First- and second-year salaries are equal at all of the firm's offices, but starting in the third-year, the salary scale for East Coast associates outpaces those of their Texas counterparts.  The firm has announced that it will be moving to a hybrid-lockstep compensation system sometime in 2010: associates will be grouped into junior, mid-level and senior associate groups and compensation will be based on those categories, rather than actual year of practice.  According to Lateral Link insiders, the firm operates at market for bonuses in Texas but is perceived as a follower in its East Coast offices.  A Lateral Link insider reports that the firm is "moving towards 'discretionary,' i.e., non-transparent and non-lock-step" bonuses, but for now, standard bonuses are awarded to associates who bill 2,000 hours.

Baker Botts imposes no mandatory rotations, but the firm encourages new associates to sample different practice groups for four months before committing a department.  While Lateral Link insiders report that the litigation group is somewhat more structured, generally, staffing practices at the firm are fluid.  Young associates report working with a number of partners and senior associates, and getting "substantive, client-facing work early on."  As for formal training and associate development programs, Lateral Link Members collectively complain that the firm could improve and that the programs the firm currently offers are sub-par.  In July 2009, the firm laid off several associates in its Houston and Washington, D.C. offices for economic reasons, the first official layoffs made by the firm.  Lateral Link Members report that there were also stealth layoffs during the first half of the year.

The Firm Says...

Baker Botts is dedicated to providing our lawyers with the training and development opportunities needed to excel during each stage of their careers. The firm's Professional Development Committee, which includes 17 partners firmwide, leads the implementation of firmwide training and development initiatives. Baker Botts provides numerous programs that address both specialized legal skills and general skills such as public speaking, client communications, marketing and business principles. In addition to formal training programs, mentoring and on-going feedback contribute greatly to the professional growth of our lawyers. The firm also conducts annual in-depth reviews of associate performance.

The Firm has appointed deputy department heads (DDHs), young partners who devote a substantial amount of their time to manage associate workloads, oversee the associate evaluation process, and act to facilitate communication between associates and the Firm. The DDH also holds monthly lunch meetings with his or her department's associates to keep them informed and hear their issues and concerns.

The firm requires associates to bill a minimum of 2,000 hours annually.  The consequences of not reaching the billable minimum depend on the circumstances; Lateral Link Members say low hours will be overlooked if it only happens once or during an associate's first year, or even if the overall hours at the firm or in a particular practice area are down.  However, in other cases, not making hours can result in an associate being shown the door.

While there is a consensus that there is no real face time requirement, most Lateral Link members report that they try to be the office during regular working hours.  As one Lateral Link insider puts it: "If you are billing your hours, face time is more 'optional.'"  Working on weekends is common, with many associates choosing to put in any necessary weekend hours from home.  Along with 10 paid holidays, the Firm allows three weeks paid vacation, and four weeks paid vacation in the New York office.

Associates agree that the firm encourages pro bono, and while a high percentage of associates perform pro bono work-85%-the average number of pro bono hours per associate-36-is not particularly noteworthy.  On the other hand, this number could go much higher on an individual basis, since the number of pro bono hours counted towards bonuses is unlimited.

The Firm Says...

Each year, our lawyers provide thousands of hours of pro bono legal services on issues as broad as the varied interests of our lawyers. Our trial lawyers typically volunteer their time and experience on problems ranging from adoption, child custody and other family law concerns to death penalty, civil rights, and federal and state constitutional law issues. Transactional lawyers at Baker Botts volunteer on everything from matters requiring contract, corporate and tax advice to cases involving nonprofit agencies that provide services to children and families in need. In addition, our transactional lawyers also work with community development corporations and financial institutions that are striving to help impoverished neighborhoods and individuals, and they also donate their time and effort to an array of community and nonprofit organizations.

Our dedication to pro bono work is unwavering. Baker Botts strongly encourages our lawyers to devote time to pro bono legal work, and the full resources of the firm are available to serve pro bono clients. In year-end evaluations, time recorded by the lawyers on pro bono matters is valued on an equal basis with legal services provided to fee-paying clients. We encourage and recognize pro bono contributions because they're important for our firm and the communities in which we live.

The firm has a two-tier partnership system, with an average of eight years for non-equity partner and eleven-and-a-half years for equity.  However, according to one Lateral Link Member, "Partnership track is a non-issue, [and] almost no associate takes it seriously."

In addition to the standard set of benefits, Baker Botts offers bimonthly happy hours, a conference center with free Starbucks coffee and snacks, subsidized gym memberships, and dinner reimbursements for associates working in office after 7:00 p.m.  In addition, the firm provides extensive relocation benefits, including consulting services with home- and apartment-finding agencies, direct billing with movers, car shipment, and airfare or gas mileage reimbursement.

The Firms Says...

Baker Botts L.L.P. provides a comprehensive, robust benefits program for its Associates, including, but not limited to: three weeks paid vacation (four weeks in NY); 12 weeks paid parental leave and an additional 12 weeks of unpaid leave if requested; health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, long-term disability coverage, accidental death & dismemberment coverage; domestic partner benefits, 401(k) plan; flexible benefits plan, flexible spending accounts (both health care and dependent daycare), employee assistance program, local bar association dues, bar expenses, reasonable moving expenses, health club subsidy, and state occupation tax.

Lateral Link Members in Baker Botts' summer program praise the "partners [who] care about your career development" and the "interesting," "top-level work" they received during the summer.  Summer associates are assigned work by a non-attorney summer coordinator in conjunction with assigning attorneys and are expected to complete about 10 assignments over the course of the summer, with the firm allowing them to choose to sample work in various practice areas or focus on just one group. Summer associates do not use BlackBerrys during the summer, and Lateral Link Members report that they were generally out of the office by 6:00 p.m. and not expected to work on weekends.  However, one summer associate notes that the firm is a "conservative Texas firm" and at times the atmosphere can be "male-dominated."  During the ten-week summer program, summer associates are invited to attend up to three attorney lunches each week as well as weekly social events.  The firm also holds a summer retreat in Austin, which Lateral Link Members say is a "good mix of professional development and fun activities."  The retreat includes sessions on diversity and practice groups, as well as a golf tournament and dinners. The firm made offers to slightly over half of its 2009 summer associate class, although the percentages varied widely across offices.

The Firm Says...

Baker Botts' Summer Associate Program gives you real experience working for the firm's clients under the supervision of experienced lawyers and with the support of a strong mentoring program. Mentoring and feedback are built in. A team of partners and associates will be your advisors - guiding your projects, offering critiques of your work product, introducing you to other lawyers and answering questions. Through this process, you'll get exposure to more people and ideas sooner and discover what Baker Botts is really all about.