Associates and Laterals

As an associate at Shumaker you’ll be expected to accept and to show a high level of responsibility and accountability.  Our associates are given a blend of complex, sophisticated matters on which to work with partners and senior associates, and move into their own assignments on which they function independently.  We do not hire associates or lateral lawyers as a knee-jerk response to staff up for short-term busy periods, but rather gauge sustained demand on an office-by-office basis according to practice group strategies. 

You’ll have an aggressive but achievable annual billing guideline, but will be encouraged and supported in devoting the time for training, community service and pro bono work.  It’s a well-rounded approach for the kind of well-rounded lawyers we want to have build their careers here.

What Makes Us Different

Lawyers who interview with us see an atmosphere of stability, integrity, work/life balance and opportunity.  If you are outstanding at what you do and you are a team player, there is a place for you here.  We take our time and are very careful about who we hire, not just making decisions on what “the numbers” look like.  We look for matches in philosophy, personality, skills and quality – an approach that has served us well.

You’ll find that, although you get plenty of help with career development, you ultimately are the person responsible for your Shumaker career.  Rather than being assigned a formal mentor, you’ll find a number of lawyers who informally advise you because we believe mentoring works best when it is allowed to evolve naturally.  Our firm does assign marketing mentors to associates, to help you develop a marketing plan and review it twice a year, getting ideas and tips from the marketing team.  You’ll also find structured opportunities, like a mentoring program started by the Ohio Supreme Court in which we participate.  The combination of opportunity and informality is, we believe, unique – and effective.

Why You Benefit

With a culture that encourages open communication and respect among colleagues, we take pride in working together.  That means a solid grounding in principles of respect, cooperation and teamwork, excellence in client service, uncompromising ethical and professional behavior, and a genuine commitment to the communities that have been at the heart of our firm’s success.

The members of our team find that these meaningful values reflect and integrate with other, more tangible rewards.  As a Shumaker lawyer, you will find:

• A compensation system focused on teamwork, collaboration, initiative, professional contribution and fairness.
• An emphasis on meaningful client work, with billing rates that combine the best elements of value for the client and reward for you.
• A collaborative approach to marketing and staffing in ways that let you work with top-quality lawyers and benefit from ample opportunities for client experience.
• High morale and enjoyment from the practice of law in a values-driven environment where personal satisfaction, professional excellence and client service reinforce each other.

What You Can Expect from Shumaker

The following doesn’t exhaust the list of questions about the Shumaker experience you’ll have, but it does cover some of the key points on what you can expect in working with us.

Q: What is Shumaker’s partnership track?
A: Because we only hire associates who we can see becoming partners, our eight-year track is shorter than that at many firms.

Q: What kind of benefits do associates receive?
A: You’ll get medical and life insurance, short-term and long term disability coverage, continuing education seminar fees, and access to an attractive 401(k) plan after you’ve worked for the firm for one year.

Q:  What about compensation?
A:  Compensation for associates is determined annually by each individual office.  Periodic salary increases are based on your performance as reflected in regular evaluations.

Q:  How will I be evaluated?
A:  We evaluate our associates semiannually based upon comments solicited from partners with whom you have worked.

Q:  Do associates have a voice in firm governance?
A:  There are associates on every firm committee except the management committee, and associates have a particularly strong voice in professional development.  Associates in each of our offices meet at least quarterly to communicate and share ideas.  For associates, and all members of our firm, Leadership Shumaker is a major involvement channel in which associates often take the lead in selecting organizations and causes for the firm to assist.