Seyfarth Shaw LLP - The Inside View

*The following is Seyfarth Shaw's 2024 Inside View.

If you love a main character with an interesting backstory, let us introduce you to Seyfarth. Once a labor & employment specialist in Chicago, the firm now has expanded far beyond the Midwest, with 13 offices around the country, four in the Asia-Pacific region and one across the pond in London. The firm made its start in 1945 after working with the National War Labor Board during World War II and has largely stuck to these roots 80 years on. Nowadays, it boasts a full-service offering but is still known as a powerhouse in anything to do with employment law. Our colleagues over at Chambers USA can certainly attest to this, awarding the firm top-tier rankings in labor & employment in Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts and nationwide. However, Seyfarth's reach spreads beyond this, and is also top-rated in construction and retail across states.  

“Partners at Bar events pull their junior associates out of conversations to introduce them to people.” 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many associates were drawn to Seyfarth’s star-studded labor & employment practice, and were more than happy to explain how they were struck by its “pretty impressive clients” and the chance to get “great hands-on experience and exposure right away.” Juniors also cited the firm’s friendliness when discussing their reasons for joining, noting how they’d seen “partners at Bar events pull their junior associates out of conversations to introduce them to people.” In fact, these types of partners were described as “a game-changer” for one junior, as those they’d met at interviews “exemplified that kind of calm demeanor you’d want to see in a hectic and stressful environment.” 

The Work 

More than half of the associates on our list worked in Seyfarth’s labor & employment group, with the rest spread across litigation, real estate, corporate and employee benefits. Juniors were spread across nine of the firm’s US offices, with the New York, DC, Chicago, and LA offices each taking on a handful of second- and third-years. 

Seyfarth hires directly into practice groups, so summer associates work with the department they apply to and “kind of get to dive right in and build your experience from there.” Once settled at the firm, work is generally allocated through a free market system, which we heard works better for some associates than others. Associates praised the system as it means “you can really build relationships with partners that you like working with,” but did acknowledge that “when things are slow, you’re chasing people.” There are safeguards in place, though, including support from the firm’s “strong development department which tries to make sure that they reach out to prop up associates when they’re struggling.” 

“Juniors could be asked to do anything from writing briefs to taking depositions and arguing motions.” 

Juniors working in labor & employment told us that their work includes mostly single-plaintiff litigation, with matters relating to discrimination, harassment and equal pay violation under state, federal and local laws. So there’s certainly range, and the same can be said for the associate tasks on offer. According to one interviewee, their day-to-day includes “negotiating, advising on contracts and responding to unfair labor practice charges.” We also heard that “juniorscould be asked to do anything from writing briefs to taking depositions and arguing motions.” While typical early responsibilities include document review, discovery, witness lists and “getting the ground ready to start preparing for litigation should that come,” sources were clear that this was by no means the limit. In fact, as one associate explained: “If you’re somebody who really wants the opportunity to take ownership over cases as a junior, Seyfarth is a great option. If you genuinely do get it, you’re the person on the case.” 

Sources in the group felt respected and supported by their seniors as “the partners aren’t scared to put associates up for depositions if appropriate.” One insider also shared how “most matters will be just me and a partner, working together on whatever needs to be done.” Clients in labor & employment range from big names to smaller businesses, a balance which appealed to one junior in particular: “the big clients are great and popular, but oftentimes the small clients need more help. It’s sometimes more rewarding to help a small business owner get through tough points of employee or labor relations.” It’s worth noting here that associates often get to work with attorneys across the firm, and an LA associate was pleased to tell us: “Every single day I’m talking to attorneys in New York, Boston, Texas, Charlotte and across California. It’s cool that I can build relationships with attorneys in other states.” 

Labor & employment clients: Nike, Delta Air Lines, Verizon. Assisted Lowe’s Home Centers in successfully dismissing a class action lawsuit which alleged that the company had improperly paid thousands of its workers. 

Junior litigators told us that there’s a good amount of variety in their work, with one associate explaining how their work ranges from “very large multimillion-dollar projects with lots of parties involved and where I’m handling smaller stuff” to smaller matters with “the chance to take charge and run with it.” One source shared that the department’s clients “tend to be companies who operate in the government sphere, or commercial businesses interested in capitalizing on the sheer amount of funding that the US has in relation to its governments.” Juniors told us that typical tasks include discovery, document review and drafting various requests and responses. Even alongside these tasks, rookie litigators still felt that they were “getting to do a lot of the heavy lifting and research,” with the opportunity to be “really hands-on with clients.” 

Litigation clients: Prudential Financial, AAC Holdings, Assurance. Represented First Student in a breach of contract lawsuit against the San Francisco Unified School District, and in a subsequent $100 million False Claims Act cross-claim from the defendant. 

“I don’t feel like I’m at the bottom rung of the ladder, even though it can be easy to feel that way so early on in your career.” 

Career Development 

Associates appreciated how partners at the firm “care about us becoming better attorneys and invest a lot of time in doing so.” Though it was too early to be thinking about partnership for many of our junior interviewees, we heard that “if you want to be a partner at Seyfarth, there’s a lot of transparency around what people have done to get there.” Another junior felt they had great role models at the firm, noting how “I can Frankenstein them together into what looks best for me.” Although some associates felt that career development may not be consistent across the firm – as “sometimes it feels like everyone is so busy that they don’t have time to sit with you and go through comments on a brief, or something like that” – one source appreciated how they were “taken really seriously at such a junior stage. I don’t feel like I’m at the bottom rung of the ladder, even though it can be easy to feel that way so early on in your career.” 

“I know the names of my colleagues’ family members, and they know mine.” 

Culture 

Associates described Seyfarth as a firm with a “good, collaborative culture,” with another telling us about how “someone from the Chicago office will often send a blast out about an event or pro bono opportunity. It creates a sense of community even though we are so large.” Insiders suggested that social events are typically “few and far between, with a cocktail hour or a meet-and-greet every now and then,” but there are weekly luncheons hosted by the firm. That said, juniors can still get to know their colleagues, with one interviewee explaining how “people care about your families. I know the names of my colleagues’ family members, and they know mine.”  

Juniors also told us that the firm is the kind of place where “people seem to respect things like honeymoons and vacations, but that doesn’t mean you won’t sometimes get a Friday night email about something due on Monday.” This meant that associates were reassured by having such “accommodating and supportive” colleagues who “are very human and sensitive to associates. When we’re ramping up to closings, people are constantly checking in to make sure I’m not too overwhelmed and to see if they need to bring others in on the matter.”  

Hours & Compensation 

Billable hours: 1,950 hours 

Many felt that the 1,950-hour target was achievable, with interviewees taking advantage of various sources of work to hit it more comfortably. For instance, associates can find additional work with colleagues across offices, and can also bill time for things like pro bono, client meetings and forums. Interviewees acknowledged that, while the firm’s free market system means it can take time to build up to a consistent workload, it’s still possible for many to hit the target as first-years. However, one sore point for our interviewees was the compensation, with insiders agreeing that it’s “not at market – there are people at other firms doing the same work, working the same amount of hours and getting much more than we are.” Others also spoke about the firm’s box system for calculating hour targets and pay, highlighting how “it means it’s not truly lockstep as your pay increases are tied to your billable hours, not to your class year.”  That being said, pro bono hours, quality of work and business development are all considered when deciding whether associates move up a box. Despite this, a junior recognized that it is still “livable, and I am comfortable,” while others appreciated how the work-life balance is “nicer than some of my friends at other large firms.” 

When it comes to day-to-day hours, some noted that “it’s not always predictable” – a common experience across BigLaw – but the project-deadline structure of labor & employment provided some respite for those in the group. As one associate reflected, “as long as I get my assignments in when I’m supposed to, there’s a lot of flexibility. I don’t feel heat about being glued to my emails.” That being said, we heard that some weekend work may be inevitable when matters get busy, but this is not necessarily the norm: “We don’t expect people to work weekends unless there’s a true need,” a source assured, while another shared, “I’m usually off my computer by 7pm, which is really nice.” 

Pro Bono 

We heard that pro bono is viewed positively at Seyfarth, with the “sense that it’s both practical and just really important. It feels like it’s part of the ethics of the firm.” One junior even went so far as to position pro bono as “one of the highlights of my experience at Seyfarth.” Associates told us about a variety of pro bono matters they’d taken part in, including working with transgender individuals on name changes, support for first amendment groups, and a range of adoption and asylum cases thanks to the firm’s “ton of relationships with charitable organizations.” 

Juniors told us that doing pro bono at the start of their career was a nice introduction to more substantive responsibility and “a great way to get experience that you wouldn’t necessarily get on a billed matter.” While associates can count unlimited pro bono hours towards their billable hours requirement, only 60 of them count towards the target needed to unlock a bonus. Some felt that this system was “not the greatest – you can hit your annual goal without getting your bonus as your pro bono hours put you over the top.” Despite this, we heard that the capped bonus-eligible pro bono comes with “no expectation that you stop doing it. It’s meant to be a supplement to the billable work that you’re doing.” 

Pro bono hours 

• For all (US) attorneys: 18,957 
• Average per (US) attorney: 20.8  

“There’s something different about having someone in a mentor or leadership position who looks like you, sees your interests and empowers you.”

Inclusion 

Associates appreciated feeling represented at the firm, with one sharing how “there’s something different about having someone in a mentor or leadership position who looks like you, sees your interests and empowers you.” Another interviewee praised the firm for its diversity efforts at the associate level in particular, noting how “whether race or gender, it’s represented.” One source also rated the firm’s DEI resources on offer, enjoying the fact that “the firm understands and values my experience as a human being here.” We heard that there’s a decent spread of affinity groups which are “well-supported” and may often host events and lunches. More generally, interviewees were keen to highlight “a huge awareness of and push for DEI” at the firm, with the aim of having more “openness and conversation” around the topic. Case in point: the firm has recently hired a new chief DEI officer to lead the charge. 

Strategy & Future 

Seyfarth elected its first female chair and managing partner, Lorie Almon, at the end of 2022, and associates felt that “it’s an exciting time!” A junior also explained how the firm is “working with associates and partners on goals to reflect our status as a top-tier law firm. It’s taken on some initiatives to incorporate changes to our recruiting, client outreach and other projects that will hopefully improve our status and keep the firm moving forward.”

Coming soon...