Legal Recruiting - Freehill Hogan & Mahar LLP - Maritime Law Firm

May 9, 2008

Hiring Policy

It has been, and remains, the policy of Freehill Hogan & Mahar to employ law students, lawyers and staff without regard to sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Hiring Criteria

While we do not maintain a rigid "checklist" of hiring criteria, we do believe that certain characteristics are key predictors of future success with our firm. We are committed to hiring and developing attorneys who have strong academic records at quality institutions, and who have well-rounded interests, as evidenced by their extracurricular involvement and other activities. We seek attorneys with a demonstrated capacity for hard work who are eager and able to assume substantial responsibility early in their careers. We are interested in individuals who work well with others, who value the concept of teamwork and who have the highest ethical standards. We want attorneys who are competitive, but who are also personable and have a sense of humor. We value people who can see the bigger picture and keep things in perspective.

Firm Culture

Our firm's friendly atmosphere, coupled with a high level of professionalism, provides an environment that promotes learning and professional satisfaction. We have always valued a strong spirit of cooperation, emphasizing a working environment built upon mutual respect.

We encourage open communication throughout the firm and maintain an open-door policy, encouraging all who work with us to bring new ideas to our endeavors. As a mid-sized firm, Freehill Hogan & Mahar affords the lawyers who practice with us a genuine opportunity to play a role in shaping the future of the firm.

Summer Associates

The firm customarily hires one or two summer associates, often one student who has completed the first year of law school, and one who has finished the second year. Our summer associates have frequently been offered positions as associates and are hired with the hope that each of them will merit an offer of full-time employment. Four of our current partners were summer associates and of our twelve most recent associates, seven were summer associates.

Summer employment is usually twelve weeks long. We will consider a split summer, but on a case by case basis. The Partners at Freehill Hogan & Mahar try to ensure that each summer associate has full opportunity to work on a variety of assignments which will allow them to meet and work with as many lawyers in the office as possible. To that end, summer associates are not assigned to a department or to a particular attorney.

During the course of a summer we attempt to help law students begin to make the transition from an academic to a practical approach to the law. Summer associates are encouraged to avail themselves of opportunities to attend depositions, arbitrations, motion arguments, court conferences and trials, so they can observe the litigation process. Our goal is to provide summer associates with meaningful assignments that will help them understand the nature of our practice and the challenges afforded by the maritime field and the other areas of our practice.

We do not try to impress summer associates with a social "program" designed exclusively for them. Instead, we make an effort to treat them as part of the firm and give them the chance to participate in a variety of firm events, including the various maritime association luncheons, client luncheons, softball games, golf and fishing outings. By the end of a summer, a summer associate should have a clear idea of what real life is like at Freehill Hogan & Mahar.

Our summer program is designed to immerse our summer associates in the life of the firm. Our goal is to make the summer a meaningful and enjoyable learning experience that provides a realistic look at the firm, both in terms of the work we do and the people we are.

Associates

In 1999, after practicing maritime law for five years in my hometown of New Orleans, I decided to tackle NYC. After one semester in the LLM program at New York University, I knew New York was for me, and began a job search. My first interview was at Freehill, Hogan & Mahar. That initial interview experience was entirely positive. I was intrigued by the firm's diverse admiralty practice and impressed with the friendliness of the people. Upon joining the firm in 2000, I continued to be impressed, both with the quality of the cases I was assigned and the quality of the firm's work product. From the outset I have been given substantial responsibility and independence, as well as client access, marketing opportunities and support. Practicing law at FHM is challenging and rewarding. I became a partner in the firm on January 1, 2003. I'm staying!
Gina Venezia, Partner, '94

New associates are given immediate responsibility, including the supervision of files and opportunities for client contact, and their responsibilities are increased commensurate with their ability and performance. We are not paying for a law degree, but for the sound judgment that a law school education begins to develop. We seek to nurture the development of our associates' sound judgment, and their legal skills, by involving them in a real way in significant cases. Matters are often staffed with one partner and one or two associates, thus providing associates early in their careers with opportunities to conduct depositions, attend court hearings, participate in meetings with clients and negotiations with third parties.
Our associates generally work with a number of partners and senior associates who offer the supervision and guidance necessary for well-rounded professional development. Associates are encouraged to take initiative. The firm annually reviews the performance of each associate, and provides an evaluation which recognizes success and offers constructive criticism. In addition to the annual review, feedback is provided informally on a project-by- project basis. We take seriously our responsibility to provide the training necessary to help associates make the transition from the study of law to the practice of law. The firm also emphasizes providing quality service to our clients and associates are taught client satisfaction skills. Associates are included in business development efforts and are encouraged to initiate such efforts. In order to maintain the highest level of competency, the firm encourages all attorneys to continue their education and pays the expenses of approved continuing legal education courses. Writing and speaking on topics of professional interest are encouraged.

Benefits

Summer associate salaries and permanent associate starting salaries are competitive for admiralty law firms in New York. Associates are eligible for an annual bonus based on individual performance, as well as the firm's overall financial position for the year. The factors considered, among others, include quality of work, effort and productivity. A Compensation Committee collects input and data, reviews associates' performances and recommends raises and bonuses to the full partnership.

The firm also provides permanent associates with health insurance, life and accidental death and disability insurance, long term disability income insurance, travel and accident insurance, a 401(k) plan after one year's employment, four weeks paid vacation and usually ten paid holidays. For more details on these benefits, click here. The firm pays the cost of bar review courses, required CLE courses, bar association dues and state registration fees.

Firm Management

Freehill Hogan & Mahar is directed by a five-partner Executive Committee elected by the partnership and day-to-day management is undertaken by the firm's Managing Partner and by a non-lawyer Office Administrator. All matters of significance to the firm at large are discussed by the full partnership. The partnership has a longstanding philosophy of decision-making by building consensus.

Submission of Resumes

You are invited to submit your resume to the attention of Gina M. Venezia, Esq., by mail, telefax or e-mail (venezia@freehill.com).