In 1989, I stood right about where
you are probably standing now. I was in
my second year of law school at the University
of Texas and I didn’t know what
I really wanted. The Midwest looked good
– but where? I was pretty sure I
wanted to be a trial lawyer – but
I didn’t really know all that the
job of "trial lawyer" entailed,
and I didn’t want to get pigeonholed
until I’d had the chance to try
it for myself.
I wanted to work on legal matters that
were challenging and exciting. But I didn’t
want to end up in a firm so large that
I would feel like an insignificant cog.
I looked for a place where I would want
to go to work every morning, but could
get away and have time with my family
as well.
I found it. In the fall of 1989, Seigfreid,
Bingham, Levy, Selzer and Gee was interviewing
on campus and I signed up. From that moment
on, I’ve never looked back. I agreed
to a summer clerkship with Seigfreid Bingham
in 1990. By the end of that summer, I
had agreed to accept an associate position
in 1991. From the very beginning, I saw
that being one of a very small class of
clerks and associates had its advantages.
I got to know all of the lawyers and their
families, and they made sure I had every
opportunity to prove I was the perfect
person for the job.
In the years since then, I’ve learned
from a group of people which includes
many of my best friends. I’ve worked
on extremely complex matters involving
major corporate names. Yet I’ve
enjoyed close client contact and open-door
access to all the senior members of the
firm to discuss both professional and
personal matters. I’ve been encouraged,
but not rushed, in my choices and my development
from a law student to a trial lawyer,
all within the intimate environment of
a "medium-sized" firm.
I’ve never regretted my decision
to interview with Seigfreid Bingham. As
a shareholder now, I can’t imagine
any other place I’d rather be, or
a more positive environment in which to
practice law.
Rachel H. Baker
Associate 1991
Shareholder 1996 |
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Running Time - 7:44
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10 Reasons Why This is Where
You Want to Be
There are at least 10 good reasons why Seigfreid Bingham
is a rather unusual law firm. Consider the important
differences available to you if you were to join us
as an associate.
| 1. |
"Partnership"
is a 5-year track.
Unlike many large Kansas City law firms, we won’t
make you wait 7, 8, or even 9 years to be considered
for "partner" (or more accurately these
days, shareholder). Five years from when you walk
in the door, you will be evaluated for membership
in the shareholder group. And also unlike many
firms, we don’t relegate our new shareholders
to some sort of "non-equity" status.
As a new shareholder, you will fully participate
in firm management and year-end distribution. |
| 2. |
You won’t
be forced into specialization.
Many of our attorneys have concentrated their
study and practice in aspects of the law that
particularly interest them, and we’re a
better law firm for it. But we don’t require
specialization. Indeed, we consider ourselves
to be a general practice firm which has not had
to succumb to the "boutique firm" trend.
This means that if you’re interested in
being a general business lawyer or an all-around
litigator, that’s what you can be. You won’t
be forced into a box which you just don’t
fit. |
| 3. |
You’ll work
on large clients with challenging problems.
Take a look at our client list. You’ll
see many of the major business enterprises in
the Midwest. As they’ve grown, so has the
size and complexity of their legal transactions
and sometimes, legal problems. You’ll be
involved in those challenging problems, exercising
the skill and analytical ability that took you
to law school in the first place. |
| 4. |
You won’t
be lost in the crowd.
Although we have large-size clients, we’re
not a large firm. You won’t be lost among
100 attorneys or even among dozens of new associates
in your "associate class." We’re
small enough to still emphasize the camaraderie
and personal interaction that we started with
in 1974. |
| 5. |
You’ll have
a mentor at your side.
As a new associate, you are assigned a "mentor",
an experienced attorney and shareholder whose
responsibility it is to see that you are not cast
adrift in the sometimes confusing legal profession.
He or she will see that you are given substantive
work, monitor your performance, coach you in how
to practice law effectively, and help you build
solid working relationships within the firm. |
| 6. |
You won’t
have to be afraid to express your values.
When we are looking for new associates, we’re
looking for more than first class academics. We’re
looking for people with values that are important
to them – values that include integrity,
individuality, a respect for others and the high
ideals of our profession, and an appreciation
for the freedom to express themselves. If you’re
looking for a place to express yourself and your
values, you’ve found it. |
| 7. |
You won’t
have to give up what’s important to you.
We know that there’s more to life than
practicing law. In fact, we recognize that the
best attorneys are those who fit law into a full,
well-rounded life that includes family, community,
recreation, and other activities that capture
their interest and dedication. While we’ll
expect you to work hard when our clients need
you, we won’t expect you to spend your life
at the firm. |
| 8. |
You’ll be
involved in running the firm.
Although partnership consideration is five years
out, participation in operating the firm is not.
Even our newest associates may be asked to serve
on committees such as Recruiting and Marketing.
Less formally, our open-door policy means that
any shareholder is accessible to your ideas and
input in firm management. |
| 9. |
You’ll only
be competing with yourself.
We hire only as many associates as we think we’ll
need to do the work we anticipate. And we don’t
hire 10 associates for 3 potential shareholder
positions. We fully expect and hope that every
associate will be with us for a long and rewarding
career. You’ll be expected to work up to
your potential – not to anyone else’s. |
| 10. |
You’ll have
a wide-ranging summer.
As a summer associate, you’ll be busy.
We want all our attorneys to have a chance to
work with you or at least meet you via social
events or softball games. And we want you to be
exposed to enough variety of work to get an idea
whether you like us and what we do. A summer with
us is not spent buried in the library. |
If these 10 reasons why we’re not your average
law firm sound intriguing, read on.
A little more about mentoring . . .
Many law firms have some kind of associate training.
Ours is called "mentoring" and it goes well
beyond training you in the fundamentals of practicing
law. Mentoring is a one-on-one relationship between
one associate and one shareholder designed to turn you
into a highly competent practitioner.
Mentors help control the
work flow.
Much of an associate’s work – but by no
means all of it – comes from the mentor. Equally
important, the mentor is there when the work is too
light, as well as when the work is too heavy. Your mentor
can save you from having to say "no" to work
assignments, and show you how to set reasonable time
deadlines.
Mentors give you and the
firm feedback.
One of the most confusing things that can happen to
an associate is doing work and never hearing another
word about it. To avoid this, your mentor is responsible
for giving you regular feedback on the tasks you do
each day. Then, on a more formal basis, mentors take
the lead in obtaining written evaluations from all the
attorneys with whom you have worked. This formal evaluation
includes the opportunity to meet with an outside coordinator
who helps facilitate communication between mentors and
associates. The goal is to assure that you are being
given and are able to complete the type of work an associate
with your seniority should be doing.
With this information, mentors report regularly to
the shareholders on the progress you’re making
toward consideration for shareholder. Using this process,
we try to identify and solve problems as early as possible.
Mentors "rotate"
regularly.
An associate’s first mentor assignment is for
two years. We consider those to be the most crucial
years in an associate’s development. After that,
a new mentor is assigned each year until year five.
Rotation provides you the opportunity to learn from
several mentors and develop your own style in the practice
of law.
We have summer mentors,
too.
During a summer associateship, you are assigned a
mentor who see that you are exposed to a wide variety
of attorneys and practice areas, as well as social opportunities.
If problems arise, your mentor is there to find solutions.
Your mentor also strives to see that you participate,
where possible, in trial preparation, trials, depositions,
closings, estate planning conferences, client business
meetings, and other activities beyond traditional research
and writing.
Compensation and benefits
We are committed to developing our associates into
shareholders at the earliest feasible time in their
careers. That is why we set the "partnership"
track at just 5 years. Being a shareholder means having
an opportunity to earn compensation based on your own
productivity and contribution to the firm.
In the meantime, as an associate working toward shareholder
status, you earn a salary which historically has increased
each year, in addition to a $1,000 holiday bonus in
December.
Special benefits for new
associates.
Of immediate interest to new associates are the benefits
we offer in the first summer of employment. We generally
ask associates to start working, at full pay, shortly
after law school graduation. In the first months, prior
to taking the Bar exam, most new associates work until
mid afternoon and attend Bar Review in the evening.
During this period, we offer the following:
- All Bar Review costs are paid.
- All fees for taking the Bar exam are paid.
- You receive full-time salary.
- You receive two weeks off with pay immediately before
the Bar exam.
- You can receive a moving allowance, if applicable.
In addition, our ongoing
benefits include:
- two weeks paid vacation annually
- monthly parking allowance
- Bar association dues paid annually
- group and major medical insurance
- life and long-term disability insurance
- short-term disability program
- participation in the firm’s qualified 401k
retirement plan
- participation in the firm’s profit-sharing
plan
- contribution toward membership fees in the downtown
YMCA
- free participation in the firm’s Employee
Assistance Program
We believe that our salary and benefit structure, combined
with the opportunity to be considered for shareholder
in just five years, makes employment with Seigfreid
Bingham truly exceptional.
Does
this sound like what you’re looking for ?
As you can see from the pages of this brochure, we are a group
of attorneys practicing law together because of our common
interests. We are high achievers and therefore, we seek high
achievers who are willing to work hard to help us continue to be
among the finest law firms in Kansas City.
More than that, we share a commitment to the values of
integrity and fair dealing with all persons, including
adversaries; respect for such old-fashioned principles as
"justice" and for our profession; and genuine concern
for each other, our extended families, and our communities.
We are looking for people who share those attributes and
commitments.
If this sounds like what you’ve been looking for,
please come speak with us when we are on campus. If
you are interesting in talking to us at any other time,
we encourage you to contact our Recruiting Director,
Rachel H.
Baker.
Seigfreid, Bingham, Levy, Selzer and Gee, P.C.
| 2800 Commerce Tower |
| 911 Main Street |
| Kansas City, MO 64105 |
| (816) 421-4460 - Telephone |
| (816) 474-3447 - Facsimile |
In their own words...
"I enjoy working in a small firm atmosphere on cutting edge legal issues.
For example, I obtained the first hospital Physician
Hospital Organization ruling in the nation from the
I.R.S." Cindy McClannahan
"I take my mentoring responsibility very seriously. We owe it to our associates
to provide them with the advice and counsel which will
enable them to succeed. Their success is inextricably
bound to our own. Good mentoring leads to a win-win
situation for all of us." Mark Gilgus
"The practice of law is a marathon, not a sprint. You’ve got to structure
your practice – and your life – around what
you enjoy at a pace you can live with for the long term.
Mentoring is designed to help make that happen."
Jack Selzer
"I don’t look at it that we’re hiring
‘associates.’ What we’re recruiting is
future owners of this firm – that’s the only
position we have available." Greg Gerstner
"At my first interview, I felt an instant kinship
with Larry Bingham, Jack Selzer and Duane Fox as we
talked about the firm, Kansas City, my future, and whether
chance or design is the guiding force in the universe."
Mark Thompson
"I feel privileged to be a member of a firm whose
approach to the practice of law is economically realistic
and committed to the principles of justice and integrity.
I have never regretted my decision to join Seigfreid
Bingham." Paul Schepers,
"Although our lawyers have differing personalities
and interests, we respect and enjoy each other’s
differences." Lori Beam
"To me, one of the great appeals of Seigfreid
Bingham was the 5-year partnership track. That’s
hard to find any more with a firm of this quality."
Karla Shepard
"
Where else can you work for clients of the stature
of the Kansas City Chiefs, J.E. Dunn, or Merrill Lynch
at a firm where you know everybody’s name?
" Al Stopperan
"Litigation is all about dealing with conflict
and stress from the other side. I don’t think I
would have lasted this long as a trial attorney if I
had to deal with a lot of stress within the firm as
well. It’s one of the things I appreciate most
about Seigfreid Bingham – we’re all on the
same team." Rachel Baker
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