Howrey Introduces New Program for Entering Associates

Washington, DC, June 22, 2009… Howrey LLP, recognized as a leader for its innovative approach to associate development and career management, today introduced the “Tier 1 Associate Program” for its U.S. associates. The two-year program, which borrows its name from the five-tier performance-based associate compensation and advancement program that Howrey unveiled last year, is a first of its kind entry level lawyer training and initiation program specifically designed to accelerate the development of associate competencies.

Participants in Howrey’s Tier 1 Program will spend only one-third of their time during the first year on client billable work to permit them to devote the remainder of their time to pro bono representations and a wide range of training programs, including the firm’s signature professional development experience – the Howrey Academies. In Year One, associates will work with Howrey’s full-time, in-house writing instructor, be assigned to trial teams, and take advantage of other programs offered by Howrey’s award-winning professional development team. They will dedicate approximately one-third of their time to pro bono and public interest matters, which will afford them the opportunity to develop the advocacy skills and in court experience that are central to Howrey’s practice. The emphasis on training will continue into Year Two, with client secondments, judicial externships, and other advanced development opportunities added to the curriculum. Billable hours in the second year will be capped at roughly half of total hours.

In sharp contrast to many other firms, which are asking their entering classes to wait a year or more before starting their law firm careers and beginning to develop their legal skills, Howrey will welcome all of its new associates in the Class of 2009 into the Tier 1 Program on September 28, 2009.

“The beginning of a young lawyer’s career is a critical time. We want our young lawyers to hone their skills and realize their full potential. Our Tier 1 Program is designed to provide all of our participating associates an early and equal opportunity to achieve that objective,” said Bob Ruyak, Chairman and CEO of Howrey.

The Tier 1 Program continues a commitment to professional development that Howrey embarked more than 10 years ago. “This is the next logical step in providing developmental opportunities to our young lawyers and value to our clients,” explained Ruyak. “After we launched our ‘Bootcamp’ summer program, a hands-on experience for second year law students that provides a close up understanding of litigation and trial skills, we articulated the Howrey Competency Model and built an unparalleled training program to ensure that our associates received the support needed to develop critical competencies. This year, after several years of careful planning, Howrey successfully moved off lockstep compensation and advancement and implemented a performance-based system. That move, combined with our Supervising Partner Program and a robust evaluation and feedback program, has enabled our associates to truly excel beyond the constraints of a class year.”

“Tier 1,” Ruyak continued, “addresses what has been lacking across large law firms – a meaningful training experience for their most junior associates. Too often high billable hours requirements are at odds with professional development. By reducing the billable hours requirement, significantly discounting rates and training our associates consistently and creatively, we know we can develop them more effectively and provide more value to our clients.”

The Tier 1 Program will be limited to a select number of associates each year. Compensation during the first two years will be adjusted to reflect the nature of the program and the dramatically reduced billable hours expectations. In addition to an annual salary of $100,000, first year participants will receive $25,000 upon acceptance of their job offer to help defray their law school loans or third year law school expenses. In their second year at the firm, participants will receive an annual salary of $125,000 and a $25,000 bonus upon successful completion of the program and entry into Tier 2 of Howrey’s Associate Development Program. Higher compensation may be offered to candidates with special qualifications, such as advanced technical degrees or clerkships.

The firm expects that, upon successful completion of the Tier 1 Program, associates will receive above-market compensation commensurate with the competencies they will have accrued. The program will not affect the compensation of current Howrey associates.

“I can think of no better way to introduce young lawyers into the profession,” says Ruyak. “We are in constant contact with law schools and others who are as committed as we are to the improvement of the associate experience. Given the success of Bootcamp, the Howrey Competency Model, and our departure from the traditional lockstep compensation system – all of which were developed after extensive research and are continuously refined based on feedback received from our associates, partners and clients – we expect our Tier 1 Associate Program to be well received by associates, clients and the profession.”

Bob Ruyak, who has been honored twice (2008 and 2009) by Legal Times as one of Washington’s Visionary leaders, currently serves as Chairman of the Georgetown University Law Center’s Board of Visitors.

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Founded in 1956, Howrey LLP is a global law firm with over 725 attorneys and more than 50 economic, financial and regulatory consultants. Howrey has offices in Washington DC; Northern Virginia; Houston, Texas; New York, New York; Los Angeles, Irvine, East Palo Alto and San Francisco, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; Chicago, Illinois; London, England; Brussels, Belgium; Paris, France; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Munich, Germany; Madrid, Spain and Taipei, Taiwan. Howrey's affiliate, The CapAnalysis Group, LLC (economic, financial, and litigation consultants) teams with Howrey attorneys as a strategic business resource. A consistent American Lawyer “A-List” and PLC Which lawyer? “Global 50” firm, Howrey is one of the most frequently used law firms by the world’s leading companies. Howrey’s Intellectual Property practice was ranked as a top national IP practice and the Top IP Appellate practice by IP Law & Business and its Antitrust practice topped Global Competition Review’s “GCR 100.” As the winner of the 2003 Thomas L. Sager Award from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, Howrey is committed to the ideals of diversity and is equally committed to the tenets of pro bono and public service. Howrey's “Advantage of Focus” makes it the clear choice for antitrust, intellectual property and complex business dispute resolution. For more information, visit our Web site at www.howrey.com.