Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP

Our Survey Says

VAULT'S VERDICT:

While grades are important, Nutter is looking for more than a top school and academics—the firm seeks attorneys with positive attitudes who will fit with the team. Candidates should prepare to explain why they are interested in working for Nutter specifically. The firm atmosphere is pleasant, and lawyers enjoy spending time with each other—something the firm supports with sponsored events and an in-house cafeteria. Partners treat associates respectfully and are available for mentoring. And they trust associates with high-levels of responsibility—something the associates appreciate. Some wish there was greater transparency from the top. The firm has a strong training program, including in-depth training for junior attorneys. When it comes to hours, lawyers at the firm work hard, but they feel work is distributed evenly. Reviews are mixed on face-time, with some feeling it is important they work in the office and some raving about their flexibility. But overall, associates seem happy with their schedules and are generally satisfied with their compensation given their quality of life. Unlike many of its peers, Nutter gets high marks for technology. Associates also laud the firm for its strong pro bono practice, which is an important part of the firm culture. When it comes to sticking around, associates are positive about partnership prospects at Nutter and feel promotion is realistic.

ASSOCIATE REVIEWS:

GETTING HIRED

Hiring Process

• “In general, I think the hiring committee really focuses on personality and qualities like prior work experience rather than simply looking for top 10% from top 30 schools or some metric like that. Associates who do well tend to have positive ‘can do’ attitudes and demonstrate a willingness to attend client and civic/charitable events. …”
• “We hire mainly from the local Boston schools, looking for candidates with strong grades. Personality fit is a very important component.”
• “’Why Nutter?’ is a very important question.”
• “[Topics covered during the interview include] prior work experiences or interesting internships/seminars at school or during college; hobbies; whether and why they are interested in a particular practice area or department; whether candidate is really focused on Boston as a long-term home and job market; whether candidate is looking for mid-size firm rather than BigLaw (often hard to really discern since most smart interviewees will simply say that Nutter is their top choice).”

Lateral & Clerk Integration

• “The firm makes every effort to teach laterals the ‘Nutter’ way, but they also encourage us to share best practices from our prior firms.  They also encourage laterals to attend social and mentoring events, including those that are mostly for summer associates, so that we begin to feel like part of the family.”
• “Excellent integration program. Felt as though I had been practicing at Nutter for years after only 6-9 months.”

ASSOCIATE LIFE

Firm Culture

• “In general, attorneys socialize frequently; the firm hosts summer and holiday parties and many summer associate-oriented events that involve other attorneys at the firm. Associates tend to be pretty close to each other, even across departments, since the summer classes tend to be fairly small (typically 5-10 associates). I think it's seen as somewhat unusual for an attorney (even a partner) to not be involved with department or firmwide social events.”
• “The firm socializes frequently together—there are weekly ‘wine downs’ for all lawyers to attend.”
• “Attorneys at Nutter genuinely like spending time together. Nutter hosts weekly socializing events for attorneys, and the firm gathers for lunch in the Nutter cafe daily.”
• “Very pleasant environment. I love the people I work with and most people at the firm are friendly and kind and collegial. I think the environment is unusually positive for a law firm.”

Associate/Partner Relations

• “The partnership is invested in my growth and development, and individual partners take the time not only to mentor and train associates, but to get to know us.  My department in particular is transparent as to goal setting and what is expected of us. …”
• “Individual partners generally treat associates very well. They are respectful of our time and our contributions. The firm strives for transparency but can sometimes be slow in getting messages out. There can be a lack of transparency around salaries and internal promotions.”
• “Partners treat associates with utmost respect.  Very supportive environment.”

Hours

• “In general, the partners are comfortable allowing associates to be flexible in terms of face time and working at home. Our department's co-chairs are also pretty reliable in terms of trying to monitor each associate's hours and evenly distributing new assignments, but inevitably as you grow more senior you end up working with the same clients and same partners, so that directly impacts your hours.”
• “In general, most people work 10-12 hours a day. While there is flexibility in where you work, there is a strong face-time culture.”
• “1,900 billable and [100] accountable [hours] make an associate eligible for a bonus. Pro bono counts as billable; business development, training, etc. count as accountable hours. 1,800 hours is considered to be the [minimum billable-hours expectation.”

Compensation

• “Near-market compensation, but firm's family-friendly environment is worth it.”
• “Our pay is slightly below market and is compressed as you move up the ranks. While the threshold for receiving a bonus is clear, the amount that associates will receive is not always clear.”
• “I feel that I am well compensated for the practice area I am in, and for the number of billable hours required of me.”

Quality of Work

• “I am mostly challenged by the work I am assigned, but I feel that I have the appropriate amount of support and oversight to complete the work efficiently while still expanding my expertise. Occasionally, I am also given projects that feel completely comfortable and I appreciate having those from time to time to develop the freedom and intuition to take a project from start to finish. Nearly all of my time is spent on substantive legal work.”
• “Our firm handles a pretty wide range of work (in terms of monetary size and complexity) so sometimes I'm the third attorney in terms of seniority of a high-stakes development deal or financing, and other times I'm overseeing a [lawyers more junior than I am] on a small commercial deal or even a residential deal for a private wealth client.”
• “I feel that I am given sophisticated and interesting work and always provided with support to accomplish it.”

Technology & Innovation

• “I have not had any problems with the technology; we can work remotely using a VPN system. We are beginning to roll out new laptops this spring.”
• “Nutter seems to be interested adopting new technologies to improve work processes and better serve clients.”

Training & Mentoring

• “Each associate [is] assigned a mentor, which changes to more senior mentor as you become more senior. Frequent trainings.”
• “The firm has a formal mentorship program for associates at each tier of their career, and the firm sponsors several mentorship events throughout the year and encourages mentor/mentee pairs to get coffee or lunch outside the office regularly. The training in my department is similarly extensive, with weekly sessions led by a rotation of partners for all junior associates and laterals.  I also feel as though a good deal of informal mentorship and training takes place [on] an ongoing basis.”
• “Each practice area has a "Nuts & Bolts" training program for junior associates; the firm also puts together mid-level and senior-associate "academies."”

Career Outlook

• “Promotion to partnership seems like a realistic option. The firm does promote some senior associates to ‘of counsel’ positions, but that seems rare. Exit opportunities exist for people to go in-house, to the government, or other law firms.”
• “Promotion to partnership is entirely realistic and is assumed of all associates who choose to stay.”
• “… The firm is also hosting a retreat for all senior associates to explore partnership and related issues … and the department chairs are expected to allow their senior associates to attend. …”

PRO BONO & DIVERSITY

Pro Bono Commitment

• “Nutter has an excellent legacy of pro bono service dating back to its founder, Justice Brandeis.”
• “The firm is highly committed to pro bono work. The litigation group handles many pro bono cases—working with KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) and the Mass. Civil Appeals Clinic. I am working on a green card application for two sisters who were recently granted asylum. The firm also worked on their asylum applications. Two members of our group also recently went to trial in a pro bono matter in housing court.”
• “We are an absolute leader in pro bono work and are encouraged to take on as much of it as we choose. This is a huge part of the firm's culture.”

Diversity Efforts

• “The firm is certainly making an effort to hire more diverse candidates. It is showing up in the associate ranks, but there is not much diversity in the partnership ranks.”
• “Nutter has made significant strides to promote diversity and inclusion within the firm, including in its hiring practices.”