|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply for an attorney position at Lowenstein Sandler?
We participate in the early interview weeks at many law schools. Although the schools at which we interview may vary from year to year, they generally include: Boalt Hall, Boston College, Boston University, Cardozo Law School, Columbia, Cornell, Emory, Fordham, Georgetown, George Washington, Harvard, New York University, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia, Washington & Lee, and Yale. If you are a student at a school at which we are participating in early interview week, we encourage you to submit your resume through your school’s process. If you do not get selected for an interview through that method, if you are a student at a school that we are not visiting in a particular year, or if you are a practicing attorney interested in joining us as a lateral candidate, please send us a resume and a letter explaining your interest in our firm to rightanswer@lowenstein.com.
What does Lowenstein Sandler look for in hiring new attorneys?
We are looking for attorneys of exceptional intellectual capability, with very strong writing skills and organizational abilities. We judge these characteristics based upon candidates’ academic and professional records, references, and writing samples. Because we expect our attorneys to interact directly with clients at an early stage in their careers, we also look for excellent interpersonal skills and oral communications ability, which we assess based upon the candidates’ previous experiences and on interviews. Finally, we are looking for attorneys with business judgment and an entrepreneurial spirit, which are important attributes of the Lowenstein culture.
It sounds like Lowenstein expects a lot of independence from new attorneys. Is the culture "sink or swim?"
We do expect a lot of independence from our new attorneys -- and more as they become more experienced. However, this does not mean that we are a "sink or swim" culture. Every attorney in the firm prepares an "Individual Development Plan," which provides an opportunity to formally think about where they want their career to go, what kind of practice they want to develop, and how they are going to get there. Associates’ IDPs are reviewed at least annually with a reviewing partner, who helps the associate to think through their goals and development plans. In addition, we conduct in-house training programs for all attorneys on a regular basis, and we have a special set of customized training programs tailored to new attorneys. Finally, we have a mentoring program that helps new attorneys at all levels learn how to succeed as a Lowenstein attorney.
How does the mentoring program work?
Our mentoring program is a "peer-to-peer" mentoring program. During their first two years at the firm, new attorneys are assigned a more senior attorney to help them learn how to navigate through the firm. However, we also strongly encourage all attorneys to develop their own informal network of mentors with attorneys in and out of their practice areas who can help them develop as lawyers.
What kind of feedback can I expect?
It is our goal to provide real-time feedback for every project on which our new attorneys work. If you have questions about your performance on a particular project, you are encouraged to ask the assigning attorney. In addition, all associates receive two formal reviews each year. Summer associates will receive a formal review approximately 5 weeks into the summer program, and should have a good sense of where they stand at that time. If there are problems that are jeopardizing a summer associate’s chance of receiving a full-time offer, we communicate that at the mid-summer review, or sooner. At the end of the summer, a final formal review is given. Shortly thereafter, offers are extended for full-time employment.
How hard am I going to work at Lowenstein? Are there billable hour requirements? Is "face time" important? Do pro bono hours "count?"
Make no mistake about it: if you come to Lowenstein, you are going to work hard. You may be working late nights and weekends when your case is going to trial or you are trying to close a significant transaction. That said, while we expect you to be available to clients and colleagues during regular business hours, "face time" is not a priority. What matters is whether the work gets done. We have a sophisticated VPN that allows attorneys to work from home, and every attorney is issued a BlackBerry. So if you prefer to leave the office early, go spend time with family and friends, and then get back on the VPN later, by all means, do so. We encourage you -- and we trust you -- to manage your career responsibly.
We do not have a billable hour requirement, but we do expect that full-time attorneys will bill about 1850 hours per year. That number includes pro bono hours, which are counted in exactly the same way as hours worked for paying clients. If an attorney is below the 1850 hours guideline, they will probably have a discussion with their supervisor regarding the reasons. An attorney who spends a significant amount of time on a non-billable project that has value to the firm will not be penalized for doing so, nor will an attorney who comes in under the 1850 threshold due to extenuating circumstances in their personal life. However, while working more than 1850 hours is not expected, working longer hours will be rewarded, both by eligibility for greater bonuses, and by the fact that working longer hours results in more experience, which means faster skill development and increased opportunities for advancement.
Speaking of bonuses, how do they work at Lowenstein? Are bonuses based purely on hours?
Lowenstein has a Total Compensation Program with five elements, four of which are performance-based. The first element is the standard set of employee benefits (health insurance, 401(k) plan, etc.) that are available to everyone. The second element is base compensation. For first and second year attorneys, base compensation is lock-step. After that, each class year has a range of salaries, and an individual attorney’s base compensation will be set within that range, based upon individual performance. The third element is a qualitative bonus based upon the nature, complexity, value, and sophistication of client service and the contributions made to the firm through firm-directed activities. The fourth element is a quantitative bonus, awarded purely on a formula based upon the total number of billable and pro bono hours worked and timely reported in excess of 2,000 hours. Finally, the fifth element is fee sharing. Associates are eligible to receive a fee sharing bonus based on fees paid by clients for which they were the originating attorney.
What is the firm’s attitude towards pro bono work?
Pro bono work is fundamental to the culture of Lowenstein Sandler. Alan Lowenstein founded the firm in large part because he felt his previous firm did not sufficiently support his pro bono activities. All Lowenstein attorneys are expected and encouraged to give back to their community by donating pro bono legal services. Our attorneys fulfill this obligation in many different ways. Some attorneys represent indigent criminal defendants. Some represent asylum claimants. Others do corporate work for charitable organizations. The firm has a long history of involvement in long-term pro bono impact litigation, such as the major litigation that led to sweeping reforms of New Jersey’s Department of Youth and Family Services. In addition, the firm works closely with the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, founded by Alan Lowenstein, on legislative and legal efforts to help assure basic human needs, freedom from discrimination, job training, equal educational opportunity, and equal access to the judicial system at all levels. Finally, twice each year, a second or third year Lowenstein associate is selected for a six month fellowship at Essex-Newark Legal Services, representing indigent clients in a wide variety of civil and criminal matters. During the period, the associate remains on the firm payroll and has access to firm resources.
What are my chances of making partner?
At Lowenstein, we pride ourselves on career planning and development that is tailored to each individual attorney. If, after a few years of practice, you decide you want to be a partner here, your supervising attorneys will have frank discussions with you regarding what you need to do to achieve that goal. Partnership decisions are made based upon a demonstration of outstanding legal and client service capabilities, contributions to the development of the firm, and the strategic needs of the firm. If your career path lies elsewhere, we will help you find the right position in an in-house job, in public interest law, in government, in business, or wherever else your interests lie. Lowenstein has developed an outstanding reputation for providing training and experience that launch great careers, and we maintain active relationships with our alumni.
How do I know if I’ll get work that interests me?
Lowenstein has a broad enough practice that no matter what your area of interest, we probably are active in that area. We are organized both into traditional law firm "departments," such as Litigation, Corporate, Tax, Bankruptcy, etc., and into practice groups that cut across the traditional departments, such as the Tech Group, Specialty Finance, White Collar Criminal Defense, M&A, and Class Action & Derivative Litigation. New attorneys are generally assigned to a department in which they have expressed an interest, but not a practice group. More experienced attorneys generally practice in one or more practice groups where they focus most of their attention. However, while we believe there is virtue in specialization and expertise, we also believe in developing well-rounded lawyers with diverse skill sets. Many of our attorneys, particularly as they get more experienced, find themselves working across different practice areas. We also have attorneys who have switched departments or "re-tooled" their legal specialty over the years based on changing interests or market opportunities.
What if I get a clerkship?
We think clerking is a great experience, and we strongly support doing a clerkship. We actively recruit attorneys who are currently clerking, and encourage current clerks to submit a resume. If you receive an offer for a full-time position as a summer associate and then secure a clerkship, we will hold the offer open until you complete your clerkship, for up to two years. When you do join us, you will be given credit for your years of clerking in our Total Compensation Program.
Why should I choose Lowenstein over an AmLaw 50 type of firm?
There are a lot of great reasons to go to the mega-firms. No doubt, you will likely make more money as a young associate there than at Lowenstein. You may also get some "branding" benefit of having an AmLaw 50 name on your resume. However, attorneys come to Lowenstein not just to build a resume, but to build a career. Lowenstein offers many things that the mega-firms do not or cannot offer. You will have a stronger sense of your career path at Lowenstein, and greater ability to control that path. You will have the opportunity to work on deals and cases that are every bit as sophisticated as those you would see at the mega-firms (in fact, we are very often adverse to, or co-counsel with, those firms), but you will also have the opportunity to handle smaller matters that are less common at larger firms, and are more likely to get you valuable “first chair” experience in court or running a transaction at an earlier stage in your career. In fact, when we look to hire lateral associates coming from the mega-firms, we often find that many candidates lack the front-line lawyering experience that we expect of an attorney of their seniority. If you are a litigator, you’re likely to get your first courtroom and deposition experience much earlier at Lowenstein, and if you are a corporate lawyer, you’re likely to find yourself running deals, drafting substantive documents and dealing directly with clients much earlier at Lowenstein. At Lowenstein, we believe you will get a superior learning and training experience. You will have exposure both to the very large and sophisticated matters typical of larger firms, as well as to smaller matters that will provide you with an opportunity to take a larger role in a matter earlier in your career.
|