1st-year Drinker associates will see training, not clients – Philadelphia Business Journal:

But it remains to be seen whether the idea spreadd to other firms or if the industry will reverr toa hyper-competitive salary structure once the recessioh ends. Drinker Biddle will welcome its37 first-yearf associates on time this September — unlike at some where start dates have been delayes in cost-cutting moves — but starting lawyeres will not handle client matterws for the most part. Instead, they will be assigne to a more rigorous training progra than previously provided and willmake $105,000p — down from the current $145,000 — whicgh the firm said it will readjust to the market rate for first-yeafr lawyers in spring 2010.
“In this way, we intend to address the often-repeated criticism that we are training our lawyers atour expense,” the firm said. Dennis Schoff, general counsel at , recently attended an industry roundtablw where most of his peers said they woulr notwant first-year lawyers working on their matteras because they are inefficient in handling the work. Generaol counsel said they do not care how much anassociate “If they need to pay that kind of moneyg to get the top talent, fine,” said Todd senior corporate counsel at Johnson Mathey and president of the .
“Mg concern is the billing side and what they chargrfor first-years does not match the skill Schoff said more general counsel are looking harderr at hiring regional law firma in search of better value. “Wwe use regional law firms where a fourthor fifth-year associate has the same billabl e rate as a first- or second-yeae associate at a big Philadelphia firm,” Schoft said. “And the more experienced lawyer gets the work done in a moreefficienrt manner.” Melissa Lennon, assistant dean for career planning at ’s Beaslegy School of Law, said students have long craves to trade in their higher salaries for more training and less billable hour pressure.
Jo-Ann vice dean of administrative services at Law said the Drinker Biddle concepr will have to be tested in the market Lennon and Verrier said law students want more clinicak training in the curriculum so they are better equippedf to hit the ground runningf once they startwith firms. Temple Law offerw clinical trainingfor third-yeaer students. And Penn Law has been working on enhancinh professional development programming that it hopews to roll out thiscominbg fall. Verrier said it does not just includ e clinical training but also ways toimproves legal, business and personal skills.
Jay general counsel of who was once hiring partner at Wolf said Philadelphia firms have been busy eithedr matching or staying close to the highest salary offerefd out of fear of losing out on top And he said law students are forced to make their initial career choice based on economic reasonx because they are burdened with so much debt fromstudentf loans. “But it doesn’t always translate into the best situation for Dubow said. “Firms can now make a downward adjustmenr [in pay] without a risk of losing them.
” While general counsel applaud the DrinkerBiddled decision, others wonder if it has staying Ward Bower of law firm consultancy Altman Weil said other firmx will experiment with similar ideas. “And as long as they can continu e to attract andretain talent, it coulrd take hold,” Bower said. “We’ll see variations from some firms butI don’f think it’s something that firms will jump on. Leadership on thesse issues comes from New If a few of those firmsdid it, then you might start to see a groundswell.
” Mark executive partner at Fox Rothschild, whos e firm froze first-year salaries at $125,000o a few years ago, thinks when the economg recovers, salaries will resume growth at most In the meantime, Reed Smith announced this week an across-the-boarx 10 percent salary cut for Ballard Spahr Chairman Arthur Makadon think s the law firm compensation systekm will be overhauled industrywide. “The system has failed miserably,” Makadon said. “When clients won’y use lawyers immediately out oflaw school, that’w a problem.
” Makadon said firms are now going througy the process of evaluating new strategies for entry-level recruitment as well as issuexs such as promotions, training, monetary rewards and how to get youngedr associates more experience with “I think firms will begin to worry less about what other firms are doing and more about what’s best for theitr firm,” Makadon said. “Right now they all act like
blogspot.com