Lewis and Roca LLP Focus Forward

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2 Lewis and Roca LLP Focus Forward

3 A tradition of excellence. A vision for the future. Being a good lawyer is not easy. Being a great lawyer is even more difficult. At Lewis and Roca, we work hard to achieve excellence. Clients come to us for top quality legal work. They expect it, and we demand it from ourselves. If you have a passion for law and No two law firms are alike. Each is guided by distinct principles and attitude. As one of the Southwest s leading law firms, Lewis and Roca is no exception. are committed to achieving excellence, Lewis and Roca will help you reach your potential. The Firm s practice gives our lawyers constant opportunity to grow as professionals and practice law at a very sophisticated level, often working on matters involving cutting-edge issues and solutions. We have extensive experience across a wide range of disciplines, from business transactions to intellectual property to complex litigation. We attract and retain the highest caliber legal talent who share our values of integrity, respect, teamwork, accountability, and leadership. The foundation of our success is, and will continue to be, the dedication of exceptional attorneys and professional staff. Our shared values are the firm s foundation. Lewis and Roca s goals are to provide clients with excellent service, build superb client relationships, work with uncompromised integrity, and give something back to our community. Quality representation, ethical behavior, respect, teamwork, and community involvement are prerequisites for Lewis and Roca lawyers. If you are ready to work in an environment where commitment to quality and community is the keystone of success, Lewis and Roca belongs at the top of your list. 1

4 Lewis and Roca LLP Focus Forward We value diversity. Lewis and Roca s founding partners brought their own divergent perspectives and life experiences together to serve their clients. After all, a firm that incorporates a variety of perspectives, experiences, backgrounds, talents and interests is best situated to provide unsurpassed service to all kinds of clients. Our tradition continues to this day, with diversity goals forming an integral part of the Firm s strategic plan. The Firm s diversity efforts are overseen by a standing Diversity Committee, charged with monitoring and evaluating the Firm s ongoing diversity efforts through the hiring, retention and advancement of all lawyers. We also provide generous support for programs designed to increase the diversity of the bar and the communities in which our lawyers practice. The lawyers at Lewis and Roca have diverse interests and beliefs. We encourage, respect, and value this diversity. For every strongly held opinion, you will find its opposite, often just one office away. You will be encouraged to defend your viewpoint and perspective. The result is clearer, more powerful legal thinking and a more stimulating workplace. There are other things in life besides law. Many firms forget this simple fact. Lewis and Roca lawyers have sophisticated practices without sacrificing everything else. We expect you to spend time with your family and friends. We expect you to pursue and expand your hobbies and interests. We understand that good lawyers are healthy, well-balanced people first. At Lewis and Roca, we strive to balance hard work and quality of life. We encourage our lawyers to take an active role in the community and the Bar, and we support their efforts to do so. Our lawyers are dedicated to a variety of charitable, pro bono, and community activities and serve on many community and professional boards and committees. 2

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6 4 CAREER DEVELOPMENT

7 Lawyer Professional and Practice Development Program. The Firm s Lawyer Professional and Practice Development Program helps you plan and assess your professional and practice development goals. The Program gives all lawyers an opportunity to fully develop their talents and skills and helps them to think strategically Lewis and Roca supports and nurtures your legal career. We create a clear and supportive path for success, while keeping you informed about advancement opportunities. about their career goals, develop individual career plans, identify concrete steps to reach their goals, and provides guidance to associates during the years prior to partnership eligibility and as new partners. It uses core competencies and benchmark guidelines to chart and evaluate each associate s progress toward partnership. The Program is individually tailored for different lawyers and different practice areas, with the objective of first creating a solid legal foundation, and then introducing and developing practice development skills. Associate Mentor Program. The first years of practice and transition to a new firm can be difficult. The Firm s Mentor Program is designed to help new lawyers adjust to practice through support and guidance from experienced colleagues. All incoming associates are assigned a senior associate mentor who provides advice, acts as a sounding board, and generally helps the new associate become successfully integrated into the Firm and the practice of law. Supervising Attorney Program. All associates are assigned a partner to serve as their Supervising Attorney. Supervisors are expected to actively monitor, promote, and participate in the associates professional development. Career Planning Programs. The Firm encourages its lawyers to develop career plans and provides the tools necessary to track and monitor their progression. Career planning assists lawyers in achieving their personal and professional goals while also achieving the Firm s core competencies, benchmarks, and standards for partnership. Mentors, Supervising Attorneys, Practice Group Leaders and Development Advisors assist the associates and income partners with the development and implementation of their plans. 5

8 CAREER DEVELOPMENT Development Advisor Program. Senior associates are also assigned a Development Advisor. These advisors help guide senior associates and income partners in their community activities, business development efforts, leadership skills, management responsibilities, and other activities that are needed to become successful Lewis and Roca partners. Associate Liaison Program. The Firm strives to address and be responsive to associate concerns. We recognize that there may be instances when associates may be reluctant to voice their concerns. Thus, to help foster communication between associates and firm management, the Firm asks a number of associates to serve as Associate Liaisons. The Liaisons regularly meet with the Managing Partner and other members of firm management to share on an anonymous basis any issues and suggestions for improvement raised by associates. Shadow Account Program. Newer associates can learn a great deal about how to work effectively with clients, witnesses, opposing counsel and co-counsel by observing experienced lawyers in day-to-day settings. However, the Firm recognizes that clients typically should not be charged for the newer lawyer s participation in a meeting or at a hearing. Therefore, the Firm has created a Shadow Account to which lawyers may bill time spent attending events like closings, meetings, depositions, witness interviews or court hearings that will benefit their development. Associates receive billable hour credit for Shadow Account hours, even though those hours are never charged to a client. Education Programs. The Firm emphasizes continuing education for all lawyers. Our Education and Training Committee, develops in-house legal training seminars on a variety of litigation and transactional topics. In addition, we provide both general orientation and practice-specific programs, as well as programs regarding the Firm s core competencies and knowledge. Formal training programs continue throughout a lawyer s career at the Firm, focusing on progressively advanced and sophisticated substantive areas of practice. The Firm also encourages (and pays for) lawyers to attend educational programs outside the office. 6

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10 8 T H E I N T E R V I E W P R O C E S S

11 Hiring Criteria. We look for individuals with a history of outstanding personal and academic achievement including Lewis and Roca hires lawyers with a wide diversity of backgrounds, but with a common trait: outstanding academic and personal achievements, and a commitment to practicing law at the highest levels. law school records and law review or comparable extracurricular activities. We are interested in talking to applicants who would like to come to Lewis and Roca immediately after law school graduation or judicial clerkships, as well as those seeking to join the Firm laterally. Lewis and Roca s policy is to recruit, hire, develop and promote employees based on the individual s ability and job performance. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, color, age disability or veteran status. On-Campus Interviews. If you are scheduled to interview with us on campus, please bring a copy of your law school transcript and a writing sample with you to the interview. The Chair of our Recruiting Committee generally meets with the on-campus interviewers to decide on call-back interviews within two to three business days following the campus visit. Once call-back decisions are made, the campus interviewer will contact you by telephone to extend an invitation to visit our office and meet more of our lawyers. Written Requests. If you are considering writing to us regarding an Associate or Summer Associate position, please send your resume, law school transcript and writing sample to our Director of Lawyer Recruitment. You will hear back from us within one to three weeks, either by telephone or letter. We may arrange for a prescreening interview in our office, which consists of a one-half hour meeting with one or more of our lawyers. We do not reimburse travel expenses for pre-screening interviews. The Recruiting Committee makes call-back decisions promptly based on the recommendation of the pre-screening interviewer(s). If you are selected for a call-back interview, our Director of Lawyer Recruitment will call you to extend the invitation. 9

12 Call-Back Interviews. If you are invited for a call-back interview, we will coordinate a mutually convenient date for you to visit the Firm. Before your visit, you will be asked to identify the areas of practice you would most enjoy learning about from our lawyers. You will also be asked to bring with you a list of references, if not previously provided. The Firm reimburses reasonable travel expenses to and from our offices. Call-back interviews consist of a one-half day visit beginning in either the morning or afternoon. The Recruiting Committee makes offer decisions based on the T H E I N T E R V I E W P R O C E S S evaluation comments of the interviewers promptly after the callback interview. Judicial Clerks. Lewis and Roca encourages applications from judicial clerks, provided that the judge for whom the candidate is clerking deems the timing of such application appropriate. Offers and Deadlines. Law Students. Lewis and Roca follows the most current NALP s standard for the timing of offers and decisions to law students. For a copy of the full text of NALP s Principles and Standards, go to: Laterals. We feel our lateral candidates should take the time they need to make the right decision, and, therefore, in most cases we do not impose deadlines within which to respond to an offer. Requests for exceptions to these guidelines must be made to the Director of Lawyer Recruitment. 10

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14 12 S U M M E R P R O G R A M

15 Lewis and Roca s summer program is designed to provide an experience that is indicative of associate life at the Firm. Great effort goes into planning events that enable our Summer Associates to get to know us and vice versa. The work we give to Summer Associates Hiring Criteria. We recruit students from around the country to join us for the summer. We look for diversity, creativity, leadership, character, and good judgment. Excellent writing skills are essential and are further honed throughout the summer. Split Policy. We strongly prefer that Summer Associates spend the entire summer at the Firm. If you are splitting with another firm, we require you to spend the first half of the summer with us. We do not allow second-half splits. Our experience indicates that at least seven weeks is necessary for a Summer Associate to take advantage of our summer program and to participate fully in firm activities. Assignments. Summer Associates can express a preference to receive assignments from particular practice areas, and we make every effort to accommodate their interests. However, you will be expected to work on projects from a variety of practice areas during the summer. Our goal is to offer intellectually stimulating projects that provide Summer Associates an opportunity to demonstrate their writing, analytical, and advocacy skills. The type of work we offer to Summer Associates is similar in complexity to assignments given to new associates and can range from a simple litigation research memorandum to assisting a partner at a complex real estate closing. Additionally, we invite Summer Associates to join our lawyers at client meetings, closings, negotiating sessions and court appearances. We want to provide insight into our practice what it is like to be a lawyer at Lewis and Roca, and what you can expect should you be hired. is challenging and showcases the quality and diversity of Lewis and Roca s practice. 13

16 Social Events. We include several social events in the Summer Program. The goal of these events is not so much to entertain our Summer Associates as to allow them to get to know the Firm s lawyers outside the office. We try to plan a variety of activities so there will be something that appeals to everyone. Summer Associates are welcome to attend as many activities as possible, but we realize they have other commitments outside work and do not expect them to attend everything. S U M M E R P R O G R A M Mentors and Readers. Each Summer Associate is assigned both an associate mentor and also a project reader, who may be a partner or senior associate. The mentor s role is to assist the Summer Associate s integration into the Firm, including introduction to lawyers through lunches and social activities, as well as to answer any questions or concerns that arise over the summer. The reader s role is to review several of the Summer Associate s completed written projects and provide constructive feedback to help improve writing skills. Reviews and Offers. Summer Associates are given a midpoint and exit review. The mid-point review helps Summer Associates gauge their progress at the Firm and identify any areas that need attention before the end of the program. The exit review is an evaluation of the Summer Associate s performance during the entire program, and it establishes a benchmark for offer decisions. Offer decisions are made after all Summer Associates have completed their time at the Firm. Training. All Summer Associates spend the first two weeks of the summer participating in the Summer Associate Training Academy. During the Academy, Summer Associates hone their research and writing skills, learn more about the Firm, interact with Summer Associates assigned to other offices, and learn other valuable practice skills. After completing the Academy, our Summer Associates are ready to hit the ground running with their first assignments. The Academy ensures that every member of our summer class understands the Firm s expectations and culture. By the end of your summer experience, you will know what it s like to practice law at Lewis and Roca. 14

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18 How to Apply: Employment inquiries should be directed to: Make Lewis and Roca a Part of Your Future Mary W. Kiley Director of Lawyer Recruitment 40 N. Central Avenue, 19th Floor Phoenix, AZ TEL: FAX: Recruiting@LRLaw.com Please refer to our website for more information about our firm, its practice, and people: 16

19 Lewis and Roca encourages a congenial work environment balanced Lewis and Roca encourages a congenial work environment balanced with a highly productive practice. We seek attorneys with strong academic achievements, excellent writing skills, a strong sense of ethics, and the ability to relate well with clients. with a highly productive practice. We seek attorneys with strong academic achievements, excellent writing skills, a strong sense of ethics, and the ability to relate well with clients. As you are contemplating your professional choices, we think you will reach the same conclusion so many others before you have reached: Lewis and Roca is the place to be. It is a firm with an excellent reputation that values people and has a stimulating practice; a firm that will give you early, hands-on opportunities to develop into a first-rate lawyer; and a firm with a culture that strives to balance hard work and quality of life. Our commitment to excellence is not a hollow tagline or credo. It is much more. It defines our firm and our promise to our clients. We expect nothing less, and neither should you. Non-Discrimination Policy. It is and has been the policy of Lewis and Roca to recruit, hire, develop and promote employees based on the individual s ability and job performance. We will not discriminate on the basis of: race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, religion, national origin, color, age, physical or mental disability, spousal affiliation, marital status, a serious medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Our policy applies to all conditions and all areas of the workplace, including hiring decisions, promotions, training, pay, benefits, layoffs, and terminations. In addition, it continues to be our policy to maintain a working environment that is free of harassment. The Firm s Affirmative Action Program gives structure to our commitment to hire and promote qualified minorities, women, individuals with a disability, disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam-Era, and other covered veterans according to their abilities.

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