Reed Smith LLP - The Inside View

“I always tell people that Reed Smith is actually really special,” led one insider. In what sense? Well, they added: “I have a lot of friends who work at other firms, with all types of reputations and to be honest, I think I’m the happiest!” Indeed, despite sitting firmly within the ranks of BigLaw, Reed Smith has managed to settle in a particular sweet spot in the industry. Each office takes a small group of associates every year, yet the firm’s coast-to-coast reach gives juniors the chance to work on a diverse range of projects and build relationships with attorneys across the country (and the world!).

“I have a lot of friends who work at other firms, with all types of reputations and to be honest, I think I’m the happiest!” 

Reed Smith has 19 offices across the US and several more in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Across these jurisdictions, the firm can boast of many top rankings in the Chambers USA guide. In its Pennsylvania homeland, the firm comes out top in areas like healthcare, corporate/M&A and private equity, general commercial litigation, bankruptcy and restructuring, energy and natural resources, insurance and product liability. On the national level, the firm also receives top marks for its bankruptcy/restructuring work, alongside international trade: export controls and economic sanctions work, shoutout go to the firm’s privacy and data security and product liability practices too.

Strategy & Future 

For Reed Smith, a “big goal this year” is the use of emerging technologies to increase productivity. From associates’ perspective, there’s “opportunity at both the macro and micro level to understand how the firm is doing. Even at the smaller meetings, there’s the opportunity to be heard,” attorneys at all levels being welcome to ask questions. 

The Work 

Around a quarter of junior associates on our list work in the general commercial disputes group and another quarter in the corporate group. Other associates are spread across practices like life sciences and health industry, insurance recovery, energy and natural resources, labor and employment, and real estate. 

Within general commercial disputes (GCD), an associate told us that “the majority of people, at least in their early years, get to try a variety of things.” Even partners can do quite different things within their book of business, so working closely with a few seniors doesn’t necessarily mean working within a niche. Juniors typically do discovery work and legal research but might also get some valuable hands-on experience drafting documents. Interviewees particularly enjoyed preparing witnesses for trial and conducting depositions. 

In the first year, work allocation is “a little more centralized to ramp people up.” After a few months, associates start to receive assignments by building relationships with seniors and discovering what kind of matters they enjoy. Some GCD juniors do most of their work with specific teams, such as higher education, healthcare, white-collar investigations, and appellate, but they’re free to work on other kinds of disputes if their teams don’t keep them too busy.  

Commercial disputes clients: Citibank, Walgreens, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Defending Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh in putative class action suits asserting claims for tuition refunds over the disruption to classes in Spring 2020 due to COVID-19. 

“The big players are all with Reed Smith…” 

The energy and natural resources group is made up of several teams, including environmental health and safety, international arbitration, mining, nuclear, oil and gas, projects and construction, and renewables. Certain teams are mostly based in one office, while others are spread out, but overall: “it’s not uncommon for people to work across offices.”  While associates usually stick to one team, they can request to get involved in matters outside of their subgroup which interest them. Matters are generally staffed quite leanly, giving associates a chance to handle diligence and sometimes even be the point of contact for clients. One source noted this as a great opportunity “to be the main character” in some aspects of a matter. 

“The big players are all with Reed Smith, and this really struck me a lot,” shared one associate. They added, “this translates into the quality of work that we do — the huge matters, complexity of the cases, the profiles of the matters.” The group often acts for the same clients across various matters, covering all their legal needs.  

Energy and natural resources clients: Morgan Stanley, Macquarie Bank, EnerVest Energy Institutional Funds. Represented Vestas in negotiations with EDF concerning the supply of turbines. 

“When I first started, I knew nothing about this job. I think I imagined it would just be helping companies purchase land, but it’s actually so much more,” one real estate associate told us when discussing the scope of their work. Reed Smith’s real estate department handles everything from landlord and tenant issues to projects and construction to litigation. Typically, “often our role is as counsel for a large real estate project financing,” which involves two primary parts: financial closings and real estate development side — “the tangible development of projects.” Matters can span years, as the firm handles a development from acquisition through to construction, taking care of all the legal issues along the way. Quicker deals also come up, adding some variety to the workload. 

Junior associates’ workflow and cross-office work depends a bit on which team they are in. For some, “your work flows primarily from the partners in that office” while, for others, cross-office working is the norm. Juniors are welcome to reach out to partners in other offices if they would like to get involved in their matters. 

Survey zoning for transactions is often a significant part of a junior’s workload. Other typical tasks include carrying out due diligence on titles and deeds and drafting various documents. Juniors also get opportunities to try more advanced tasks like attending client meetings, which, while “scary, are really valuable.” Insiders also told us the group is notably focused on developing attorneys, not just churning out work product.  

Real estate clients: Bayer Corporation, United Way of Orange County, Avis Budget Group. Representing Pittsburgh Arena Real Estate Redevelopment LP in the redevelopment of the publicly owned Lower Hill Site in Pittsburgh, a 28-acre site where Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena used to be. 

Career Development 

One junior associate described Reed Smith's training approach as "multi-pronged," combining training sessions and talks from senior attorneys.While some wished for more hands-on training, others appreciated the firm’s approach, as learning is done: “in a safe environment and off an actual billable matter. So, you can build those skills before they’re needed.” Reed Smith has what it calls an Associate Advantage Program, which offers targeted education depending on the associate’s level and lays out expectations each year. Plus, the firm’s online portal, RS campus, provides access to “continuing education you can take on your own.” As part of the Associate Advantage Program, the firm puts on retreats which bring together attorneys of the same class year from across the US. An insider at one of these events told us it was “great because you get to feel closer to people who are in a similar situation to you. That workshop really helped us to understand where we’re at and what is expected of us.”  

Similarly, there are “incredible mentorship opportunities at Reed Smith,” with each newbie being assigned a partner and associate mentor. These are people who have volunteered for the role, so as one source smiled, “you know you can ask a question and they’re not going to be annoyed!”

The criteria for promotion were clear to associates: “I think it’s useful that the firm has those criteria so you’re not spending ten years as a junior,” noted one source. As another quipped: “you know from the get-go what is expected of you.”  

Hours & Compensation 

Billable hours: 2,000 hours 

Juniors have a target of 2,000 billable hours, which some felt is “high for a firm that prides itself on wellness and balance.” However, up to 140 hours of pro bono, culture and engagement and some kinds of BD - like attending conferences and writing articles - can count towards the hours target. Attorneys also have the flexibility to work from home two days a week, only being required in the office from Tuesday to Thursday, so, “it’s a nice balance.” 

For those putting in more than 2,000 hours, there are additional bonuses for hitting 2,200 and 2,450 hours and discretionary performance-based bonuses also in place: “I appreciate that those are all published, there’s no black box, it’s all lockstep and clear and well communicated to us.”  

Base compensation is lockstep for the first two years, after which associates are divided into track A and track B based on meeting their hour targets. Track B earns slightly less than those in track A but can catch up if they hit their hours later.   

Pro Bono 

Once associates hit their 2,000-hour target, they unlock unlimited pro bono hours, which can contribute to bonus eligibility. Juniors often work on pro bono teams led by more senior associates than partners. As one junior explained, “It’s usually their first rodeo of running matters as well, that gives you good exposure.”  

Our interviewees had worked on a diverse range of matters, including justice for prisoners, support for victims of human trafficking, veterans' rights and relief from natural disasters. “You get exposure to different cases depending on the location. In New York there are a lot of pro bono opportunities specifically for entertainment, for filmmakers, for artists,” one associate told us. Cases like immigration and asylum crop up in other cities. Sources also mentioned working with Cancer Bridges to assist people with cancer with their wills, trusts and estate planning: “It’s a tough time for those families and it’s great to use your skills to give back and help those families in those tough times.” 

Pro bono hours: 

• For all US attorneys: 41,455 
• Average per US attorney: 42 

Culture 

Right from the beginning, one newbie beamed that “Reed Smith does a great job of encouraging juniors to find their people and explore different groups until you find people you land with.” In those early years, “you do feel seen, cared for and you feel like people are rooting for you.”

Generally, partners were said to be good at training, we heard that “they care about the development of attorneys as opposed to the bill, bill, bill or churn and burn environment” and are patient with juniors making mistakes as they learn. Thisultimately contributes to a “good culture of shaping the attorneys to be there for the long term,” a strategy which is reflected in the firm’s small intake. 

In terms of work/life balance: “being in a law firm, by definition, is a very demanding life choice,” one associate reminded us. But they added that “everyone at Reed Smith is aware of that and they’re trying to make it as smooth as possible, so you have all the tools to make it work.” Another said, “obviously, the work is hard, but I never dread talking to my coworkers or working, that’s really special.” 

Get Hired 

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus

OCI applicants interviewed: 228 

Interviewees outside OCI: 204 screenings 

Reed Smith visits just over 50 law schools for OCIs and typically interviews 10-20 students per campus or job fair schedule.    

During the academic year, Reed Smith often sends active alumni or members of the hiring committee to a number of law schools around the country. Reed Smith also has an active network of 3L student brand ambassadors who speak to younger classmates about their experience at Reed Smith. The firm tells us: “We look for individuals who have shown a focus on academic achievement, and varied experiences so showing that you’ve participated in law reviews and moot courts won’t hurt! In addition to being impressive on paper, we’re looking for students whose communication skills and emotional intelligence make them memorable standouts after a long day of multiple screening interviews.” One source remembered: “We would veer away from formulaic questions into a nice fluid conversation.”    

Top tips for this stage:    

“I found it helpful to have taken opportunities to intern as much as possible. It meant I had a few stories in my back pocket that were good examples of my legal skills, but also light-hearted.” – a second-year junior associate    

“Be interesting and interested. Enthusiasm for the Reed Smith opportunity can help students stand out from the pool of academically-qualified candidates. Demonstrate your research on the firm’s offerings, and show your interest in being a part of what we do here in a socially savvy manner.” – Reed Smith    

Callbacks    

Applicants invited to second stage interview: 207 

Callback interviews vary between Reed Smith’s offices. In Chicago, for example, “you can expect to meet with 4 attorneys in pairs.” 

Over in New York, students attended callback evenings where they met with four attorneys “in a round-robin-interview format and then attended small group breakout sessions where they had an opportunity to connect with additional Reed Smith attorneys.” At this stage, the firm’s ‘must haves’ in a candidate are “strength of character, outstanding personal skills, demonstrated leadership and teamwork, a hunger for self-development, intellectual curiosity and a good sense of humor.”    

Top tips for this stage:    

“Find ways to connect with your interviewers. It comes down to being memorable as an intelligent, socially adept, hard-working person with a desire to work hard and learn new things. Share narratives about your background and experience that illustrates these characteristics and skills.” – Reed Smith  

“I wish somebody had told me: 'Don't be nervous about the interview – you earned it!’ Instead of coming in nervous, come in proud that you got an interview at a firm like this. It will change anybody’s outlook.” – a second-year associate.    

Summer program    

Offers: 64 

2L Acceptances: 38 from interviews/5 returning SAs 

Reed Smith's summer program runs for ten weeks, between May and July. Before joining, summers are surveyed on their interests so attorneys can aim to have suitable projects lined up throughout the program. Work is assigned though an online portal, with recruiting managers and assignment coordinators on hand to help Summer Associates navigate the process. The firm tells us that the idea is for summers “to ‘sample a variety of legal work across many client teams.”    

The firm’s Summer Associate Academy provides students with an array of training sessions on topics like artificial intelligence, writing and research, and timekeeping. There’s also a Q&A with the global managing partner. Some offices also host additional training – a mediation simulation and M&A case study are the most popular every year. Social events vary by office.   

Notable summer events: Local sporting events, concerts, cooking classes, paint nights, trivia night    

Top tips for this stage:    

“Find the balance between professionalism and casualness to build a terrific reputation and strong relationships. Demonstrate intellectual curiosity; ask colleagues what they’re working on, and show enthusiasm for practice, people and activities that are of interest to you.” – a junior associate

And finally...    

The firm has some final words of wisdom: “Have a strong sense of what drives you – promotion and advancement, challenging work, giving back, financial reward, purpose, professional connections, strong support systems – and ask questions during the recruitment process to determine if a firm truly offers what you need to be successful and engaged.”