Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo PC

5.Current Employee, more than 10 yearsUnique and Fulfilling WorkAttorney in South San Francisco, CARecommendProsThis is a progressive, boutique firm that practices cutting edge energy and environmental law and policy. Attorneys work on a variety of projects and get hands-on experience from day one. Partners encourage associates to take the lead and be creative. Great opportunity to do plaintiff side environmental work and gain experience in many areas. No drama, collaborative environment. Competitive compensation. Flexible remote work policy.ConsBay Area commuting is difficult but the firm now has a flexible remote work policy.

I appreciate the ability to take the lead on cases, along with the thoughtful guidance and mentorship from more experienced attorneys. Firm management does a great job providing a supportive environment that allows me to work productively, and everyone in the office gets along really well.

I really enjoy representing clients in permitting proceedings for all types of projects, which raise a variety of different issues (land use, air, public health, climate change, water, biological resources, energy, transportation, contamination). This experience allows me to develop my legal knowledge and expertise in many different environmental laws.

The firm is a great place to work for attorneys that want to enforce public health and environmental laws and maximize benefits to communities throughout the state.

I enjoy working with all the partners at the firm. They are knowledgeable and provide advice and perspective that helps me grow as an attorney. The partners are also very supportive of attorneys who want to take on more responsibility.

My favorite thing about the firm is researching and writing about land use, public health and environmental issues and laws in a variety of cases. I am fortunate that my work at this law firm is fulfilling, important and makes me happy.

Management has its work cut out for it, but there are a few good places to start. Foster more direct and honest communication between partners, associates, and staff. Carefully examine the policy behind the laws the firm seeks to enforce. Scrutinize legal documents with utmost attention, whether part of the firm's substantive work or administrative processes. Encourage independent thinking and questions. Self-evaluate formal and informal remarks made inside and outside the firm and assess the extent to which these remarks reflect the firm's stated mission and values. Compare treatment of employees to firm's mission. Develop a more integrated outlook on the firm's mission, human resources, and public messaging. In short: Think bigger and more creatively.

You can get some some help from the firm with obtaining/maintaining your professional certifications/licenses. Also, food and coffee are readily available. Experts with whom the firm works are knowledgeable, engaged, and friendly. Associates, junior partners, and staff are--for the most part--congenial.

Poor management, including deficient communication skills, questionable interpretations of relevant law and review of key documents, sloppiness in addressing human resource issues, ineptitude in controlling emotions, unwillingness to request feedback and take cues from outside the management circle (or even from within the management circle), HIGHLY questionable presentation of legal objectives inside and outside the firm, and shortsightedness in perceiving the larger policy implications of the firm's legal approach. In addition, some staff seem to deal with interpersonal issues in a passive-aggressive manner, not unlike children this reviewer knew in middle school.

Issues are more formidable here than any one partner. Instead, get paid and get your benefits until a better opportunity comes along, and then move out and up.

The experts hired by the firm. Currently, the firm also provides a good demonstration to young attorneys and staff of a place to be avoided in the legal field.

I enjoyed my time there. Keep doing what you are doing and allowing the firm to grow and learn more about the practices represented by the firm.

I enjoyed staying busy here and learning a lot about environmental law. It's a discipline that a lot of other firms don't deal with and it's really tricky and interesting. I loved the challenge.

Some of the work was really difficult. It was not the fault of the law firm itself, but the field itself.