ATTORNEYS
What are Maynard Cooper's hiring criteria?
Maynard Cooper does most of its hiring from its summer clerkship program. The firm also hires lateral associates and shareholders. Maynard Cooper bases its initial hiring decisions on campus and office interviews. Although academic excellence is extremely important in making hiring decisions, other factors are taken into consideration, as well. Interpersonal skills and extra-curricular activities also weigh heavily in the hiring process. We generally hire summer clerks who stand out from other students, both personally and academically. We focus our recruiting on students who have excelled in their law school classes, and we look favorably upon students who participate in law review or other academically challenging activities.
What role does minority recruiting play at the firm?
Maynard Cooper is committed to hiring and retaining attorneys of diverse backgrounds and experiences. We welcome applicants who can add to our increasingly diverse group. We believe that diversity is achieved through recruitment, and we encourage minority students to participate in our on-campus interviewing process or apply with us directly.
What are the salary and benefits for first year associates?
Our starting salary is $110,000, which consists of a base salary of $105,000 and a summer bonus of $5,000. Approximately a quarter of our lawyers have clerked for federal judges on the trial or appellate level, and the firm provides salary credit for such clerkships. Among the fringe benefits provided by the firm are health, hospitalization, dental and major medical insurance, term life insurance, disability insurance, participation in profit sharing and 401(k) plan, and membership in city, state and national bar associations. We also have liberal policies governing continuing legal education, bar participation and maternity leave.
What should I expect from the Summer Clerkship Program?
Our summer program is the hiring ground for the large majority of our new lawyers. The program is designed to provide in-depth insight into the firm, our lawyers, our clients, and the firm's role in the community. We attempt to familiarize summer clerks with all areas of our practice, both through weekly seminars conducted by our lawyers and by exposing them to client conferences, depositions, closings and court appearances.
The summer program also includes a number of social and recreational events that enable the summer clerks and lawyers to become better acquainted. Most of our summer events are designed to help familiarize our summer clerks with Birmingham, showing them all that the city has to offer. In recent years, our summer clerks were treated to cooking classes at a local gourmet restaurant, a kick-off party at a historical location in Birmingham's Southside, a luncheon at the Birmingham Museum of Art, and a weekend beach trip to the Gulf Coast. Always a favorite, however, are the parties and informal dinners that are hosted at attorneys' homes.
Second-year law students participating in our 2009 summer program will be paid $1,300 per week, and first-year students will be paid $1,100 per week.
Each summer clerk is assigned to a shareholder and an associate, who serve as mentors throughout the clerk's time at the firm. Each clerk is encouraged to specify which practice area he or she prefers. Upon arrival, and throughout their clerkship, the summer clerks are given the opportunity to choose their own assignments from a master folder, allowing for as much or as little diversity as the clerk would like. A brief orientation with all of the relevant information is given the day of the summer clerks' arrival.
Maynard Cooper has a unique atmosphere. Every lawyer is interested in your well-being while you are working at our firm. You can ask anyone anything!
FAQS about the Summer Clerkship Program:
Q: How long is your summer program?
A: It begins in the middle of May and runs until the middle of August.
Q: How many weeks am I expected to spend at Maynard Cooper?
A: Six weeks if it is your first time with us and four weeks if you are a returning clerk. Law students with special scheduling needs should feel free to contact us to discuss their situation.
Q: Who should I call with other questions concerning your summer program?
A: Maggie O'Connor is our Recruiting Coordinator and she can answer any of your questions. You can reach her at (205) 488-3521 or moconnor@maynardcooper.com
Where do I sign up?
Maynard Cooper interviews on campus at Alabama, Cumberland, Duke, Georgia, Harvard, Howard, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington and Lee and Yale. If you attend one of these schools, please drop your resume with your career services office.
If we do not visit your campus, you may send a resume to Maggie O'Connor, our Recruiting Coordinator. She will be accepting second year resumes anytime after August 15th and first year resumes anytime after December 1st.
Maggie O'Connor
Recruiting Coordinator
1901 Sixth Avenue North
Suite 2400 Regions/Harbert Plaza
Birmingham, AL 35203
We host a holiday reception at the end of December for students who have ties to Alabama but attend out of state schools. If you are interested in attending the reception and do not receive information from your career services office, please contact Maggie O'Connor at moconnor@maynardcooper.com.
