Foley & Lardner LLP - The Inside View

Keep half an eye on the news, and you’ll quickly see that not all industries move at the same speed. Of course, the front-runners can chop and change, but over the last few years industries like energy, healthcare and tech have moved faster than most, and for a lot of law firms, it can be a race to keep up. But not for Foley. As associates put it, Foley is a big name in BigLaw, and it has made its name in four key sectors of focus: energy and infrastructure, healthcare and life sciences, innovative technology and manufacturing. Of course, the ‘where’ is as important as the ‘what’, and Foley’s Midwest HQ was part of the draw: “There is that Midwestern niceness that permeates through the culture of the firm,” one associate told us. In fact, there’s no better illustration of that culture than this pearl of wisdom passed from one associate to another: “It’s a hard job sometimes. The work can be high-stakes and demanding but there’s a lot of reward. So, in choosing a firm, figure out who the people are that you see yourself working a late night with, people you can eat pizza and have a beer with.” It was advice they held onto too, and it was why Foley was ultimately the destination they chose: “I think if you’re going to do the BigLaw thing, this is the place to do it.”

“…if you’re going to do the BigLaw thing, this is the place to do it.”

Chambers USA awards the firm top rankings for its work in corporate M&A, intellectual property, general commercial litigation, real estate and natural resources and environment in its home State of Wisconsin, where the Milwaukee office still houses the largest number of junior associates alongside Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington DC. That said, all incoming associate classes sit below twenty per office, and most below ten. There are also nods for the firm’s work in cannabis law, franchising, healthcare, projects and public finance, sports law and transportation nationwide.

Strategy & Future

As Foley & Lardner’s managing partner Daljit Doogal is quick to highlight, the firm has recently “expanded our presence. We’ve opened an office in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is a great office for us and it really leans into the strategy of our four-sector focus.” This expansion also encompasses key markets including: “Texas, Miami and North Carolina, and they’re significant adds for us in terms of bolstering healthcare and life sciences, and our innovative tech practice.”

Of course, there’s more to law firms than where and what they practice, as Doogal points out, “One of our core values is to invest in our people and make sure we train not only new partners, but also more seasoned partners. There are things they can be learning and doing as they evolve their career, so we’re focused on increasing our investment in our people.” This applies regardless of seniority too: “We’re a talent-first organization, committed to our people, and I think the business will do really well with great people and a good culture, and we’re living that culture.”

The Work

Associates told us that they fill in reports regarding their availability, but that the majority of their work is allocated using a free market system which involves developing relationships with partners. “We respond to weekly surveys that look to see what your availability is for the following week,” explained one interviewee, “but most of my work still comes from direct referrals with partners looking for a hand, whether that’s partners I’ve worked with before, or people I’ve met that want to see what I could bring to the table.” Sources also shared that they could reach out to partners in different offices to get some more variety in their work. In fact, the firm's 'Foley Bound' program allows associates to spend two days at one of the firm's other offices to build connections.

In commercial litigation, which was described as the “big, general bucket litigation group,” one junior told us that they were involved in “everything from breach of contract with associated business torts to construction law, some non-compete cases and even collections work, so a pretty broad practice!” Another in the group shared that their work involved “a nice mix of matters with large clients but also smaller cases where it’s just me and a partner, or me and a senior counsel. On those cases, there’s less money at stake, so you’re getting a lot more one-to-one facetime with clients and the freedom to practice your skills.” Typical responsibilities included some investigation work and fact-finding missions: “I’ll take the first stab at everything from an original petition to more routine motions. I will do a heavy portion of the research and bring it to either the more senior associate or the partner on the case to strategize where we need to sure-up claims or do additional research.”

Litigation clients: Partner One Capital, Royal Bank of Canada, Toshiba. Defended Britax Child Safety in a consumer class action which alleged that certain car seats were unsafe.

“The general corporate matters are some of the best for juniors at the firm to get their hands on…”

Foley’s transactions practice is another that (as the name suggests) covers quite a broad spectrum of transactional work, including general corporate work for companies, restructuring matters and work in the private equity space. Junior associates reported working in almost every industry you can think of: “The general corporate matters are some of the best for juniors at the firm to get their hands on,” one told us, “you can draft things like LLC agreements for companies, correspond directly with clients, and draft internal documents, merger documents or corporate resolutions.” One junior had spent most of their time working on M&A in the private equity space, and shared that their responsibilities had included “getting hands-on in the weeds of the diligence, helping prepare the disclosure schedules, helping write the diligence memos and maintaining the transaction checklist. That might be working on some small agreements, drafting some consents, or working on ESCRO or other ancillary-type agreements.” Of course, these things come alongside the more standard junior work like signature pages and coordinating.

Transactional clients: Jelly Belly, St Clair Foods, FAYAT Group. Represented Kawasaki Motor U.S.A. in its formation of a powersports product retail financing joint venture with ITOCHU International.

We heard that associates in the firm’s healthcare group benefit from a strong regulatory practice in the space, and work with the likes of telehealth start-up companies, big medical centers and hospitals. Offering an example of the sorts of work junior associates can expect, one told us that they often “help with deal diligence regulatory research, which means, if there’s a change of ownership, the regulatory requirements for changing the licenses and things that the provider might have.” They’d also been involved in multi-state surveys for clients where “they may have questions about how to operationalize in a new state. Or, in the case of a telehealth client, what type of telehealth is enough to establish a patient-provider relationship, or what kind of controlled substances they can prescribe via the internet and things like that.”

Healthcare clients: Aspirus, Madison Environmental Resourcing, Synapse Health. Represented New England Cancer Specialists in its strategic arrangement with Central Maine Healthcare to enhance and expand its cancer programs at three hospitals.

Career Development

“I think feedback is a major part of everyday life at the firm…”

The general consensus was that junior associates felt well-supported when it came to career development, and were pleased to report that “partners and senior counsel take time out of their day every week to invest in us, to make sure we know what’s going on, and to make sure we’re developing.” This pulls alongside regular firmwide training sessions and a first-year training program which covers “everything that happens in legal practice that isn’t covered in law school basically.” Another associate raved about the fact that those at the firm “take our personal and professional growth seriously. They really want to pour into their associates and make us the best team members we can be. I think feedback is a major part of everyday life at the firm, whether it comes from partners or associates, and it’s very helpful.” Another example came in the form of its flex-time program, which was described as “very valuable. People have made partner on flex-time, and it’s something really supportive and helpful in making sure the firm doesn’t lose particularly women attorneys when they have young kids.”

Inclusion

Associates told us that the firms women’s network meet for monthly lunches and “there’s a different topic at each lunch. One of them recently was about writing your self-evaluations and how not to sell yourself short. There was also one on motherhood and being an attorney.” The firm also has affinity groups, available to all at the firm to join, representing Asian, Pacific and Middle Eastern attorneys, Black attorneys, Latino attorneys, LGBTQIA and allies, and veterans and allies. Just before our interviews took place, the firm hosted an  all-attorney retreat in Orlando, and associates were happy to tell us that there had been time dedicated to allowing affinity groups to get together, and even an after party sponsored by the LGBTQIA and allies network.

Culture

The all-attorney retreat was a hit amongst the firm’s most junior associates, who described it as “great fun! The firm built in a lot of time for more candid, casual, non-program social time and networking, and that really underscored how collegial the firm is. We were mixing and mingling with other people from the firm without it feeling forced.” That culture continued at home in the firm’s offices too, as “everyone here really enjoys stopping down the hall and chatting for ten or fifteen minutes, even if they’re slammed!” For those we spoke to, it hadn’t gone unnoticed that the culture of the firm made things much simpler: “It’s a lot easier to work a lot of hours when you’re having a good time and enjoying the people you like to work with.”

Hours & Compensation and Pro Bono

Pro bono hours

For all US offices: 45,846

Average per US attorney: 42

Associates generally thought that their billable hours target of 1,900 hours was achievable: “You don’t have to not have a social life to achieve it.” One associate told us that they weren’t the kind of person to “stay up until the late hours of the night working on things, and so far, it hasn’t been expected or required.” This target then increases to 1950 after three years. Associates were pleased to have some flexibility when it came to their working hours from week to week, explaining that they felt they had the freedom to organize their working hours around their lives. For some associates that mean starting early to avoid rush hour traffic, and for others that meant finishing early to be able to pick up your kids from school: “It’s not like you have to show up at 9am and be in your seat or you’re going to look bad. People leave early and get back on later all the time.”

Sources were also happy with their lockstep compensation for the first three years, which is generally in line with the market. After three years,  it’s a discretionary advancement by development. One associate did explain that “a few years are up 5k more than the market, and one’s 5k below, so it’s a little wonky but for the most part, it’s market!”

Juniors were pleased to share that up to 100 hours of pro bono work could count towards their billable hours, and that extra time could also contribute with the permission of the pro bono committee. Associates had been involved in veterans’ affairs work, asylum/immigration matters, disability/veteran affairs, litigation and family law.

Get Hired

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus 

OCI applicants interviewed: 738

Interviewees outside OCI: 564

With more than 20 offices across the U.S., Foley engages with law students through a variety of channels, interviewing at over 30 law schools and job fairs during the OCI season and accepting resume drops at others. Just as importantly, the firm interviews a significant number of candidates who apply directly outside the OCI process. Across all interview formats, Foley brings together a cross-section of attorneys, from firm leaders to associates, to ensure a thoughtful and well-rounded interview experience.

"Our interview process is not formulaic, as we value the unique experiences and perspectives that each candidate brings to the table. However, there are key qualities that we look for in all candidates, including entrepreneurial drive, collaboration and leadership, among others. During the interview, we'll be asking for specific examples of how you've demonstrated these qualities in your past experiences. Our goal is to get to know the real you, so we encourage you to be authentic and honest throughout the interview process."

Top tips for this stage: 

“Do your research and know what our practices are – understand also that we work across the firm and you'll be in contact with everyone.” 

“Our interviewers will ask about your interest or connection to the city to which you are applying. We want to make sure that you’re truly interested in living and working there.” 

“Be authentic and look for genuine opportunities to connect. Convey who you are as a person, rather than just who you are on your resume. For example, discuss why you’re interested in the activities and achievements on your resume.”

Callbacks 

Applicants invited to second stage: 227

Successful applicants will spend enough time with the firm to attend between four and six interviews including some more informal meet-ups in certain offices. Again, the seniority of interviewers will vary. Foley encourages candidates to ask their own questions here, while also demonstrating watertight knowledge of their resume. 

Top tips for this stage: 

“It's obvious when someone's done their research. You don't need to know our whole history but we see your familiarity with the firm as a good indicator of your interest.” 

Summer program 

Offers: 80

Acceptances: 60

The firm sorts summer associates into particular practice groups, but it's not frowned upon to sample work from others if you're interested. An online assignment system gives summers an idea of how long tasks will take and gives them some autonomy over what they pick up, and Foley prefers them to get a varied experience across the program. 

A roughly 1:1 partner-to-associate ratio means it's more difficult to hide in the crowd than at some other firms, and Foley expects everybody to pitch in. That said, they also want summer associates to use the resources and attorneys around them – the majority of each entry-level class comes from the program so it's an ideal opportunity to get to know the folks at Foley. 

Notable summer events: firm-wide summer associate retreat, theater, ball games and boat rides. 

Top tips for this stage: 

“I definitely encourage summers to literally tell senior associates and partners that they’d like to work with them, sometimes they don't realize it's okay to approach people here like that.” 

“Take advantage of your mentor and summer program coordinators as you navigate the summer program - they’re eager to help you and can be a tremendous resource!”