McDermott Will & Emery LLP - The Inside View

“We’re BigLaw with a little hook,” McDermott’s chairman Ira Coleman tells us, “if you look at the letter Q, it’s like the letter O with a little hook. We’re the hook, symbolizing disruption and dispersion.” Coleman goes on to explain that the current make-up of lawyers at the top of the industry doesn’t reflect “what the world is – we have to disrupt it.” (We’ll cover McDermott’s diversity initiatives later). The dispersion aspect, Coleman adds, is all about “providing legal services to our clients in a different manner that is seamless through time and space. Not everyone’s going to be working at the same time or in the same space. Some people like to work later in the evening, some like to work on the beach, some clients want you right next to them. It’s a dispersion of where, when, and how legal services happen.”

"Genuine people who are excited about what they do."

This all sounds like a refreshing approach to us (who doesn’t want to work on the beach?), but what was it about McDermott that appealed to our associate interviewees? For one it was the “perfect blend of genuine people who are excited about what they do and work hard,” while for another “diversity was a big factor, and McDermott is at the forefront of it; the firm is regularly recognized as one of the best for women to work at.” The strength of McDermott’s healthcare practice was frequently cited as well: “I didn’t want to be at a firm that only had five healthcare partners – I wanted to be somewhere with lots of lawyers doing that work and covering a good range of specialisms!”

COMING SOON: McDermott tells us more about becoming a lawyer in Florida and Illinois

Healthcare is certainly one of the hefty jewels in McDermott’s crown (Chambers USA rates the practice as one of the elite top-tier groups in the country), but the firm has many other strengths: Chambers USA also gives plenty of kudos to areas like food & beverages, tax, IP, white-collar crime & government investigations; and employee benefits & executive compensation. Another area that’s held in high regard by Chambers High Net Worth is McDermott’s private wealth know-how on both sides of the pond. Location-wise, the largest group of associates on our list were based in Chicago(where McDermott was founded), but the DCand Californiaoffices also housed a significant number.

Strategy & Future 

“We are in growth mode,” says Coleman, “we’ve been growing 15% to 20% a year over the last five years. We’re trying to grow in our power alley practices, and are certainly looking for dynamic growth in New York, London, and California.” Coleman also tells us that Miami and Texas are markets in which the firm is keen to continue developing within: “Dallas and Houston are filled with great talent and growth opportunities. We have our European offices as well, which have great opportunities to continue growing.”

On the innovation front, “we’re the first and only firm to invest in a legal technology venture fund. We’re an anchor partner in that fund – we invested $10 million. We have a seat at the table and can sus out the best legal technology investments. Not only is this cool for clients, but it’s also fun!”

Career Development 

“Something that really drew me to McDermott was the ratio of partners to associates – starting out with those numbers helps with career development as you can really stand out,” we heard. Upon joining, newbies are partnered with a partner mentor, who is assigned based on mutual interest and availability. “You can call them with any issue, matter-related or not – it could even be related to what I want to be doing years from now.” This rang true with our survey results, which showed that an overwhelming number of associates felt partners were nurturing future leaders. “The firm hires with the intent that anyone who wants to make partner has a pathway to doing so,” an associate explained.  

“Associate retention is really strong; a lot of McDermott attorneys are lifers.” 

Our sources generally “couldn’t say enough great things about career development.” They told us about the firm's robust professional development program (which includes over 300 live training sessions each year and dedicated management guidance); great opportunities for general and one-on-one feedback; and even associate calls with partner and chairman Ira Coleman. “Associate retention is really strong; a lot of McDermott attorneys are lifers,” we heard. But for those who don’t have their sights set on making partner, fret not. “The firm wants to position itself as a career accelerator, with the understanding that partnership may not be the right fit for everyone.” We heard there was a full-time career counselor who was available to discuss exit options, either in-house or government, and the firm also offered regular secondments to in-house positions with clients. 

The Work 

In line with the firm’s core strengths, the healthcare and litigation practices were home to the largest contingent of juniors on our list, followed by the US & international tax group. Some juniors were also working in McDermott’s regulatory, employment, transactions, and IP departments. Interviewees explained that the summer program allowed them to try out a range of projects for “a well-rounded experience,” but some are content to focus on their specific interests: “You can still request to do work from other groups,” we heard, “but there are no formal rotations.” Juniors get their work by deftly navigating the firm’s free-market system: “The firm places emphasis on being entrepreneurial,” a source explained. “The onus is on the associate to go out and knock on doors.” 

“We have some very specialized and niche partners and senior associates – I'm talking like the top experts in the whole world.” 

Our sources in the healthcare group explained that “it’s not uncommon for associates in this department to have joint degrees connected to this area. Some have previously worked in the healthcare industry or as practitioners,” but we heard this was definitely not a requirement. Associates flagged that “some people have an idea of their interest areas when they join,” but the “nature of being more junior is that you’re still mostly a generalist.” As associates become more senior, the expectation is that they will start to define their specialisms, but this happens around fourth to sixth year point. “We have some very specialized and niche partners and senior associates – I'm talking like the top experts in the whole world. They’re thought leaders and are active in informing the industry where the law goes in those areas, which is a big reason why I’m at McDermott,” gushed an associate. 

The healthcare department is divided into key initiative groups, including regulatory; healthcare private equity; managed care; digital health; and litigation. The regulatory group focuses on digital health practices, including waivers in relation to COVID-19, which an associate mentioned the practice “led the way for.” Juniors are also involved in their fair share of fraud and abuse matters, where the team advises clients on compliance factors. Sources also found themselves liaising with hospital general counsel, as well as startups, which one junior likened to “a creative thinking exercise.” As newbies, our sources were “mostly doing diligence” and reviewing requirements and agreements, but responsibility grows quickly. “I went from being the person sitting in on diligence calls just listening and taking notes to looking at diligence documents, crafting research questions, and then asking the questions on the call!” a junior told us. The regulatory work was a point of interest for many. One source noted that “McDermott also has a consulting arm [McDermott Plus] and there are additional regulatory opportunities to work in that space.” Another suggested that the regulatory component is “where the lawyering really comes in. You have to think about how much risk you’re comfortable taking, as clients come to us first to test the waters since we’re ahead of the curve in terms of regulations in the industry.” 

Healthcare clients: Babylon, CVC Capital Partners, LetsGetChecked. Aided CIC Health in establishing a COVID-19 mass vaccination and mobile vaccination program in eastern Massachusetts.

“I’ve never felt limited by my class year; I’m actually running the show on a matter as we speak!” 

Over on the litigation front, we heard there was “a healthcare spin on most things,” but that’s not to say there wasn’t other work to be done. Among the areas offered to junior litigators were cases involving securities, white-collar, breach of contract, IP, and complex civil litigation. We heard the team served a bunch of clients from the financial industry and often represented accounting firms as well. Newbies typically join as generalists and sharpen their focus as they gain experience. Our associate sources explained that the work was pretty varied, with appeals, briefs, investigations, factual discovery tasks, and prep for depositions all cropping up on the menu of possibilities. “I’ve never felt limited by my class year,” explained one interviewee. “I’m actually running the show on a matter as we speak!” We heard typical junior tasks involved doc review, legal research, brief drafting and writing, and – in the age of remote working – a lot of Zoom conferences!  

Litigation clients: National Football League, Motorola Mobility, BDO USA. Advised US multinational healthcare company Baxter International on its internal investigation and self-disclosure to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Pro Bono 

Juniors can count up to 100 pro bono hours toward their billing target and request more on a case-by-case basis. With an encouragement to hit at least 20 hours, “there’s the expectation that every attorney will engage with pro bono in some manner.” And with the range of opportunities available at the firm, who could resist? Our junior sources had encountered cases involving asylum, civil rights, housing, and family matters.

In addition, interviewees spoke of an initiative called McDermott Rise, which aims to advise entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. “Some of the closest interactions I’ve had with clients have been on pro bono cases,” reflected a source, who added that “they’re a great way to get exposure to responsibilities beyond what we do day-to-day.” Another told us that “pro bono has provided juniors in the litigation group with exceptional opportunities to argue in front of the Seventh Circuit US Court of Appeals.” 72% of the firm's lawyers took part in pro bono cases in 2021.

Pro bono hours 

• For all US attorneys: over 45,000 hours
• Average per attorney: undisclosed

Hours & Compensation 

Billable hours: 2,000 target 

“2,000 is the magic number” to help unlock bonuses, we heard. And with the inclusion of 100 pro bono hours, 75 professional development hours, and 25 mindfulness hours (“for when you need to take a walk or do some yoga – or even nap!”) associates felt that the target was within reach. Interviewees estimated that they were billing between 40 and 50 hours a week on average, which was enough to open the door to discretionary bonuses that are “given out for going above and beyond.” A market-rate bonus is paid out at 2,000 hours, but more can be awarded based on additional 'bonus eligible productivity hours' and/or the attainment of a 'role model rating' in the annual associate evaluation. Juniors were happy with their market-level base salaries and felt it was possible to earn “above market bonuses for sure!” An associate was eager to share that “in the past year, the firm has really become a leader in compensation – they were quick to hand out COVID bonuses and match all the recent market salary increases [those set by Milbank, Davis Polk, and Cravath in early 2022].”  

“The firm really emphasizes wellness."

Our survey respondents recorded an estimated average of 56 working hours in the preceding week and had on average taken eight vacation days in the last twelve months. We heard that weekend work “can happen: sometimes it’s just a matter of having a deadline, and other times I might choose to do it, but no one here is a weekend warrior and working seven days a week!” This source was glad to report that “the firm really emphasizes wellness and that work shouldn’t be the only thing in our lives – there isn’t an expectation that we will be working all hours of the day.”

Culture 

“I really can’t think of anything they could improve on,” shared an associate. “It’s almost like family, but maybe that’s a bit too far!” another quipped. 95% of our survey respondents agreed that associate camaraderie was strong, while 70% agreed that firm had an active social scene. This source in particular was looking forward to the upcoming associate retreat in November 2022. “We have a lot of retreats! It’s firmwide, so associates from international offices are involved too.” Our interviewees agreed that an effort was made to retain firm culture during the height of the pandemic, with regular virtual trivia and game show events ensuring newbies felt at ease with one another. “The firm’s unofficial mantra of #AlwaysBetter really does ring true!” an associate gushed. Looking ahead, associates valued the communication on (and flexibility toward) returning to the office. We heard that associates will be in the office for two days per week, although there is still flexibility with this arrangement.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 

“It isn’t something that changes overnight, but McDermott has focused on making sure the new hires are diverse; in 2021 it was close to 50% women,” said an associate. “As far as working up to the top, the executive committee is 40% women and diverse individuals.”Our survey showed that McDermott’s representation of ethnic minority partners was above the market average that we’ve recorded, but interviewees highlighted that there’s always more to be done. Associates pointed to the firm’s Global Diversity Summit (which is held once every two years) as a step in the right direction. “It was a three-day conference – a meeting of the minds, if you will – with great speakers” on topics surrounding allyship and inclusive leadership. We also heard praise for the firm’s “generous parental leave policy,” which associates heralded as a “big differentiator.” A primary caregiver is eligible for 20 weeks of fully-paid parental leave, while a secondary caregiver is eligible for 12 weeks at full compensation.

Chairman Ira Coleman also drew our attention to the firm’s Rise program: “It’s getting a lot of airplay. We offer free legal services to startup businesses run by people of color. We’re introducing it to the whole ecosystem and loads of people are jumping on board to help us, both internally and in the community – accounting firms, venture capitals, banks. Having a Rise client is so rewarding as you’re helping someone who can’t afford BigLaw – it hits on the happiness factor.”

Get Hired

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus  

OCI applicants interviewed: 1,026 

Interviewees outside OCI: 35 

“While we recruit at many of the top-ranked law schools, we also focus our recruiting efforts at schools we have identified as key feeders. We also do additional to job fairs, work with student groups directly and do resume collections to make sure we are talking to as many students from around the country as possible,” hiring partners Allison Wilkerson and Lisa Schmitz Mazur tell us. In addition to OCI programs at law schools, McDermott attends several regional, diversity and IP-focused job fairs. Interviews are conducted by local and national hiring partners, alumni, local and firmwide practice group leaders, firm leadership, as well as members of the firm’s recruiting and diversity committees. During OCIs, interviewers meet approximately 16-20 students per schedule. Given the rapid interview process, at this stage “most of our questions are broad-based and focus on getting to know the candidate and their interest in our firm. In addition to understanding why a candidate is interested in McDermott, our interviewers will ask questions to gauge what the candidates’ goals are and what their office and practice interests may be.”  

Top tips for this stage:  

By taking to the time to research the practice areas represented in the office, candidates demonstrate that they are sincere about their summer job search and are looking to find a firm that aligns with their interests.” – Allison Wilkerson and Lisa Schmitz Mazur, hiring partners 

Callbacks  

Applicants invited to second stage interview: 425 

Candidates will meet with at least four or five interviewers. Callback interviews are mostly conducted by a mix of partners and associates made up of recruiting committee members as well as representatives from the practice areas in which the candidate has expressed interest.  

Interviewers here ask more in-depth questions about things such as prior work experience, school experience and short and long terms goals in a candidate’s career:   

“We look for candidates with characteristics that go beyond academic excellence. We seek candidates who will prioritize solutions over ideas, bring their best to the table every day, stand together and support each other, embrace new and diverse perspectives and anticipate change and adapt quickly,” say Wilkerson and Mazur.  

Top tips for this stage:  

“Even if you do not have experience that directly relates to the practice of law, impressive candidates find ways to tie their prior experiences to the future work they will perform for the Firm and its clients, emphasizing, among other things, problem solving, a willingness to learn, and a strong work ethic.” – Wilkerson and Mazur

Summer program  

Offers: 209 

Acceptances: 93 

For 2022, McDermott is thrilled to welcome its largest summer class and return to an in-person program. However, the firm will support flexible work arrangements for their summer associates, just as they do for full-time attorneys and business professionals. McDermott’s program offers substantive work assignments, formal and informal mentoring, training programs, and social activities. The firm will also host a firmwide summer associate retreat in its Chicago office. 

Top tips for this stage:  

“McDermott is all about collaboration, with many of our practice groups working together across the platform to solve the challenges our clients face on a day to day basis. Getting acquainted with attorneys across a variety of practice groups and that are geographically diverse builds on the collegial atmosphere of our firm, even at the summer associate level.” – Wilkerson and Mazur

And finally…  

Wilkerson and Mazur tell us “Our goal is to be the number one career accelerant in the industry and we pride ourselves on having a warm, people-first culture.  We want you to get to know us too, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. We hope candidates embrace - and enjoy! - the process.” 

Interview with McDermott Chairman Ira Coleman

Chambers Associate: How would you describe McDermott’s current market position?

We’re BigLaw with a little hook: if you look at the letter Q, it’s like the letter O with a little hook. We’re the hook, symbolizing disruption and dispersion; disruption of a stodgy industry run by old white guys. It’s not what the world is – we have to disrupt and change it. The dispersion aspect is providing legal services to our clients in a different manner that is seamless through time and space. Not everyone’s going to be working at the same time or in the same space. Some people like to work later in the evening, some like to work on the beach, some clients want you right next to them. It’s a dispersion of where, when, and how legal services happen.

CA: Are there highlights from the past year or in the firm’s immediate future you think our readers should be aware about?

Relocating our New York office to One Vanderbilt was transformative. We redesigned the space throughout the pandemic; it’s got a true McDermott feel to it. New York is such an important market, as well as London, where our new office will open this year. It’s about transforming our real estate to match how we work. Modern spaces are refreshing to work in. It’s about presence with purpose, not just dragging people in to do things that could be done remotely. It’s about meeting with clients and having in-person training sessions, and really being there for a reason. Sometimes the reasons are business or client focused, but it’s also important to have community focuses and humanistic focuses. You need to create and build friendships that are long lasting. We had an ice cream party recently, and I was able to sit and talk candidly with people I don’t see all the time.

We also drove tremendous growth and gained market share. It was a great year for the industry, but what is great for us is how we continue to disrupt and stay the course on what is most important to us – our culture. The challenge is figuring out how to keep the cultural glue in remote working environments.

CA: Would you characterize the firm as in growth mode?

We are in growth mode – we’ve been growing 15%, 20% a year over the last five years. We’re trying to grow in our power alley practices, and are certainly looking for dynamic growth in New York, London, and California.

What’s also interesting to us are markets like Miami, which we’re growing and continuing to develop, and Texas. Dallas and Houston are filled with great talent and growth opportunities. We have our European offices as well, which have great opportunities to continue growing.

DC also falls into our power alleys for growth and development. We’re very interested in our work in government investigations, and we’re building that out across the world. We have practices in Asia, London, New York, and DC, and I can see that growing in other places as well.

CA: How has the firm weathered the pandemic and has it affected the firm’s long-term strategy?

When we entered the pandemic, we did a lot of research around how we handled other crises at the firm: what we did well and what we didn’t do so well. We also researched developments from other industries on what worked and what didn’t. From this, we developed a plan, and then all of a sudden, everything changed. What we all learnt through the pandemic is what you think you know, you don’t know. I remember in March 2020, saying to my teams, “This thing could last through until June,” and people looked at me like I was crazy, saying, “No way, we’ll only be out for two weeks.” Little did we all know...

What we said is we are in a strong financial position; we’ve got to smash the foot on the accelerator and grow rather than hunker down. Good firms get through the pandemic, amazing firms accelerate out of it, and that’s what we did. We hired more people, more laterals than anyone else. We opened offices in Asia and the US. We exclusively hired laterals during the pandemic, and we changed our onboarding process to do that. We were the first firm to offer a virtual summer program. We looked to be the best in all businesses, not just the legal business, to figure out what cues to take to accelerate out.

CA: What is the greatest challenge facing the legal market in the next decade?

Soda. We have to get rid of soda. And single use water bottles!

The challenges facing the legal industry are continuing to be relevant to clients and doing their top tier work, all while having a wonderful work environment for all people – staff professionals, associates, partners. Everyone has to have a sense of being valued, and most importantly, a sense of autonomy. There has to be a level of trust that we show to our people. Also, the challenge I put out there is that individual and group needs need to be taken into account. What works for litigators going into a trial might be different than what a transactional team needs for a multimillion-dollar deal. We need to be the kind of firm that can handle and accept different circumstances, rather than being dogmatic. Law has always been very dogmatic, but new law should include the sense of being valued, which includes the autonomy to do your job in a way that makes you feel good – autonomy and happiness are highly correlated. We need to show we trust our wonderful team and recognize individual and group needs, and allow them to be different.

We’re leaning in to be the number one career accelerator for our industry. When you think of a career accelerant, it’s a brand that people recognize the value of. We recognize that not everyone is going to be at McDermott forever. We want to take care of people in such a way, with benefits, work environments, compensations, that when people leave, we’re generous to them on the way out. We also have a strong alumni network. Wherever people choose to go, we want them to leave McDermott with a great tattoo on their arm. We want to be the number one career accelerator, second to none.

CA: How has the rise in legal technology affected the firm? Are you implementing any specific programs/initiatives with regards to technology?

We’re the first and only firm to invest in a legal technology venture fund. We’re an anchor partner in that fund – we invested $10 million. We have a seat at the table and can sus out the best legal technology investments. Not only is this cool for clients, but it’s also fun! People are able to think about law in different and clever ways; it’s part of our accelerate process, and we’re doing lots of it. It’s a bit like an umbrella; we put it out there and everyone gathers under and comes up with ideas and strategies. The other day I got a text message from a young partner saying he has a better way to do due diligence in big deals, using tech and AI in data rooms, etc. He asked, “Hey, do you mind if I reach out to the technologists?” and I thought that was great. To me, innovation and technology go hand in hand. We’ve had a great run and we’re thinking about ways we can leave it better for the next generation.

CA: Does the firm have any set targets with regards to diversity? What policies are in place/what new policies are the firm implementing to ensure that the firm meets these targets?

We want to be the most diverse BigLaw firm – that's our stated goal. We fall short in some ways, but the idea is, if you shoot for the moon, you’ll land among the stars. There’s so much work yet to be done, and we’re leaning in in so many ways. We elected the first black woman ever to serve on our executive committee in the firm’s 100 year history. We have women as office heads and department heads. I’m proud of what we’re doing, but it’s only a drop in the bucket of what we want to achieve.

Our Rise program is getting a lot of airplay. We offer free legal services to startup businesses run by people of color. We’re introducing it to the whole ecosystem and loads of people are jumping on board to help us, both internally and in the community – accounting firms, venture capitals, banks. Having a Rise client is so rewarding as you’re helping someone who can’t afford BigLaw – it hits on the happiness factor.

CA: Any advice for those about to enter the legal industry?

My advice is to really be a sponge. Try to talk to everyone, listen to stories, learn what you can, be a brand. We have a very strong brand at McDermott, but it’s also important to be an individual brand. Think about what you bring to the table. What do you want your brand to be? A trusty hard-working truck, like a Jeep? Or a luxury brand that spares no attention to detail, like a Bentley? Do you want to open the door and be met with the smell of the custom leather, or do you want to control every aspect of your identity like Hermes? Or do you want to rely on suppliers to create something magical like Apple, with that unmistakable look and feel? What do you want others in and around to think of you?

It’s important to learn in a lot of other areas as well. Find things that interest you and dig in, and be a compelling storyteller. You have to be able to share a vision of something. Becoming a visionary storyteller is how you can differentiate yourself and clients appreciate it. Everyone appreciates a story and not just a regurgitation of the law. They know it’s complicated and that’s why they’re here! So I would stress building your personal brand and learn to become a visionary storyteller.