Preston Gates & Ellis is an international law firm that is based on the West Coast (specifically, Seattle) but has one office in Washington, DC. With 11 offices worldwide—including Beijing and Taipei, the two most recent additions—this 400-attorney firm has been in its present iteration since a merger between two prominent (and experienced) Seattle firms in 1990.
As a firm known for its exceptionally high level of legal service and professionalism, Preston Gates represents major companies with ties to the Pacific Northwest. These entities include T-Mobile, Starbucks, and Expedia.com. The Anchorage, AK, office successfully litigated for the State of Alaska regarding the Exxon Valdez oil spill fiasco. Nearly $1 billion in civil settlements was awarded to the State of Alaska in a series of rulings. It has a broad-based, diverse practice, with attorneys representing almost all specializations.
The firm's major practice areas are corporate, litigation, and municipal finance. Its municipal finance practice is one of the largest in the nation. Preston Gates was ranked 10th nationally (and second in the Western Region) among bond counsel firms by Thomson Financial Data Securities Company in 2003. Vault.com placed it 100th overall (and second in the Pacific Northwest) in its 2003 list of top law firms.
The summer associate program, much like programs at other firms, aims to give law students a real feeling of what it's like to work for the firm. The summer associates can choose from assignments in all practice areas, allowing them to learn their likes and dislikes. They also partake in various social outings, which are commonplace at most larger firms. The firm aims to employ all of its summer associates, but it does not make employment offers just to fill positions.
Preston Gates has a hiring process that is best described as rigorous. In addition to top grades, an emphasis is put upon relevant experience. Most importantly, though, a new hire must mesh well with everyone else in that particular office. This team atmosphere permeates all levels of experience and all sectors of employment. New associates are paid market value for Seattle, but that translates to the lower end most everywhere else. Attorneys are happy with the laid-back attitude of the working environment and the flexibility it allows.
The firm very much endorses and encourages pro bono work. In fact, as many as 50 pro bono hours may count towards an associate's billable hours for the year. That takes a little bit of the edge off the time crunch that most attorneys are sensitive to at major firms. Furthermore, the firm has named one of its partners as pro bono counsel, whose duties include devoting half of his time to pro bono pursuits and assisting other lawyers with their own pro bono cases.
Narrowing the gender and race gaps is something the firm focuses on. One third of all Preston Gates attorneys are women. To break that number down even further, 25% of the partners and 46% of associates are females. These are fairly high percentages relative to the rest of the industry. Correspondingly, 14% of the firm's attorneys are from minority groups. Of particular note is the fact that David Tang, one of the firm's previous managing partners, was the first Asian-American managing partner of a major law firm in the U.S.
Basically, Preston Gates is a firm where the attorneys will have time for lives outside of work. As with any other firm, those attorneys will work extremely hard while on the job but in a relaxed environment. A nice balance between life and work is achieved here.
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