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What is the timing of the summer and new graduate employment process?
How do the Firm's campus interviews work?
What is the daily office environment?
What is the relationship between the Firm's offices?
What kind of work will I do as an associate?
How will I be evaluated as a summer associate?
Who are the Firm's clients?
What is the Firm's commitment to diversity?
Does Powell Goldstein contribute to the community?
Will I be able to do pro-bono work at Powell Goldstein?
Do associates have a future at Powell Goldstein?
Will I have access to training programs, even beyond the required CLE?
What programs has Powell Goldstein established to focus on associate retention?
What are the benefits for a first-year associate?
Does Powell Goldstein give credit for judicial clerkships held prior to employment with the Firm?
Are alternative work schedules a viable option?
What if I find, after starting work at the Firm, that I'd like to experience a different practice area?
Whom should I contact if I have more questions?
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What is the timing of the summer and new graduate employment process?
Our fall campus visits are schedule in August and September, and our call-back interviews occur in August, September and October. We respond to candidates as soon as possible, usually within one or two weeks of their last interview or other contact with us. We adhere to the NALP Guidelines for the timing of offers and responses thereto, but most candidates let us know well before the deadlines. Our summer program spans 10 weeks, usually starting in mid-May and ending in late July. New associates begin work around Labor Day, unless other special arrangements have been made.
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How do the Firm's campus interviews work?
On campus, each candidate usually interviews with one or two of our lawyers. In many cases, our recruitment administrators also attend interviews to act as an additional resource for students.
Usually within two days after the on-campus interview, we will notify all students with either an invitation to join us for further interviews or a request to re-apply at a later date. In-office (or "call-back") interviews usually last one-half of a day and include individual visits with several attorneys. The Firm reimburses reasonable travel expenses incurred for call-back interviews, such as air and ground transportation, meals and hotel stays. After call-back interviews, the hiring committee decides on employment offers and notifies candidates, generally within two weeks of the call-back.
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What is the daily office environment?
Powell Goldstein is a big firm with a small-firm feel, where people care about people. You will not find a more open firm. We'll talk to you and let you know what's going on with the Firm. If you have a question, ask - you'll get a straight answer. We all have an open-door policy. Everyone is on a first-name basis. Attorneys here work hard and thus spend the hours necessary in the office to get the job done. Fortunately, you will be supported by an able staff that looks forward to helping you. You will experience this enthusiasm immediately from secretaries, paralegals, members of the library staff, word processing personnel, the human resources department and other support team members, who are committed to making you successful. We regard our staff as vital members of our client-service team, and will expect you to do the same.
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What is the relationship between the Firm's offices?
The Firm is well integrated and collegial, with frequent, continuing collaboration among practice groups in all offices. Attorneys in all offices often work on cases and deals together and often market clients jointly, offering a range of services that only a truly national firm can offer. Lawyers from all offices attend partners' and associates' retreats as well as other Firm-wide events throughout the year.
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What kind of work will I do as an associate?
We are a large full-scale firm with the capacity and dedication to handle all of the legal needs of our various clients. As such, we have practice areas ranging from traditional civil litigation and general corporate to specialized labor and employment, health care, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, tax, government relations, employee benefits, energy, real estate and securities practice areas, among many others. Please see the Industries and Practices section of this website to read more about our representative clients and recent deals.
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How will I be evaluated as a summer associate?
Each project a summer associate completes is evaluated by the supervising attorney(s). Evaluation meetings are conducted with each summer associate at the mid-point and end of the summer program to provide feedback about performance and work product. Throughout the summer, summer associate mentors, Hiring Committee members and summer associates are encouraged to keep an open dialogue about work product and all other aspects of the summer program.
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Who are the Firm's clients?
Powell Goldstein's client list includes Fortune 500 corporations as well as companies in emerging markets. Please see the Industries & Practices section of this website to read more about our representative clients. Read what some of our clients have to say about Powell Goldstein here.
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What is the Firm's commitment to diversity?
Powell Goldstein has a long history of a strong commitment to diversity and actively seeks to recruit and retain diverse, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and women attorneys. The Firm works with law school placement offices and minority student associations to continue our diversity commitment. We also have a firm-wide Diversity Committee that focuses on these efforts. Moreover, Powell Goldstein is pleased to be a Founding Member of the Project for Attorney Retention (PAR), an initiative of the Center for WorkLife Law of the University of California Hastings College of the Law. PAR seeks to improve recruiting and retention by promoting work/life balance and the advancement of women in the legal profession.
We are proud that the results of our efforts can be shown by our rankings in national surveys. For more information about our commitment to diversity and our most recent national rankings, please see our diversity page.
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Does Powell Goldstein contribute to the community?
From the very beginning of your career at Powell Goldstein, you will be encouraged to nurture relationships with business and personal acquaintances for your own personal and professional development. The firm encourages its lawyers to become involved in community, professional and civic activities. We believe community service contributes to your progress at the firm and your advancement in the profession and permits you to become involved (or remain involved) in matters of personal and general interest. The firm has sponsored and participated in group activities, such as building Habitat for Humanity houses, assisting Miriam's Kitchen with their breakfast program and participating in an annual AIDS walk. For information on the activities the firm supports, please see our Pro Bono & Community Service page.
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Will I be able to do pro-bono work at Powell Goldstein?
Powell Goldstein is committed to pro bono services and believes that every successful lawyer should be involved in pro bono work. We have established a Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Award that is given annually to the attorney who best exemplifies a commitment to professional excellence in the delivery of pro-bono legal services. The award is given to an attorney in each office, and a cash contribution is made in the attorney's name to the charity of his or her choice. To reward and encourage pro-bono work associates at Powell Goldstein receive billable credit for up to 50 hours approved pro-bono work once they have reached 1950 billable hours.
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Do associates have a future at Powell Goldstein?
Attorneys are valued at Powell Goldstein, and not just for the short term. We hire every associate with the ultimate goal of making him or her a partner, in time. Given today's changing legal landscape and the shifts in some firms' partnership criteria, some new lawyers enter the field wondering whether they will need to change firms after a few years in order to eventually become a partner. At Powell Goldstein, there is no need to wonder. You can see our partnership election record by looking at our NALP forms.
In addition, Powell Goldstein recognizes the need for alternative career paths for its lawyers. We have other high-level positions, such as "Counsel" and "Staff Attorney," to provide alternatives to partnership. Finally, we recognize that, for various reasons, some associates will not wish to stay at Powell Goldstein for the long term. We have a history of placing our attorneys in in-house positions for clients. We also strive to maintain strong relationships with our alumni, as exemplified by our publication of a directory that lists the name and contact information of virtually every firm alumnus and alumna, from the 1950s to the present. The directory, which is updated annually, is distributed to all alumni and current Powell Goldstein attorneys.
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Will I have access to training programs, even beyond the required CLE?
PoGo University is the Firm's way of enhancing every attorney's education and professional development. It includes both in-house and external seminars and other experiences that support an attorney's practice area, special interests, or areas for improvement. These programs address three major areas:
§ Legal Skills - legal writing, legal research and negotiation skills;
§ Practice-Specific Skills - addressing the substantive demands of each practice area; and
§ Business Skills - marketing and presentation skills.
The Firm has developed formal training programs for associates in the Litigation and Corporate & Transaction practices to attend at different points in their careers. For example, junior litigators participate in a mock case training program where they learn how to handle a matter from inception through oral argument, while more senior litigators will attend a program to enhance trial skills which includes a seminar conducted by a jury consultant. Associates in transactional practices have the opportunity to participate in programs including a 9-week course featuring simulated preparation, meetings, negotiations and closing for the sale of a small business; an introduction to financial statements and accounting principles; or an in-depth overview of the real estate transaction practice.
Other training programs include: basics of client meetings; legal writing, editing & proofreading; developments in emerging areas of the law; and sessions emphasizing specific topics relevant to our many practice area.
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What programs has Powell Goldstein established to focus on associate retention?
Powell Goldstein seeks to recruit and retain a diverse group of attorneys who enjoy the practice of law, seek a collaborative environment and share a collective commitment to the common good of the firm. For those reasons, the firm is very focused on retention. Powell Goldstein has the following initiatives in place to assist in our retention efforts:
§ Professional Development Department - dedicated to the professional development of our attorneys, analysts and paralegals. Powell Goldstein was one of the first firms in the country to have a department dedicated to professional development. We have 9 highly-skilled, experienced professionals dedicated to working on the recruiting, integration, mentoring, training, and professional development of our attorneys, analysts and paralegals.
§ Pogo University - we have well established corporate and litigation training programs to assist our professionals develop their legal and business skills.
§ Formal Mentoring Program - each associate is assigned a formal mentor when they start with the firm, and informal mentoring relations are encouraged and developed through the practice groups. We also cultivate an environment that is conducive to the formation of informal relationships at multiple levels that enhance the practice and experience of attorneys at the firm.
§ Associates Committee - a forum for associates to exchange ideas and suggestions among partners, associates, and the Professional Development Department on associate related issues.
§ Professional Development Fund - each associate has a yearly stipend to spend on activities assisting them with their practice development.
§ Flexible Work Arrangement Policy.
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What are the benefits for a first-year associate?
Powell Goldstein offers a well-balanced benefits program. Our program includes flexible spending accounts, medical plans, dental plan, basic term life insurance, optional life insurance, short- and long-term disability, 401(k) and retirement plans, employee assistance program, a professional development fund for attorneys and business casual attire.
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Does Powell Goldstein give credit for judicial clerkships held prior to employment with the Firm?
Based on the nature and length of the clerkship, we deem such experience comparable to other work experience and advance class standing accordingly.
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Are alternative work schedules a viable option?
The Firm's strength is derived, in part, from its highly talented and diverse group of attorneys. The Firm is committed to maintaining and promoting this talent and diversity and, in doing so, recognizes that attorneys sometimes have responsibilities and interests outside the Firm that will affect their work arrangements. As such, the Firm strives to offer flexible working arrangements, to the extent possible, to those attorneys seeking to strike a more manageable balance between their personal and work commitments. Requests by an attorney for a flexible work arrangement will be considered in light of the business needs of the Firm, its clients, and the attorney's individual practice group.
Powell Goldstein is pleased to be a Founding Member of the Project for Attorney Retention (PAR), an initiative of The Center for WorkLife Law of the University of California Hastings College of the Law. PAR seeks to improve recruiting and retention by promoting work/life balance and the advancement of women in the legal profession.
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What if I find, after starting work at the Firm, that I'd like to experience a different practice area?
One advantage to working with a full-service firm is that there are many different practice areas with ever-changing needs. Associates at Powell Goldstein have changed or combined practice groups or even departments, provided that the workloads in each group or department will accommodate the shift. We believe that this kind of flexibility is important to developing the whole lawyer, an important commitment we have made to ourselves and our associates.
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Whom should I contact if I have more questions?
We are happy to answer any questions you have about the Firm or the Summer Program. For questions pertaining to the Atlanta, Dallas and Charlotte offices you should contact Leah Fisher, Recruiting Manager, at (404) 572-6968 or lfisher@pogolaw.com. For the Washington office, contact Terry Hancock, Director of Professional Development, at (202) 624-245 or lherron@pogolaw.com or Abby Bird, PD and Recruiting Coordinator at 202-624-7272 ext. 6007 or aebird@pogolaw.com .
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