Beveridge & Diamond, P.C.

Our Survey Says

VAULT'S VERDICT:

Beveridge & Diamond hires associates from a wide variety of law schools and looks for those with an interest in environmental law. Coworkers are professional and collaborative, and there’s a great sense of camaraderie with minimal hierarchy. Partners treat associates well and want to see them succeed, and as part of mentor ‘families’ assigned to associates, they’re available to answer questions. Further, associates learn through a firm-sponsored series that teaches them skills and substantive areas of environmental law, and laterals benefit from structured programs and supportive colleagues. Associates are assigned interesting and challenging work early in their careers, and they’re pushed to take on more difficult tasks. Attempts by the firm to evenly distribute projects could improve, and the billable hour requirement is less than the BigLaw standard, which means it’s reasonable. Commensurately, salaries lag behind the market rate, and bonuses are based both on hours worked and merit. Technology at Beveridge & Diamond has improved to include greater efficiency and the use of AI tools, though glitches remain with laptops running daily updates and with workflow and review platforms. Wellness initiatives are limited to counseling sessions and small stipends for wellness activities. The firm is committed to pro bono work, with up to 100 hours that count as billable. Fifty of these hours can be attributed to diversity-related activities, and there are affinity groups and diversity committees. Opportunities for advancement include counsel positions and equity partnership. Those who depart go in-house, to the government, or to other firms.

FIRM PERSPECTIVE

Since our founding, B&D strives for leadership in environmental law and litigation, and to build our practice in these areas at a level with – or exceeding – those of other firms, including large global firms whom clients sometimes also entrust with their most sophisticated environmental and litigation matters.  

At the same time, we strive to set ourselves apart from these firms with respect to our culture and approach to practice.  Specifically, we seek to ensure we never lose sight of the value we place on our individual lawyers and staff, and their lives outside the workplace.  We reward collegiality, collaboration, commitment to the firm and its clients, entrepreneurship and mastery of evolving issues in environmental practice, training and mentoring, diversity of perspective, and the pursuit of justice. 

Our work is not complete in these areas. We constantly seek to refine our approach and respond to client needs and evolutions in environmental practice, and work with clients on cutting-edge ways to improve business in an environmentally-conscious manner. However, we affirm our continued commitment to investing in our people and to setting ourselves apart from other firms as we navigate the tidal wave of change in the global economy and legal profession.