A law firm is only as good as the attorneys who comprise it. We understand that the reason that clients come to Stinson Morrison Hecker for their most complex cases and sophisticated transactions is that we have extremely talented lawyers working here who are available to represent their interests. We also understand that in order to grow and continue to be the highly respected firm that we are, we must constantly be engaged in a search for the country’s best and brightest legal minds. Therefore, our firm devotes significant time, energy and resources to our recruiting efforts. We actively seek to hire the most promising law students from a number of law schools throughout the country, as well as the most experienced and effective lateral hires that we can find. The size and dynamics of our firm require us to emphasize both law school recruiting and lateral hiring to meet the evolving needs of our clients and our firm.
The firm values the many benefits of an inclusive law firm, including the hiring and retention of attorneys and staff from diverse backgrounds and cultures. For more information on the firm’s efforts to attract, retain and promote talented people from a broad variety of backgrounds, please review our Commitment to Diversity.
Nearly all of the law students that our firm hires are from our Summer Associate Program. Every fall, we visit more than 20 law school campuses and job fairs to interview second-year students for summer associate positions in the following summer’s class. During our On-Campus Interviews, we will select certain students to come back for further interviews in our offices. If we are not interviewing at your school, please submit your resume to our Recruiting Coordinator, Terri Vadovski. We have, on occasion, hired third-year students who did not participate in our Summer Associate Program, but we typically fill all of our law school hiring needs from those who have been summer associates with the firm. To inquire about our hiring needs for third-year students, please send your resume and cover letter to our Recruiting Coordinator. In some years, we also hire a very select group of first year students to join our Summer Associate ranks in the summer after their first year. We typically do not interview on campus for first-year positions, but we will accept resumes that are submitted to us in accordance with the guidelines established by the National Association of Legal Placement (NALP Guidelines).
Recruiting attorneys who already have experience practicing at another law firm, as in-house counsel for a corporation, or in the public sector is an important way for our firm to meet its ongoing needs as we grow and evolve. We look for lateral attorneys who possess personal characteristics consistent with our culture. We emphasize integrity, experience, good judgment, a high energy level and superior intellect. We view academic achievement as one indicator of a person’s achievement, but we also value quality work experience that demonstrates good legal skills, leadership, dedication, intellectual curiosity and an entrepreneurial spirit. Laterals should be prepared to provide us with a copy of their law school transcript and, in most cases, a writing sample that is representative of their skill and ability. Prior to hiring a lateral, a candidate will need to complete a copy of our Prior Legal Affiliation Form. Associate candidates should submit their resumes and cover letters to Terri Vadovski. Partner or Of Counsel candidates should submit their materials to Carrie English. Available Positions that we are seeking to fill at the present time are listed below.
Our firm has always been a preferred destination for judicial clerks. A significant number of the lawyers who practice with us have prior experience as a judicial law clerk, either with state or federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. We view the judicial clerkship experience as invaluable training for attorneys, particularly for those who practice in litigation. We reward this experience with a one-time judicial clerkship bonus for those who clerk at the U.S. District Court or Federal Appellate Court levels. Judicial clerks should submit their resumes and cover letters to Terri Vadovski. We would be happy to put you in touch with one or more of our lawyers who can talk to you about how the judicial clerkship experience contributed to his or her success at the firm.
Associate compensation is often a significant factor in a lawyer’s decision about where to practice. We have developed an Associate Compensation Structure that is primarily merit-based and emphasizes a number of important aspects of success in our firm. Importantly, we do not rely on base salary alone to reward our attorneys for their achievements. We have a bonus structure with three components that recognizes hours of service to our clients, quality of performance (including teamwork), and the development of new clients. Compensation of lateral partner or of counsel candidates is determined on a case-by-case basis and depends on a variety of factors, including prior experience.
We invite you to review our NALP Forms, which tell you about the demographics of our attorneys in our various offices, starting salaries and other information about our firm.