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Peabody & Arnold LLP
Main Office: 600 ATLANTIC AVENUE | Boston | MA | 02210-2261
Phone: 617-951-2100 | Fax: 617-951-2125
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Peabody & Arnold LLP

Peabody & Arnold LLP

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1899

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Boston

Peabody & Arnold LLP Reviews view all

Reviewed on July 28, 2017

I would have a better technology upgrade program. I think it would make the productivity of the paralegals and attorneys better. No one likes to lose data because of a bad drive or processor.

I found that they stressed work life balance. I never felt like I was overloaded with cases to work on. The firm was well staffed and the senior attorneys were very helpful if I did need a second opinion. The pay was comparable with some higher tier firms which was a plus.

I could not find anything wrong with the firm when I was there. The firm itself has very little wrong with it. The only thing I could think of that would be bad is the computers could use a better upgrade schedule.

Current Employee
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Overview

Established in 1899, Peabody & Arnold LLP is one of Boston's oldest law firms and a leading regional firm with offices in Boston and Providence. We have attorneys who are admitted to practice in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island. We specialize in civil litigation and insurance services, including case strategy, discovery and motion practice, arbitration and mediation, trial practice, and appellate practice. We have some of the most experienced and capable trial lawyers in New England. We handle all types of civil claims and suits, with a special focus on insurance-related matters, commercial litigation, defense of large self-insurers, and technology-related litigation. We litigate insurance coverage, bad faith, consumer protection, rescission, and declaratory judgment actions. We defend claims against insured judges, lawyers, corporate officials, insurance agents, doctors, nurses, architects, engineers, counselors, and other professionals. We act as national and local counsel to leading drug and medical device companies. We conduct employment, patent/IP, freeze-out, product liability, personal injury, toxic tort, and contract litigation for corporate clients. We handle matters involving banks and credit unions in failed-institution, default, bankruptcy, collection, employment, and lender-liability litigation. We litigate the full range of contract and tort claims on behalf of businesses and individuals. We act as national and regional counsel to a number of major insurers. We provide coverage advice and monitor high-profile litigation. We represent insurers in settlement negotiations, in mediations and in resolution of coverage disputes. In addition to litigation and insurance services, we provide many of the other services of a general practice firm. We counsel individuals and families in personal and estate tax planning, probate and trust administration, and general business and real estate matters. We represent entrepreneurs in the creation and maintenance of new ventures. We advise clients on debt and equity financing, mergers and acquisitions, partnership and joint venture agreements, and succession planning for family or closely-held businesses. In addition to our work for larger businesses, we work with early stage and medium-sized companies that do not employ in-house lawyers, providing advice on corporate governance, employment issues, technology transfer, intellectual property protection, leasing, contract issues, and other business issues. Our clients are insurance companies and their insureds, self-insurers, corporations, banks, credit unions, entrepreneurs, and other individuals. We commit to provide to all of our clients work that meets the highest standards of quality, responsiveness, and ethics. We commit to provide to all of our clients the advice and service needed to achieve optimum results cost effectively. Our firm is organized into focused practice areas designed to support most efficiently the needs of our clients.


Practice Areas

Peabody & Arnold LLP practices law in the following areas and works with its clients to provide the best possible legal solutions.

  • Employment Law
  • Estates
  • Trusts
  • Fidelity And Surety
  • Litigation
  • Insurance
  • Products Liability
  • Professional Malpractice
  • Trial Practice
  • Accutane Litigation
  • Antitrust And Trade Regulation
  • Bankruptcy
  • Banks And Banking
  • Construction Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Intellectual Property
  • Premises Liability
  • Professional Liability
  • Real Estate
  • Toxic Torts
  • Health Care

Hiring Criteria

Peabody & Arnold LLP follows the set of hiring criteria outlined below.

Peabody & Arnold hires associates from a wide variety of backgrounds and with diverse interests, primarily from top-tier law schools. On-campus interviews are generally one-on-one; callback interviews consist of twenty-minute sessions with various members of the hiring committee (a mix of partners and associates). The interviews are very casual, targeted towards seeing if "your personality matches with the firm." Peabody & Arnold looks for applicants with outstanding academic credentials but, "more importantly, with poise and interesting things to say." Demonstrating a specific interest in Peabody & Arnold, by doing some prior research on the firm for example, is an important plus for interview purposes. One contact observed that "if a candidate is applying to work at Peabody & Arnold along with every other firm in the city, there is a perception that you are not genuinely interested in P&A. Given our firm's culture, an applicant strongly pursuing Goodwin or Ropes would have some explaining to do to convince us that he or she is also strongly interested in us." Interviewees are advised to "not try to anticipate questions, and do not come prepared with canned answers. Just be honest, genuine, and let us learn about you by acting like yourself. A good applicant, and a good lawyer, can think on his or her feet and provide an intelligent answer to an unexpected question."

Pro bono

Peabody & Arnold has a pro bono committee, headed by two partners. Although hours spent on pro bono work are not counted towards an associate's billable total, the firm's unwritten policy is that those hours are "taken into account," we were told. The firm has a strong presence in Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and many Peabody attorneys also do pro bono work for tax exempt organizations and bar associations.

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Becky Wilson (commercial litigation/labor), Jennifer Lauro (employment/labor), Deborah Griffin (corporate/litigation), and Linda Dalby (personal law) are among the prominent women attorneys at Peabody & Arnold. While there "seems to be" approximately an equal number of male and female income partners at the firm, "there are only a handful of female equity partners," we were told. The proportion of women associates at the firm, moreover, is low, but recent summer classes have been female-heavy. The women partners at Peabody have begun a program called "The Women's Dine-Around," in which, each month, one partner and three or four female associates have lunch at a nearby restaurant. "At these informal luncheons, the women talk about partnership prospects, client and business development, etc.," we were told. In addition, the female associates and partners sponsor women's marketing events (involving women clients only), one of which recently took place at the Museum of Fine Arts. Maternity leave at the firm is generous and flexible. Some women work part-time; however, one contact reported "having heard that women who take advantage of the firm's part-time policy to raise a family are not considered for partnership." (According to a firm spokesperson, Peabody & Arnold is "currently developing a part-time policy that will address part-time issues and partnership.") Peabody & Arnold provides no assistance with day care. Macey Russell (commercial litigation), Anil Khosla (corporate), and the aforementioned Linda Dalby are the firm's three minority partners. Peabody & Arnold is "taking steps" to recruit and hire more minorities, we were told. Peabody "clearly has a problem retaining minorities and it is working hard at this because it is a concern to many in the partnership," according to one insider. The firm recently hired a part-time consultant to work with the partnership and the firm as a whole on diversity issues.

Summer associate program

Summer associates at Peabody are treated to four or five special social functions during the course of the summer. These events typically include a Red Sox game, a concert at Harborlights, and a dinner at a partner's home. All of the events are casual, and summer associates are encouraged to bring spouses/SOs. Peabody also sponsors an outing each summer at the Museum of Science with a BBQ and an open bar, to which all the firm's attorneys and their families are invited.

Working for the Peabody & Arnold LLP
Beginning associates at Peabody & Arnold are assigned to a specific practice area. There is no rotation system for junior associates but, if an associate would like to work in other areas of the firm, "this is generally permitted and supported." Associates initially receive their share of research assignments, but "more responsibility comes quickly," we were told. "During the first two years, litigation associates will inevitably be given a lot of research and memo writing to do," observed one insider, who added that "by the third year, however, I was having regular client contact, making appearances in court, and attending mediations and other out-of-the-office events. Often, I am the primary contact with a client, responsible for learning the facts and explaining the law and the merits of the client's case. Cases here are generally staffed more leanly than at larger firms, which can mean more opportunity for an associate." There is no formal mentoring program at Peabody & Arnold, and "there definitely needs to be one," noted one insider. (A firm spokesperson informed to Law Firms that a mentoring program is "presently being developed.") Informal mentoring of young attorneys is, however, readily available. "There are a good number of folks here who take the time to teach. There is a small minority, of course, who should be avoided if mentorship is what you are looking for," we were told. Most of the training at the firm is informal and occurs on-the-job, though both the litigation and corporate groups have recently begun formal training programs "with some success." The litigation department's training program consists mainly of lectures on various topics, from depositions to Chapter 93A to ethics. "One of the more useful sessions was allowing the first-year associates to make either an opening or closing argument in front of a jury of their colleagues," observed one contact. Peabody & Arnold conducts associate evaluations once a year. Every partner who has worked with an associate, "has the option" of evaluating the associate in writing. These evaluations are then discussed with the associate by the head of the department. The review process was described as "haphazard" and not very satisfactory, which has caused certain sections (e.g., the business group) in the firm to initiate changes in the procedure. Feedback outside of the formal review process is "there if you request it." Some associates apparently take better advantage of this availability than others. One contact reported having "great feedback and excellent introductions to issues and transactions," while a second person informed us that "work is rarely critiqued, and feedback is not regular or consistent. This is an area of dissatisfaction at the firm." "Peabody pays well, though clearly lower than the biggest firms in the city," observed one insider, while further noting that "we work fewer hours than sweatshops. I eat at home most nights. If it's money you're after, there are plenty of places in the city to squander your youth." Not all of our contacts were quite so sanguine on this matter. One insider, for example, remarked that "some associates have recently left because they wanted to earn more money. There is always turnover at the firm and salary is a big factor." "While there has historically been little billable hour pressure at Peabody, this state of affairs may be about to change. One insider informed us that "I understand that the new managing partner will be stressing billable hours." Peabody has not had a bonus system in the past; however, the firm recently instituted a bonus plan for associates who meet a particular billing goal for the year. Although most Peabody attorneys head directly for home at the day's end to be with their families, "there is a definite core group of associates (and some partners) who like to congregate for after-hours beers on occasion at one of the local watering holes," we were told. In addition, a larger group of associates has begun to get together every few weeks for an informal social gathering after work; these events "have added a dimension of cohesion among associates that was previously missing," according to one insider. Peabody has a basketball team which keeps attorneys active in the winter months and the firm enters groups of runners in a variety of city races throughout the year. The firm sponsors a well-attended Thursday night "wind-down" at the end of each month, which is held in the lounge during the winter months and out on the deck overlooking the Boston Harbor in the summertime. The associates hold their own Christmas party, in addition to the traditional firm holiday party and client receptions. Peabody also sponsors a Halloween party which is a "blast," we were told. "The firm's storied event of the year is the Halloween skit put on by new attorneys whose management-sanctioned charge is to lampoon the partners," observed one insider.

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References

http://www.peabodyarnold.com http://www.nalpdirectory.com http://www.lawfirmstats.com