Biglaw

Associates Challenge Biglaw Management -- We Have The Memo!

Things at Reed Smith NY must be really, really bad, or the associates that penned the missive must be really, really naive.

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What is going on at Reed Smith? A tipster provided us with a juicy presentation — sent to management at the New York outpost of the Biglaw firm — purportedly written by 10 associates complaining about the firm.

Now, anyone who has spent any amount of time working in Biglaw has complaints: the environment is not one known to breed satisfaction amongst employees. But I can’t imagine taking time to write out all of the grievances and present it to management.

Things at Reed Smith NY must be really, really bad, or the associates who penned the missive must be really, really naive.

Let’s take a look at some of the issues:

1. Associate retention

Biglaw churns through associates as part of its business model, so this isn’t a unique complaint to Reed Smith. But these vocal associates seem to think it is particularly bad.

NY office net attrition was 56% of all associates over a 25 month period and of those losses only 73% have been replaced. These numbers reflect a substantial depletion of associate ranks which has had an immeasurable detrimental impact on associate morale.

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And they complain of the impact it is having on them:

Replacing Senior and Mid-Level associates, while a partial solution for overburdened associates, leaves a leadership and culture gap that newly hired Senior or Mid-Level associates will take time to fill especially when there are limited opportunities for associate-to-associate interaction and integration.

2. Compensation

This could be damning. When a firm offers below-market compensation, associates are sure to complain. And this band of merry associates doesn’t mince words:

The view of Reed Smith from industry standard sources [featuring ATL, natch] is that we’re not a tier 1 firm and that we’re stingy in our pay, bonuses and operation.

…

Reed Smith is not a high paying firm capable of providing consistent and dependable compensation, large salaries or bonuses that are often necessary to recruit or retain talented associates.

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3. Branding

Framed as a suggestion, the associates want to see the current branding (which focuses on “complex litigation and other high-stakes disputes, cross-border and other strategic transactions, and crucial regulatory matters”) change to something more… touchy-feely.

Their suggestion? Lifestyle Firm With A Global Footprint. Umm… Okay?

Rebranding and investing in the RS NY office would provide associates with tangible lifestyle benefits that afford a market balancing incentive to work at RS NY and create the reputation necessary to attract top tier talent.

4. Office Space

Not just an excellent movie, but also an area ripe for associate gripes. They’d like to see the cafeteria updated to become a classy and exciting space. Seems like a lot to ask of a mere cafeteria.

Rethinking the Cafeteria — a space that says RS NY is fun and classy

…

Consider incorporating a wine fridge, bar, kegerator or  other attributes that are forward thinking and exciting. These simple elements are easy concepts that create buzz in and outside our office.

This is not included in the memo, but we’ve also gotten word from tipsters that the office renovations are causing a kerfuffle.

The office is currently undergoing renovations. When the renovations are complete, all junior and mid-level associates will be moved to interior (i.e. no window) offices.  Non-equity partners will have the same size office as associates (but with a window).

5. Work Environment

It’s a common refrain: more partner mentoring. The RS rabble rousers see the lack of partner interaction and unwieldy practice group sizes as an area for change.

To avoid departures, RS NY needs to prioritize (i) group dynamics and training and (ii) maintaining group size in order to avoid associates departing for other firms with more engaged and extensive practices.

We reached out to Reed Smith for a comment. Douglas Wood, head of the New York office, provided the below statement:

We have a great group of associates in our New York office who are happy and thriving.  The office is an important part of our firm’s strategy and it is strong and growing. This year alone, we’ve added 9 partners and 2 counsel as well as the 8 associates. And in September, we have 6 new associates and 2 new partners joining us and look forward to future continued growth.

What do you think? Do the Reed Smith New York associates have good reasons to complain?

Read through the full presentation on the next page.

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