for example, shown leadership and communication skills in a debate team, in a political job, or working on a campaign,” Ryan said.
There is no one character type: Paul Hastings associates define themselves as “friendly,” “talkative,” “self-motivated” and “willing to work very hard and be very diligent.” A DC interviewee noted: “The firm expects you to be driven rather than having to drive you.”
Strategy & Future
“We looked hard to find ways to help our clients navigate through the financial crisis,” chair of global attorney development Jim Owens said. “We’ve tried to be mindful of our expenses, because it’s our duty to have a sustainable business model. We also wanted to continue to pay top-market salaries, so we had to make cuts on all levels, which included cutbacks on fun stuff too.”
“Our securities and IP practices are areas we’re really looking to expand and improve in the future,” Owens added.
The firm has no plans to open any new offices in the USA or internationally, but is seeking to expand its current international operations. “We would very much like to continue to grow our London office; our emphasis is there and will continue to be there,” he commented.