C OMBINING OLD SCHOOL McCarter & English, LLP Managing ences - PDF document

LAW Annual Law Firm Managing Partners Roundtable: Recruiting, Mentoring and Managing Millennials Creativity is allowing New Jersey’s top law firms to assimilate Millennials into their complicated cultures. All generations learn and are forever changed by the process. C OMPILED BY M ILES Z. E PSTEIN E DITOR , COMMERCE Morristown Office, Richard Cino, Esq.; and adapting to generational differ- C OMBINING “OLD SCHOOL” ● McCarter & English, LLP Managing ences and understanding what moti- training with valuable new skill Partner Stephen M. Vajtay, Jr.; vates young attorneys. When speaking sets, law firms are using the infu- ● Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A. with candidates, we emphasize our sion of Millennial attorneys as an oppor- Chairman Matthew R. Sorrentino, Esq.; training, mentorship and professional tunity to embrace new technology, pass ● NPZ Law Group Managing Attorney development programs. And while com- on courtroom and workplace experi- David H. Nachman. Esq.; pensation is always an important factor, ence, and hone the services that they ● Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & we know that for this group that means offer current clients, while preparing for Perretti LLP Managing Partner benefits, perks and other advantages— the future. The result is more horsepow- Glenn A. Clark, Esq.; not just salary. We remain committed er, and the ability to run law firms that ● Scarinci Hollenbeck Managing Partner to providing a successful mentorship can compete and win in the new and Kenneth Hollenbeck, Esq.; program for new associates to help emerging business paradigms. The fol- ● Sills Cummis & Gross P.C. Managing them become integrated into the firm lowing law firm leaders participated in Partner Max Crane, Esq.; and their individual practice. New COMMERCE’s 2016 Law Firm Managing ● Trenk, DiPasquale, Della Fera & lawyers are assigned two mentors who Partners Roundtable: Sodono, P.C. Managing Partner, help guide them through their first ● Archer & Greiner P.C. President President Sam Della Fera, Jr., Esq. years with the firm. A senior associate Christopher R. Gibson, Esq.; serves as a resource for new attorneys, ● Cole Schotz P.C. Co-Managing Archer & Greiner P.C. answering questions about the firm and Shareholder Michael D. Sirota, Esq.; By Christopher R. Gibson, helping to facilitate their professional ● Connell Foley LLP Managing Partner Esq., President development, and a shareholder helps Philip F. McGovern, Esq.; lead the attorney through the career ● Genova Burns Managing Partner The ability to attract development process. This generation of Brian W. Kronick, Esq.; and retain younger lawyers attorneys contribute greatly to the firm’s ● Gibbons P.C. Chairman and Managing is essential to the future success of any digital footprint. Through their regular Director Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Esq.; law firm, and we have paid particular use of social media, they bring people to ● Harwood Lloyd, LLC Co-Managing attention to our recruiting efforts as the firm’s Website and social media sites, Partner David M. Repetto, Esq.; more Millennials enter the workforce. drawing more attention to the firm’s ● Jackson Lewis Managing Principal, We know the importance of recognizing services and professionals. continued on page 18 COMMERCE • www.commercemagnj.com 16

LAW continued from page 16 from our firm. We believe this approach is a win-win-win for our associates, the firm and most importantly our clients. Genova Burns By Brian W. Kronick, Esq., Managing Partner With Millennials more focused on work/life bal- ance and quality of life, it is key to pro- mote our firm culture as one that offers flexible work schedules, technology to work virtually, and hands on assign- ments with small teams of junior attor- neys, senior attorneys and partners that create an environment which provides for great growth and experience at an early stage in one’s career. We recognize that Millennials get their news and information in much different ways than previous generations. Our digital foot- Cole Schotz P.C. Webinars and strategic, industry-related print and social media strategy needs By Michael D. Sirota, Esq., media placements. Many of our younger to be geared to that end, and we seek Co-Managing Shareholder attorneys have been able to build input from our Millennials on how best impressive online profiles, which serve to accomplish that mission and get our Our Millennial attorneys to validate their particular expertise message out. are one of our greatest and the accomplishments of our firm. assets. They form the cornerstone of our Gibbons P.C. growth and expansion plans and infuse Connell Foley LLP By Patrick C. Dunican Jr., energy, innovation and technical skills By Philip F. McGovern, Esq., Esq., Chairman and in our practice. They are eager to learn Managing Partner Managing Director and very interested in being future lead- ers of the firm. Our strategic business Connell Foley has a long At Gibbons, we treat model is to recruit extremely talented established commitment to Millennial attorneys no differently than young lawyers and then provide them developing its future leaders. Buttressed we have prior generations of attorneys with accelerated training and skills by an active recruiting program, we rec- at the outset of their careers. We are development. All new attorneys are ognize the need to plan for the future upfront about our high expectations assigned mentors and we schedule and in so doing place significant value for client service, skills enhancement, numerous interactive and substantive on the unique skills and perspectives billable hours, pro bono commitment programs focused on developing our that Millennials bring to the practice of and business development. We hope young talent into seasoned profession- law. As a whole, Millennials are techno- they are excited by the challenge, as als. Young attorneys at our firm gain logically savvy and have played a signifi- prior generations of attorneys have invaluable experience working as inte- cant role in increasing our digital foot- been, and they appreciate the respect gral members of client teams and are print through blogs and sharing content we show them by treating them as involved from the beginning of the on social media. The firm provides regu- equal to those who came before them. representation through completion. lar training programs that are geared Nonetheless, we certainly adapt our We also provide young attorneys with towards offering our associates the pro- approach to the particular stage of their opportunities to learn about firm man- fessional development opportunities careers that Millennial attorneys at agement issues, participate on various they need to grow into becoming Gibbons currently occupy. For example, firm committees and present ideas to seasoned practitioners. We do this to they have several mentoring options. advance the firm’s position in the mar- ensure that not only are they satisfied Traditional partner-to-associate mentor- ketplace. Millennials are particularly in their careers at Connell Foley, but also ing offers career guidance, support and well suited to expand our digital foot- to make sure that we are developing passage of institutional and professional print and we encourage them to do so the type of legal and business leaders knowledge, while associate-to-associate through our Blogs, client alerts, that our clients have come to rely upon mentoring enables sharing of insight by continued on page 20 COMMERCE • www.commercemagnj.com 18