Chadbourne & Parke recently announced a hiring freeze .  In early 2009, the firm announced a salary freeze, and in April 2009, it went further and announced a salary cut .  The amount of the cut was not announced, although the firm stated that it intends to repay the lost salary as a year-end bonus depending on economic conditions. The firm is considered a follower with respect to bonuses; 2008 bonus amounts matched market for comparable New York firms but did not come close to Skadden Arps levels. 

The firm has a formal staffing system, whereby associates receive work through an assigning partner.  In practice, however, Lateral Link Members say many assignments come directly from a partner and are simply approved by the assigning partner.  There are no official rotations, but if work is slow, associates expected to find assignments in other practice groups, and one Lateral Link Member notes that "corporate associates have recently been assisting with doc review."  Lateral Link Members say that training opportunities and associate development vary by group, with one associate noting that training is "a high priority" in his practice group, but another complaining that there is too little "communication regarding development and career goals."

To be eligible for a bonus, Chadbourne & Parke requires associates to bill a minimum of 1,900 billable hours plus 200 quality non-billable hours, such as pro bono and recruiting. 

The firm offers four weeks of vacation time, which rolls over to the following year.  Lateral Link Members note that most attorneys do not take all their vacation time and that it is not uncommon for people to work holidays or weekends, although attorneys will often try to do so from home.  Although there is no hard-and-fast face time requirement, Lateral Link Members report that there is a general expectation associates be in the office from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Although the firm recommends that its attorneys work 20 pro bono hours annually, Lateral Link Members report that there is no formal requirement to do so.  The maximum number of pro bono hours that will be credited towards billable hours is 100.  In addition, the firm offers a 16-month public interest fellowship at The Door, a New York nonprofit for indigent teens; it provides full-firm benefits to the fellow and offers the fellow the opportunity to return to Chadbourne & Parke at the end of the fellowship to practice in an area of the fellow's choice.

Chadbourne & Parke has a one-track partnership system, with an average of eight to nine years to make partner.  The consensus among Lateral Link Members is that the firm is accommodating and will allow attorneys who do not make partner to continue working at the firm and reconsider them the following year.

For associates staffed in Chadbourne & Parke's foreign offices, the firm reportedly provides excellent ex-pat packages.  In its U.S. offices, the firm provides an in-house cafeteria, regular happy hours, and dinner reimbursement and car service if working late at night.  However, associates in the New York office shouldn't expect their own office until their third year. 

Summer associates at Chadbourne & Parke have the opportunity to do hands-on work similar to what new associates do, as well as the chance to "shadow" partners and senior associates to experience what their work is like.  As one Lateral Link Member in the summer associate program explains, the firm takes "hands-on" literally: "We visited a client's wind farm and climbed a 55-meter turbine and were able to stand outside on the top."  The firm holds weekly trainings for summer associates, although for those not in the New York office, the training is often by video-conference.  In 2009, the firm had a nine-week summer program.  Work is assigned in various practice areas by a summer coordinator, but Lateral Link Members differ in their assessment of the substance of their work, with some saying there is too much "fake work" and "not enough actual work," while others feeling they "have been able to take real ownership of what [they have] been working on."  Summer associates' workloads vary by office, with Lateral Link Members in the firm's New York office saying they often work past 8:00 p.m. and on weekends, while those in Los Angeles reporting they leave by 6:00 p.m. and are not expected to work over the weekend.  Summer associates typically attend two to three attorney lunches each week in addition to social events such as wine-tastings and dinners. Half of the newest incoming class of associates at Chadbourne & Parke has been deferred indefinitely and, in addition to the $13,000 stipend they have already received, will also receive a $60,000 stipend in February 2010.