Freedom to create a life

Transcription

1 Freedom to create a life in the law GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP

2 By now, you ve spent countless hours preparing for a life in the law. The step you take next deciding where and with whom you ll launch your career will be among the most important you will ever make. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is one of the world s preeminent law firms. Our lawyers work on some of the most high-profile deals and litigation in law, involving cutting-edge legal issues and a wide range of clients from top-tier corporations to underprivileged individuals. Gibson Dunn offers an unparalleled opportunity to build an exceptional career of extraordinary dimensions, working with some of the best and brightest anywhere in the legal profession. join us

3 Given my wife s predilection for luxury hotels, it was perhaps more than a coincidence that I was given the opportunity to spend six months on secondment at Marriott Inc. s fractional ownership business in London. Working with the legal team on an innovative private equity fund raising project allowed me an invaluable insight to the business environment of one of Gibson Dunn s key clients. My Marriott experience provides one example of the many opportunities available to associates in GD&C s corporate department. RICHARD BENNETT Associate, London Freedom to build from a strong foundation a distinguished history Only a handful of law firms offer a foundation for a life in the law. With such a rich and distinguished history, Gibson Dunn is one of those firms. In May 1872, John Bicknell, a tall, 34 year-old, red-bearded lawyer stepped down from the stage coach at the Plaza of Los Angeles with his sights set on building a law practice. By the 1880s, he had attracted one of the region s most important clients, the Southern Pacific Railroad. It took time to select a quality partner, but in 1890, Bicknell teamed with Walter Trask, a litigator, thus launching the unbroken chain of partnership that today is Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Also launched was a unique set of firm attributes, including selecting only quality lawyers; balancing ideas across the political spectrum; and providing powerful resources in both transactional and litigation-related legal services. More than a century later, these attributes still define today s Gibson Dunn. 800 lawyers, 13 offices, one firm. Gibson Dunn lawyers represent an elite clientele around the world in a wide array of legal practice areas. Consistently recognized as one of the world s leading law firms, Gibson Dunn enjoys the distinction of regularly achieving top U.S. rankings for both mergers and acquisitions and litigation. Marriott s Marbella Beach Resort, Spain

4 As a sixth-year corporate associate in GD&C's New York office, I have the opportunity to work on challenging, high profile M&A transactions. In addition, the way we staff our deals results in associates getting a lot of responsibility early on in their careers. For example, just last year we were counsel to Investcorp for the sale of its portfolio company, Jostens, Inc., in a transaction valued at $1.2 billion. Our corporate team, which consisted of a partner, two junior associates and myself, facilitated the auction process, drafted the merger agreement and conducted the proxy solicitations, among other things. These are just a few of the ways that GD&C distinguishes itself from other nationally ranked firms with strong M&A practices. RASHIDA LA LANDE Associate, New York Even with our significant geographical reach, we resolutely consider ourselves to be a single, unified firm, and we operate accordingly. No office is a satellite or separate profit center, and the same high professional standards prevail from the smallest office to the largest. The highest levels of firm management are also dedicated to supporting our one-firm culture. Firm committees, dealing with areas such as hiring, diversity, pro bono, professional development, compensation, associate evaluations and new partner nominations, draw members from all of the firm s offices and make decisions for the firm as a whole. summer program The freedom to choose your colleagues. Gibson Dunn s Summer Program offers the opportunity to get a genuine feel for the diversity of our practice, the strength of our commitment to clients, our passion for practicing law, and the integrity and dynamism of our lawyers. Gibson Dunn has developed a Summer Program based on substance, one that allows summer associates to learn firsthand what our lawyers do and what they can expect if they choose to begin their legal careers at Gibson Dunn. Real world. Real work. Summer associates work on real matters for clients. They are given the opportunity to work on large and small teams handling a variety of types of litigation matters and transactions from mergers and acquisitions to initial public offerings. Summer associates also gain valuable experience by attending client meetings, depositions, closings, negotiations, hearings and trials and by participating in the firm s numerous pro bono activities. The Gibson Dunn Summer Program is designed to allow each summer associate to work with many different lawyers in the firm s various departments and practice groups, and to become acquainted with one or more of the firm s offices. For summer associates who express an interest in particular practice areas, we make every effort to channel work assignments in those areas to them and to involve them in the day-to-day activities of lawyers who practice in those areas. Each year, the firm hosts a firm-wide three-day Summer Academy in Los Angeles. The goal of the program is to allow summer associates to meet and interact with Gibson Dunn s senior management team and get to know summer associates from all of the offices.

5 When I joined Gibson Dunn s appellate group in Washington six years ago, I knew I would be getting the opportunity to work on challenging and high-profile matters. What I didn't realize was just how much freedom I would get, even as an associate, to shape my practice and the course of my career in a way that fits my interests and ensures that I continue growing and developing as a lawyer. In the past few years I have handled a wide variety of appeals, including many for DaimlerChrysler, on whose behalf we recently filed a successful cert petition with the United States Supreme Court. THOMAS H. DUPREE, JR. Associate, Washington D.C. Freedom to pursue what interests you our practice groups Antitrust and Trade Regulation Appellate and Constitutional Law Business Crimes and Investigations Business Restructuring and Reorganization Consumer Class Action Corporate Tax Corporate Transactions and Securities Emerging Technologies Employee Benefits Entertainment Environment & Natural Resources Executive Compensation Financial Institutions Global Finance Government and Commercial Contracts Insurance and Reinsurance Intellectual Property International Trade & Customs Labor and Employment Latin America Legal Malpractice Defense Litigation Media Public Policy Real Estate Securities Litigation Telecommunications

6 technology The freedom to work from wherever you are. Gibson Dunn provides its attorneys and staff with an advanced set of technology tools to facilitate work within and outside the firm for the benefit of its clients and the convenience of its lawyers. For example, all attorneys are provided with the latest model laptops and docking stations. The firm regularly refreshes its inventory of these computers, usually every two years, to assure that our attorneys have the most up-to-date technology. To assure that communications can take place at all times and from virtually any location, our systems provide remote access capabilities from firm-provided laptops, personally owned home PCs, and PCs in other locations, including Internet cafes, anywhere in the world. Gibson Dunn-provided laptops have wireless communications capabilities so that they can be used in any location, in any office of the firm, without a physical network connection. This wireless capability is also available for attorneys who have home wireless networks as well as from public wireless hot-spots. All attorneys are also provided with wireless Blackberry mobile handheld devices so that communications are available at all times. These Blackberry devices also function as mobile Gibson Dunn operates high-speed networks connecting all of our offices together and securely to the Internet. We use the latest versions of Microsoft Office, the imanage document management system and Microsoft Exchange for . All attorneys have direct access to Lexis and Westlaw and myriad other research tools. We provide an intranet portal, GDCNet, which gives our attorneys access to information, news and work product related to our clients, matters and practices. Service and Support. The firm provides a dedicated 24 x 7 global Support Center to offer technical, word processing and other types of assistance to attorneys. More than just a technical help desk, our Support Center analysts are trained to provide both a high level of technical assistance on the full range of our software applications and hardware as well as concierge level assistance. Our concierge services assist attorneys in finding the right people and information inside and outside of Gibson Dunn to assist them in providing service to our clients. And, as the name suggests, our concierge service has handled everything from helping a partner acquire a cell phone while working in Europe to defining monospacing for a busy associate. telephones and are capable of communicating messages and phone calls in many countries around the world.

7 I chose Gibson Dunn because the firm philosophy and work system affords associates a unique opportunity to tailor their practice and cultivate their skills at early stages of their careers. In my own experience, I worked on a nationwide antitrust matter that culminated in a successful summary judgment ruling for our client Ticketmaster. In that matter, I took depositions, argued in federal court, regularly interacted with the client, and worked directly with Freedom to find your own way life as an associate At Gibson Dunn, we work hard to create an environment to help our associates build great careers. For example, Gibson Dunn s free market system means that there are no work assignment rosters and no assignment partners. Instead, new associates have the freedom to seek out and choose the areas of the law and the people with whom they most want to work. During the first two years at Gibson Dunn, associates can rotate among the departments and areas of their choosing before selecting a department in which to practice. Ticketmaster s liability and damages experts, all within my second year of practice. Despite my junior status, my efforts were viewed as a significant contribution that led to an extremely favorable result for the client. ANGELIQUE KAOUNIS Associate, Los Angeles Gibson Dunn s philosophy is to give associates early responsibility so that they may obtain the skills necessary to build successful careers. Because of this philosophy we look for the most elite law students people eager and capable of handling this early responsibility. In many instances, matters are handled by small teams of attorneys comprised of a partner and one or two associates. Even on very large matters, young associates take on significant responsibilities and work closely with our clients. Our work culture encourages the development of mentoring relationships between partners and associates. As a variety of working relationships are explored, partners and associates alike begin to find the matches that click, providing the foundation for years of productive and rewarding collaboration.

8 Challenging work, sophisticated clients, the opportunity to work with exceptional lawyers, and a great atmosphere to practice law all drove my search for a home following a clerkship. Nearly five years later, I m still confident I made the right decision in choosing to come to Gibson Dunn in Washington, D.C. Through the free market system, I identified practice areas that interested me, and since then have developed, with the assistance of some great mentors, a diverse practice that covers both securities regulatory matters and a range of corporate transaction matters. In the past two years, I have been the senior associate on a multi-office team representing our good client Del Monte in several complex acquisition and disposition transactions, and have had the responsibility for negotiating critical elements of these transactions. MIKE SCANLON Associate, Washington, D.C. A chance to learn the skills you need. Professional training is something we take seriously at Gibson Dunn. We understand that associate training contributes not only to the quality and depth of our attorneys, but also to the potential of their careers. The hands-on training our attorneys receive enhances the career development of attorneys striving to be the best in the profession. Representative training opportunities New Lawyer Academy. Each January, the Associates Committee sponsors the New Lawyer Academy. The intensive three-day training and orientation program introduces new attorneys from the firm s offices worldwide to firm practices, philosophies, policies, management and resources. It also includes an outstanding legal writing workshop. In-house seminars. Each year partners and senior associates develop and produce critical skill training programs designed to provide the basic tools associates need to practice law. Included are topics such as legal writing, discovery and depositions, opening and closing statements, direct and crossexaminations, expert witnesses. New associates are also encouraged to attend educational discussions at monthly department meetings. These focused sessions are intended to assist new associates in developing substantive expertise as part of their professional development. Presentation skills workshop. A very popular in-house program is Presentation Skills for Lawyers. This workshop prepares attorneys to project confidence, poise and clear thinking in various presentation settings, from formal stand-up to less formal sit-down situations. Attorneys are videotaped in real-world meeting situations and receive instruction via group briefings, coached meetings and private one-on-one sessions. CLE budget. Because Gibson Dunn is also committed to providing access to training opportunities outside the firm, each associate has an annual CLE budget which he or she may use as they wish to attend programs that would benefit their practice even if the program is offered in another city. Typical opportunities include NITA s Taking and Defending Depositions, the Rutter Group s Basic Training for Litigators, Northwestern University School of Law s Securities Regulation Institute and PLI s Securities Filings. Other training opportunities include all PLI, CEB and other organizational seminars and programs available as well as unlimited access to PLI Web-based programs. Associate book allowance. In order for associates to have their own copies of law books and periodicals pertinent to their practice, the firm provides an annual book allowance that may be rolled over each year. the associates committee The Gibson Dunn Associates Committee is comprised jointly of associates and partners from each of our 13 offices. The role of the Associates Committee is to serve as a liaison between associates and firm management in addressing issues and policies that affect associates and associate morale. One function of the Associates Committee is to ensure that new associates achieve a smooth transition into the Gibson Dunn culture and work environment. Thus, the Associates Committee runs the New Associates Program. Although the specifics of this program vary from office to office, the program provides a formal orientation for each new associate who joins the firm. In addition, each new associate, at whatever level, is assigned one or more buddies, senior lawyers who can help with work-related issues and serve generally as an information resource. The New Associates Program also has been provided with a generous budget, which permits new associates to get to know other lawyers through informal lunches and dinners, and larger-scale, organized social events. The centerpiece of the program is the firm-wide New Lawyer Academy, which takes place every January, usually in San Diego or Palm Springs. Each new attorney participates in a range of orientation, educational, and social activities specifically designed to provide lawyers with a solid foundation on which to begin their careers at Gibson Dunn. Over the years, the Associates Committee has been involved in initiatives concerning nearly every aspect of associate life, including training, compensation, the associate review process, family leave, part-time policy, pro bono and many other areas of interest to associates.

9 I have been pleased to see that all of the things I read about the firm before choosing to come here as a summer associate are true. The litigation practice is incredibly strong and diverse, the free market system provides associates with the flexibility to work on matters of interest to them and with a variety of talented lawyers, and associates are given a very high level of responsibility in working on significant matters. For example, I have been the Freedom to be who you are diversity Gibson Dunn places a high priority on the hiring, retention and promotion of minority and women attorneys at the firm and has for many years. More than 25 years ago the firm made its first Hispanic and African-American partners, and today people of color are represented in the firm s offices worldwide. Gibson Dunn s Diversity Committee is responsible for ensuring a firm-wide commitment to diversity in all hiring efforts in every office. This commitment to diversity attracts a rich mixture of men and women of different races, ethnic backgrounds, cultures, sexual orientation, and political and religious beliefs. senior associate among a group representing Bear, Stearns & Co. in a class action litigation. My work has included managing discovery, writing briefs, and working closely with the client and other Gibson Dunn lawyers to develop strategies for the case and analyze factual and legal issues. KATHRYN NEALON Associate, New York In recent years, approximately 50 percent of the summer associates employed at Gibson Dunn have been women, and today, some 40 percent of the 550 associates employed at the firm are women. Women participate on every committee at the firm, including at the top management level, the Executive Committee. Four of our offices have a woman serving as the Partner-In-Charge.

10 pro bono A chance to help others. At Gibson Dunn, we believe that pro bono work is not just a good idea in theory. We make it a part of our everyday practice one reason why Gibson Dunn was recently chosen as the Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year by the Public Counsel Law Center, the country s largest public interest law firm, and was honored by Bet Tzedek, one of the largest legal services organizations in California, with their Commitment to Justice Award. In addition, Steve Glover, a corporate partner in our Washington, D.C. office, was selected Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year for 2004 by the D.C. Bar Board of Governors for extensive work in the D.C. community. Among the programs cited in these awards was our groundbreaking Adoption Saturday program in which hundreds of Gibson Dunn lawyers, paralegals and staff volunteer thousands of hours to place foster children with adoptive parents. Since the beginning of the program in 1998, the Los Angeles and Dallas offices have handled over 2,000 adoptions. In addition to the Adoption Saturday program, the New York office recently created a Guardianship Saturday program. This effort is aimed at providing legal guardianships for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities in New York. Gibson Dunn s pro bono activities represent the defense of justice in a wide variety of legal areas, such as child custody and adoption, landlord-tenant disputes, conservatorships and guardianships, wage claims, voter redistricting, public school system reform plans, political asylum, human rights, First Amendment rights, civil rights, endangered species and hate crimes. Gibson Dunn also has filed numerous pro bono briefs in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, Gibson Dunn attorneys provide counsel free of charge to organizations that assist low-income and indigent individuals with a wide range of legal needs. We partner with groups such as Bet Tzedek, the Western Center on Law and Poverty, Public Counsel, the Alliance for Children s Rights, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Legal Aid Society, Habitat for Humanity, the Sanctuary for Families Center for Battered Women s Legal Services and many others, often assuming leadership roles in addition to providing pro bono legal assistance.

11 client sampling The company you ll keep. By virtue of our stature in the nation and the world, the reputation of our lawyers, the depth of our experience, and the consistent successes we achieve for our clients, Gibson Dunn is often selected as counsel for some of the best known names in business and government worldwide. Following is just a sampling of the company you ll keep if you choose to build a life in the law with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is truly a place where one can have it all. Because of the freedom I have had to make my own practice choices, I have worked in two different departments, with attorneys from all Gibson Dunn offices, and on a wide range of matters. The work I have done with Intel Corporation is a good example. My interactions with Intel have ranged from significant and complex M&A transactions requiring firm-wide teams, to investment transactions handled largely on my own alongside Intel business and legal personnel, to ongoing securities law compliance matters. That type of experience and client interaction provide me with a very well-rounded legal practice. JENNIFER CHALOEMTIARANA Associate, San Francisco At every stage of my career, Gibson Dunn has given me the opportunity to take on significant responsibility in cases that matter. This year, I am primarily responsible for day-to-day administration of the restructuring of Solutia Inc., one of the five largest chapter 11 cases filed in the United States last year. Importantly, the firm has given me all of the mentoring and support I need to meet this new challenge. NATASHA LABOVITZ Associate, New York Before I started at Gibson Dunn, I was somewhat apprehensive about what private practice at a large law firm would be like after clerking on the United States Supreme Court. The time I ve spent so far has proven my initial concerns completely unfounded. From day one, I ve developed both professionally and personally, and learnt a great deal about lawyering that I was never exposed to as an appellate law clerk. I ve always been given a high level of responsibility in drafting briefs, taking depositions, and arguing some of my own motions. Gibson Dunn offers cuttingedge, dynamic legal work to those attracted to private practice at a major, nationally and internationally ranked law firm. JULIAN POON Associate, Los Angeles I came to Gibson Dunn because I wanted to work on challenging, cutting-edge litigation matters for highprofile clients. I was not disappointed. Right off the bat, as a first-year associate, I was given the opportunity to be part of a team that was defending a high-profile computer company in a highstakes antitrust case. It was a great experience. I saw firsthand the benefits of a collaborative, team-oriented approach to litigation and had the opportunity to learn from some truly talented Gibson Dunn lawyers. As I look back now, almost nine years later and having recently become a partner at the firm, it is very apparent to me how much my growth as a lawyer and my career here at the firm have been shaped by the great people with whom I ve had an opportunity to work. SAMUEL LIVERSIDGE Partner, Los Angeles

12 GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP Los Angeles Area Offices 333 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, California Tel: (213) Fax: (213) Century Park East Los Angeles, California Tel: (310) Fax: (310) Washington D.C. Office 1050 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C Tel: (202) Fax: (202) Palo Alto Office 1881 Page Mill Road Palo Alto, California Tel: (650) Fax: (650) Paris Office 166 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré Paris, France Tel: Fax: Brussels Office Ave. Louise Brussels, Belgium Tel: Fax: Dallas Office 2100 McKinney Avenue Suite 1100 Dallas, Texas Tel: (214) Fax: (214) New York Office 200 Park Avenue, 47th Floor New York, New York Tel: (212) Fax: (212) San Francisco Office One Montgomery Street Suite 3100 San Francisco, California Tel: (415) Fax: (415) London Office Telephone House 2-4 Temple Avenue London EC4Y 0HB, United Kingdom Tel: Fax: Munich Office Widenmayerstrasse München, Germany Tel: Fax: Orange County Office Jamboree Center 4 Park Plaza, Suite 1400 Irvine, California Tel: (949) Fax: (949) Denver Office 1801 California Street Suite 4200 Denver, Colorado Tel: (303) Fax: (303)