Arnold & Porter: Setting the Standard for Quality of Life and Diversity in Law Firms

Summary

Arnold & Porter is a premier law firm with a global reach and a long history of helping clients succeed. Founded in Washington, D.C. in 1945, Arnold & Porter is a leader in a number of legal fields, including antitrust, energy, white collar defense, government contracts, and public and regulatory matters. The firm has over 1,000 lawyers, including many of the world's foremost legal experts, who provide comprehensive legal services to clients around the world. Arnold & Porter's commitment to delivering excellence, innovation, and client service is at the core of its success.

Arnold & Porter's main practice areas include corporate and commercial, government affairs, finance and restructuring, health care and life sciences, intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution, real estate and environmental, and tax and employee benefits. In each of these fields, Arnold & Porter has established leading experts who work closely with clients to provide quality legal advice and representation.

The firm's work extends beyond traditional legal services, and its lawyers are also highly regarded for their ability to think beyond the law and offer solutions that can address the complex challenges presented by today's global economy. Arnold & Porter has specialized expertise in areas such as energy, technology, environment and climate change, and its lawyers are often called upon to provide strategic counsel to clients in these fields.

The firm is also recognized for its commitment to diversity and inclusion, and has numerous initiatives in place to ensure that its lawyers reflect the diversity of the communities in which it operates. The firm is committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive workplace culture and has developed initiatives such as diversity training and mentorship programs to ensure that everyone is able to reach their full potential.

Arnold & Porter is dedicated to providing its clients with the highest level of legal service. With its deep knowledge in legal areas, its commitment to diversity, and its ability to think beyond the law and provide innovative solutions, Arnold & Porter has long been recognized as one of the leading law firms in the world. The firm’s history of success and its commitment to client service make it an ideal choice for any legal matter.
 

What are some of the unique benefits offered by A&P?

A&P offers unique benefits, including a nightly open bar, up to three months free lunches for first-year associates, complimentary laptops, and no billable hours requirement. Additionally, A&P offers childcare programs, a base salary structure, and an impressive art collection featuring works by Warhol and Lichtenstein.
 

How does A&P encourage a manageable work schedule?

A&P does not have a billable hours requirement, and the average associate works between 46 and 55 hours in a typical week. Additionally, A&P encourages its lawyers to maintain a manageable schedule by assigning significant responsibility on multiple matters and direct client contact immediately upon joining the firm.
 

How does A&P demonstrate commitment to diversity?

A&P has long been an industry leader in diversity matters and has received numerous awards from minority and women's professional organizations. The firm offers full health coverage to domestic partners, twelve weeks of paid maternity leave, six weeks of paid paternity leave, and over 35 years of proven commitment to gay, lesbian, and transgender rights within the firm and society as a whole.
 

What pro bono initiatives does A&P offer?

A&P offers several pro bono initiatives, including allowing unpaid work to count up to 15% of the required billable hours. Additionally, A&P encourages its lawyers to dedicate time to community service and has been awarded The National Law Journal's 2002 Pro Bono Award in recognition of their commitment.
 

What is the 'Pain Alleviation Bonus'?

The 'Pain Alleviation Bonus' is a bonus awarded by A&P to associates who bill 2,400 hours in a given period. This bonus incentivizes lawyers to work hard and reach their goal of 2,400 hours.

Founded in 1946 by three former members of the FDR Administration, DC-based Arnold & Porter ("A&P") has since established itself as both one of the nation's most respected firms and a genuinely enjoyable place to practice law. A&P now boasts in excess of 600 attorneys and, along with the addition of its latest branch in Brussels earlier this fall, the firm has satellites in Los Angeles, New York, London, Denver, Northern Virginia and Century City to compliment the nearly 400-attorney flagship DC office.

More than half of all A&P lawyers are litigators and the firm is renowned for its antitrust, banking, IP and bankruptcy work. Just last month, A&P's Northern Virginia office added respected litigation partner Douglas P. Lobel, along with two associates and one paralegal, to its litigation group. Mr. Lobel enjoys a fine reputation within regional and national legal communities and the addition of his group greatly enhances the firm's abilities in the areas of telecommunications, securities, financial services, as well as general commercial litigation.

Those interested in joining A&P should, first and foremost, enroll at a top law school, then earn decent grades. Students at lesser institutions wishing to take the "back door" into the firm had better hit the books because the firm will only consider those at or near the top of their class. Academics only get one's foot in the door, however, as A&P's recruiting process is specifically designed with the firm's laidback culture in mind. Personality is a must and those that plan on becoming an automaton cranking out brief after brief with little interaction with colleagues are better off applying elsewhere. After all, this is a firm where Harry Katz, a senior litigation partner specializing in innovative technology cases, keeps a larger-than-life size Darth Vader, complete with lightsaber, in his office.
Throughout the United States, A&P enjoys a reputation as one of the top "quality of life" firms in the land. Consistently ranked as one of The Vault Guide's top 25 law firms, A&P also garnered similar honors from Fortune earlier this year. New associates at A&P enter a culture rivaled by few firms anywhere in the world. Among the perks of working there are a nightly open bar, up to three months of free lunches for first-year associates, complimentary laptops and, perhaps most impressively, the complete lack of a billable hours requirement. A&P also earns kudos from its employees for the available childcare programs, base salary structure and an art collection that includes works by Warhol and Lichtenstein.

A&P is also renowned as a place where partners and associates generally work cooperatively in an atmosphere of mutual respect. "Screamers" are rare among the partnership ranks and the lack of a billable hours requirement means that the average associate works between 46 and 55 hours in a typical week. Of course, this varies by practice groups and tends to be cyclical, but the fact that the firm encourages its lawyers to maintain a manageable schedule is certainly attractive to those wishing to have a life away from the office.

First-years and lateral hires are assigned significant responsibility on multiple matters and, frequently, direct client contact immediately upon joining the firm. Although this may seem daunting to freshly minted graduates, the firm and each practice group has developed and implemented practical training programs that earn rave reviews from the most important critics of all, the trainees.

Along with its commitment to offering all levels of personnel a collegial, inclusive work environment, A&P is and has long been an industry leader on diversity matters. The winner of numerous awards from minority and women's professional organizations, including a place in Working Mother magazine's 2002 listing of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" and the 2002 Thomas L. Sager Award from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, A&P offers full health coverage to domestic partners, twelve weeks of paid maternity leave, six weeks of paid paternity leave and over 35 years of proven commitment to gay, lesbian and transgender rights both within the firm itself and society as a whole.

Finally, A&P is as receptive to pro bono and community service work as any firm in the United States. Associates need to bill 2,400 hours in order to earn the ominously named "Pain Alleviation Bonus," but unpaid work is allowed to count for up to 15% of this total. The firm's dedication to pro bono matters begins at the top and, generally speaking, partners are not at all upset if an associate delays assignments from them in order to complete a pro bono matter. Associates have been known to dedicate 500+ hours in less than six months to a single case and this firm-wide commitment to community work has garnered A&P countless awards, including The National Law Journal's 2002 Pro Bono Award.