Associate Hiring, Compensation, Benefits & Advancement
 We are proud to offer the highest quality legal services to our clients and will only hire those attorneys who meet our standards. We are strongly committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and seek applications from qualified law students and attorneys who want a challenging practice in an open and flexible firm.
Compensation
Associates at our firm are compensated at a salary level competitive with other law firms of comparable size and practice. The starting associate salary is $145,000. During the two months in which they study for the bar, new law school graduates are not required to work, but receive half pay. Associates are compensated for their bar review and bar examination fees. All associates are also eligible for an annual merit bonus. Merit bonuses are based on quality of work, contribution to economic growth, professionalism, leadership and initiative. All associates receive a generous benefits package that includes life, medical and disability insurance, vacation, sick leave, and a 401(k) retirement plan.
Benefits
Listed below is a summary of certain Vedder Price policies pertaining to a wide range of benefits for our associates. This is for informational purposes only and does not state the firm’s complete policy. Please contact Bo Kim, our
Manager of Legal Recruiting and Diversity Initiatives, or refer to our Summary Plan Descriptions for further information.
-
Summer Associate Compensation
Vedder Price Summer Associates are paid $2,788 per week.
-
Bar Exam & Related Expenses
The firm will cover the expense of a Bar Review course and the expense of a Bar registration fee for those individuals who accept their offer of employment prior to taking a Bar Exam.
Vedder Price provides our entry level associates with a one month stipend while they study for the Bar Exam.
-
PILI Fellow
Entry level associates studying for the Bar Exam may also opt to work as part of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Fellowship program for ten weeks and receive a PILI stipend of one half month's pay.
-
Vacation Benefits
Associates may take up to three weeks paid vacation each year.
-
401(k) Savings Plan
Vedder Price associates are eligible to make pre-tax contributions to our 401(k) plan.
-
Disability Leave
Attorneys medically unable to work due to pregnancy and childbirth will be paid for at least eight weeks of disability which can then be followed directly with parental leave. This results in a minimum total of 12 weeks of paid leave for a woman after the birth of her child.
-
Parental Leave
Vedder Price offers a paid Parental Leave for up to four weeks following the birth or adoption of a child.
-
Casual Dress Policy
Vedder Price enjoys a business casual dress attire year round. Attorneys are expected to keep an appropriate business attire change of clothing in his/her office should it be needed.
-
Additional Benefits:
- Health Insurance, including same-sex domestic partner coverage
- Group Life Insurance, with option to purchase supplemental benefits at discounted rates
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Discount Plan
- Health & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
- Pre-Tax Transit and Parking Program
- Lateral Associate Referral Bonus
- Short-Term Disability Coverage
- Long-Term Disability Coverage (available on tax-advantaged basis)
- Business Travel Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
- Long-Term Care Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Generous Annual Personal Technology Stipend
- Seminar and CLE Expenses
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Bar Association Dues
Bonus Pool
Every year, associates who meet the minimum hours requirements are eligible for a bonus. In 2006, the bonus pool for associates exceeded $1,018,000. The average bonus was $21,208; the highest bonus paid to an associate in 2006 was $130,000.
Becoming a Shareholder
It is, and always has been, the policy of the firm to hire only those individuals who we believe are qualified to become shareholders. Typically, an associate becomes eligible for shareholder consideration after seven full years of practice—at least two of which are with Vedder Price. During the time leading up to the evaluation process, the Chair of the firm's Associate Evaluation Committee and the Director of Professional Development meet with that associate to discuss what lies ahead. The essential requirement for advancement in the firm is that an associate possesses the qualities that make him or her valuable to the firm. In making that determination, Vedder Price weighs heavily the quality of the candidate’s legal work, including the degree of difficulty of the candidate's assignments; the amount of the candidate's independent responsibility for both client legal work and maintenance of client relations; the amount of project management and junior associate review and training undertaken by the candidate; and the candidate's professionalism and economic contribution to the firm. |
|
Learn More
Downloads (in PDF Format)
If you are interested in applying for a position with Vedder Price, please submit your cover letter, resume, and transcript, in confidence, to:
Bo Y. Kim
Manager of Legal Recruiting and Diversity Initiatives
Vedder Price
222 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2600
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Fax: 312/609-5005
Other Career Selections
|
Download Acrobat
