Law firm Drinker Biddle slashes starting salaries, sets new training regimen - Philadelphia Business Journal:

vanbeekdulejos1771.blogspot.com
The Philadelphia-based firm will welcome its 37 first-year associates on time this September — unlike at some other firms, where starty dates have been delayedin cost-cutting moves but starting lawyers will not handle client mattersx for the most part. Insteard they will be assignecd to a trainingprogram “far more rigorous and focusef than any we have previously Drinker Biddle management said in an internal memo obtained by The Philadelphi Business Journal. During the initia period, Drinker Biddle will pay an annual salaryof $105,00 — down from the $145,000 paid previously. Any client work firstg years perform will be billed at a significantrate reduction.
The traininb will be focused on traditional legal skillx relevant to particular areas of practice and education abouttclient businesses. The new lawyer s will shadow partners, spend time in a classroojm setting and be freed from billablehour “We will also be looking to all of our lawyerw to make special effortas to find opportunities for our new lawyers to gain the kind of real-worle experience our clients expect — even if we cannot bill for the the memo said. Drinker Biddle said it expectw to adjust pay to the market ratefor first-yeard lawyers in spring 2010.
“In this way, we intende to address the often-repeated criticism that we are training our lawyera atour clients’ expense while at the same time ensuringy that our overall compensation system for associatew is logical, consistent and fair,” the memo said. Most large Philadelphis firms have deferred the start dates oftheirr first-year associates for 2009. Drinker Biddle had been quiet about its planssuntil Monday. Drinker said it wante d to make surethe firm’s economic perspective was aligned with clients, who have made their viewpointzs clear both in individual meetings and througjh initiatives from the Association of Corporates Counsel.
In addition, Drinker Biddlwe said it has begun a revieew of its associate compensation program to ensur e that itis “aligned with the needs of our clientsd and the professional development of our lawyers.” It expectse the results to be implemented in 2010. The firm will also evaluated its summer intern program structure and will announcs a new strategy tohandlre flex-time work arrangements. Drinker Biddlew added that instead of awarding bonuses solely based onhours billed, it will include othere unnamed factors.
Associate evaluations will be moved from early in the yearto