“This is one of the few national law firms in which associates are allowed, and even encouraged, to take on significant responsibility.”
The first few years of a young attorney’s career are likely to set the tone for the remainder of his or her professional life. The partners at Bracewell & Giuliani take very seriously our responsibility to help associates achieve both personal and professional satisfaction.
Through formal and informal training and mentoring, professional opportunities and “extra-curricular” events, associates are encouraged to broaden their skills and to take the initiative in determining their own professional path. The firm is committed to rewarding hard work and progressive responsibility for client concerns through a competitive compensation and benefits package.
We also recognize that client service, professional achievement and firm growth are a direct result of a positive work/life balance. Bracewell & Giuliani actively supports our associates in the pursuit of personal goals and rewarding life choices.
Training & Mentoring
“The evaluation process is quite good. Partners are candid and the information is relayed in an atmosphere that encourages dialogue.”
At Bracewell & Giuliani, partners and senior associates are actively involved in formal and informal mentoring of our incoming associates. New associates are immediately assigned a mentor when they join the firm. These mentors work with other attorneys in the firm, to help associates acclimate to the firm, determine their professional niche and develop appropriate skills.
We recognize that many attorneys begin their careers with some uncertainty about their preferred area of specialty. We make a concerted effort to provide them with cross-disciplinary assignments that expose them to several areas of legal practice, while being assigned to a broad practice group that provides a structure within which to work and grow professionally.
The firm is organized to provide lean staffing for client projects. This not only offers clients a cost-effective means of acquiring legal services, it gives our associates the opportunity to take on additional responsibility as quickly as they are prepared for it. As an associate’s skills and legal knowledge grow, so do the complexity and challenge of the cases and matters to which he or she is assigned.
Legal scholarship is of paramount importance. Associates are expected to keep up with industry and legal trends through journals and other trade publications, as well as by attending seminars and other professional education opportunities. As their knowledge and understanding grow, they are encouraged to share their perceptions with others through client seminars, presentations, and written materials such as articles and client/issue alerts.
The firm continues to focus on formalizing its associate training program, offering skill workshops in areas such as negotiations, depositions, accounting and finance, as well as seminars and intradepartmental programs that emphasize specific, practice-focused competencies. We have top-notch, professional librarians who support legal staff as they navigate the ever-changing technology and deluge of information available.
Professional feedback is a requirement if our associates are to grow as legal practitioners and providers of high-quality client service. Associates are provided with periodic evaluations, using a system that reduces bias by engaging several partners to provide ratings of performance. This information is shared with our associates in meetings with department heads and members of the evaluation committee. Although these discussions are candid, they are conducted in a manner that emphasizes successes and solutions.
Equally important is the ongoing, informal feedback that partners offer associates one-on-one and in team meetings. As with the formal reviews, the partners are expected to provide this feedback in a way that identifies strengths and provides suggestions for improving in areas where additional focus is required.
Work/Life Balance
“Like all large firms, there have been and will be late nights. At the same time, partners here are genuinely concerned about the associates — when the work allows it, they push us out the door.”
At Bracewell & Giuliani, work/life balance means working well and living well. It means being challenged — and challenging yourself — to achieve your professional and personal best. It means colleagues who expect a lot, and offer much in return. It means recognizing that clients are best served by attorneys who can devote their full attention to client needs because their own life goals are being met.
Make no mistake: We work hard and demand much from our associates. The firm provides opportunities and rewards for savvy new lawyers with leadership skills, commitment and long-range goals.
But we also know how to have fun, and when to call it a day. Our associates are well integrated into both the social fabric and the professional activities of the firm. We encourage everyone on our team to take full advantage of the cultural, recreational and civic lives of the communities in which we do business.
Summer Programs