©2024 McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC. All rights reserved.
At McNees, we foster a firm culture that attracts and retains the best people. We work with enthusiasm and unity of purpose. It is important to us to hire individuals with excellent academic and employment credentials. We offer a competitive salary, a broad range of benefits, and a team approach to practicing law.
The firm offers attorneys a unique opportunity to practice in challenging, sophisticated areas of the law ordinarily associated only with large metropolitan law offices. At the same time, we enjoy a lifestyle that balances the diversity of an urban area with the quality of life provided by affordable suburban and rural residential living.
McNees has been named to the list of Best Places to Work in PA for 10 consecutive years and 2015 marks the firm’s seventh consecutive year with a top ten ranking.
Employment inquiries should be directed to:
Elizabeth Maninfior, Talent Acquisition Manager
McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC
100 Pine Street
Harrisburg, PA 17108-1166
emaninfior@mcneeslaw.com
Overview
McNees actively seeks attorney candidates through its Summer Associate Program and as needed, the recruitment of third year law students. The firm also places a strong emphasis on recruiting highly qualified lateral candidates with defined areas of substantive experience.
At McNees, we believe it to be important that our attorneys are committed to community involvement, civic leadership and have strong interpersonal skills.
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
McNees Wallace and Nurick LLC is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion/creed, sex, disability, marital status, age, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, possession of a General Education Development Certificate as compared to a high school diploma, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by the applicable federal or state laws or municipal ordinance. This commitment applies to, but is not limited to, decisions made with respect to hiring, placement, compensation, benefits, promotions, demotions, transfers, terminations, layoffs, return from layoffs, administration of benefits, and all other terms and conditions of employment. Likewise, employees are responsible for respecting the rights of their co-workers, as we must all work together to insure continued success.
McNees Hiring Committee
Members of the Hiring Committee serve at the discretion of the Management Committee. Current members of the Hiring Committee include: Susan E. Bruce, Chair; Adeolu Bakare, Dana W. Chilson, Timothy R. Deckert, Shaun R. Eisenhauer, Kelley E. Kaufman, and Shawn K. Leppo.
Q: How many hours are associates expected to bill?
A: Each associate is expected to bill 1800 hours per year.
Q: What is McNees’ membership track?
A: Entry level associates are placed on a seven to nine year membership track, allowing a three-year “window” for membership consideration. Each associate is brought on board with the goal of future membership.
Q: Does McNees offer any bonus opportunities?
A: Associates are eligible for a year-end bonus provided billable hour requirements are met and the firm exceeds annual budgeted revenue by an amount sufficient to fully fund the bonus program.
Q: Does McNees allow attorneys to work modified hours?
A: Yes. We recognize that, at various times in one’s working career, alternative work arrangements are necessary for an attorney to balance family responsibilities, such as care for a parent, spouse or child, or to address his or her own medical needs, while maintaining a productive and rewarding practice. McNees has an “Alternative Work Policy” to address these situations.
Beginning on the first day of the following month of employment, the firm provides various benefits for its employees, which currently include:
Health Insurance – we offer three levels of PPO medical insurance and a Health Savings Account option. Coverage is available for dependents on a payroll-deduction basis. If a full-time employee does not require medical and dental insurance, he/she will receive an opt-out benefit.
Dental Insurance – individual dental coverage is borne entirely by the Firm for full-time employees. Dental coverage is also available for dependents on a payroll-deduction basis.
Vision Insurance – individual and family vision coverage is a voluntary benefit and is available on a payroll-deduction basis.
Life Insurance – we provide coverage based on one times an employee’s annual salary, with the ability to purchase supplemental life insurance through payroll deduction, within policy limit.
Short-Term and Long-Term Disability – benefit is 60% within policy limit.
Flexible Spending Accounts (Cafeteria Plan) – employees can reduce their taxable income for expenses relating to non-reimbursed medical/dental/vision expenses or day care.
McNees 401(k) Savings Plan – employees reach eligibility on January 1 or July 1 after one “year of service.”
Employee Assistance Plan – employees and their qualified family members are entitled to three free visits through Mazzitti & Sullivan, an organization which provides confidential behavior healthcare management.
Bar Association Dues and Professional Memberships
Personnel as of January 1, 2016:
Attorneys
Members – 69
Of Counsel – 33
Associates – 28
Total Attorneys – 130
Paralegals and Specialists – 29
Support Staff – 106
Total Personnel – 265
Membership Track: 7 – 9 years
The ten-week Summer Associate Program is McNees’ primary source for hiring new associates. Summer Associates are selected from 2L law school students interviewed by representatives of the firm’s Hiring Committee. The firm typically hires four to six Summer Associates, depending upon projected hiring needs for first year associates the following year.
The Summer Associate Program is administered on a day-to-day basis by the Summer Associate Committee, Jonathan D. Andrews and Pina G. McCarthy. The primary goals of the program are to provide each Summer Associate with an opportunity to understand the private practice of law in a multitude of practice areas, as well as experience the unique culture of McNees. The program also provides the firm with ample opportunity to fully evaluate each Summer Associate’s work performance, work ethic and interactions with attorneys and clients alike.
To accomplish this, the Summer Associate Committee focuses its efforts in four areas:
Inquiries Concerning Hiring
Inquiries concerning Summer Associate hiring should be directed to:
Kathi J. Lipinsky, Recruiting Coordinator
McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC
100 Pine Street
PO Box 1166
Harrisburg, PA 17108-1166
klipinsky@mcneeslaw.com
1. The Committee attempts to provide a workload for each Summer Associate that is reasonable in magnitude, yet also provides a variety of assignments in many different areas of the law. The Committee makes every effort to ensure that each Summer Associate works with as many different attorneys as possible and in as many practice areas as possible. Each Summer Associate is provided with an attorney Mentor and work assignments are typically distributed to Summer Associates each week at a regular meeting with the Committee. Each Summer Associate is expected to work a total of 230 hours on Summer Associate projects during the program.
2. The Summer Associate Committee provides “field trip” opportunities for each Summer Associate to observe various facets of the private practice of law. Typically, Summer Associates are welcome to attend depositions, oral arguments, administrative hearings, trials, labor arbitrations, closings, board meetings, client conferences and a variety of other events. McNees firmly believes that providing this opportunity to Summer Associates will present them with an invaluable learning experience, and it will help shape their particular interest in the areas of law in which they may want to practice.
3. The Summer Associate Program includes social activities and events that make the Summer Associate experience even more enjoyable. These events provide the Summer Associates the unique opportunity to interact with members and associates alike, in informal settings. The Firm also strives to incorporate opportunities for Summer Associates to take part in charitable and civic projects, a key aspect of life at McNees Wallace & Nurick.
4. The Summer Associate Program is to fully inform the Summer Associates about both the internal structure and the proud history of McNees. The Firm’s Chairman will speak with the Summer Associates during orientation and again individually in an exit interview. The Hiring Committee Chair will have lunch with each Summer Associate, and the Summer Associates will also be treated to a luncheon or happy hour with each of the Firm’s Practice Group Leaders. The criteria for determining whether an offer of full-time employment after law school is made to a Summer Associate includes a variety of factors observed during the course of a Summer Associate’s tenure with the Firm, as well as the hiring needs of the Firm’s individual Practice Groups. A key source for evaluating a Summer Associate is their work product. Evaluations are completed by each attorney for whom a Summer Associate performs a project. Attorneys are asked to evaluate the Summer Associate’s performance on the basis of the quality of the work performed, the timeliness of the finished product, the difficulty of the work assignment and the analytical/problem solving skills demonstrated. These evaluations are gathered by the Summer Associate Committee, which meets with each Summer Associate to provide both a mid-summer performance evaluation and an end of the summer exit interview, where performance evaluations are discussed. Other factors include our evaluation of the Summer Associate’s professionalism, judgment, maturity and interpersonal skills. At the conclusion of the summer program, the Summer Associate Committee makes its recommendations to the Hiring Committee. The Hiring Committee and the Management Committee then work closely together to determine which Practice Groups anticipate the need for a new associate, so that preliminary placement decisions can be made and offers of employment extended no later than September 15.
The Discovery of a Unique Law Firm
Q: What is the practice of law like at McNees Wallace & Nurick?
A: We believe McNees has achieved a true balance of challenging legal work and quality of life, a feat which few other firms have accomplished. With attorneys working in over 25 different practice areas, the firm has attracted and retained high-quality clients for more than 75 years. The broad client base that McNees enjoys has allowed the firm to develop highly specialized legal experience and engage in sophisticated and rewarding legal work.
Q: What is meant by the phrase “quality of life?”
A: Many firms liberally use the phrase “quality of life” with regard to their firm, but in reality very few attorneys in today’s legal community really know what it means. At McNees, we believe “quality of life” means that our attorneys work hard on demanding legal projects while remaining committed to their personal lives. At McNees, the work is important, but family and friends remain a central focus for most McNees attorneys. Few other firms can say the same.
Q: What are the attorneys like at McNees Wallace & Nurick?
A: In any field, the quality of the finished product largely depends upon the skill and commitment of the people who perform the work. On a purely academic level, McNees attorneys have been educated at some of this nation’s finest law schools. There is a high level of interaction between not only attorneys within the same practice group, but throughout all disciplines of the firm. The atmosphere during the day at the office is exceptionally collegial, and many of the attorneys spend time with other attorneys and their families outside of the office. McNees attorneys truly care about one another – and that statement is not made lightly. Although many firms tout the “quality” of their people, we believe very few can compare with McNees.
Q: At what rate are summer associates compensated?
A: Summer associates are paid at the same rate as an entry-level associate.
Q: How long does the summer program run?
A: The summer program is a fixed 10-week program.
Q: How many hours are summer associates expected to work?
A: Each summer associate is expected to work about 230 hours on summer associate projects during the 10-week program.
Q: How many summer associates do you hire for the summer program?
A: Typically four to six 2Ls, the majority of whom are 2Ls. Our CAMP 1L also joins our summer program. We are conservative in hiring summer associates because our intent is to be able to make offers for full-time employment to all of our summer associates if their performances warrant it.
Q: Does McNees consider first year law students for its summer program?
A: We encourage first year law students interested in our summer program to contact us after December 2. If you are going to be in Harrisburg over the winter or spring holidays, please indicate that in your cover letter.
Q: Ultimately, why should I interview with McNees Wallace & Nurick?
A: There are hundreds of high caliber law firms in this country, and, like McNees, most of them actively seek to hire graduates from the top law schools. Some rely on firm reputation, without making an effort to explain what is being done to maintain that reputation. Some simply pay new associates a large salary, assuming that money can overcome a lack of lifestyle and/or a poor work environment. Others rely on the fact that they are located in a big city, without explaining how or why that affects the firm itself.
A law student or graduate should be wary of a firm that is one-sided and does not present a balanced mix of quality legal work, people, and lifestyle. We believe we have succeeded in achieving such a balance, which makes us unique in today’s legal community. Our continued commitment to maintaining that balance is why some of the nation’s best and brightest law school graduates have chosen to practice law at McNees. We invite you to join us.
Q: How should I apply if I am at a school where McNees does not interview on campus?
A: Send a cover letter, resume and transcripts (undergraduate and law school) to:
Kathi J. Lipinsky, Recruiting Coordinator
McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC
100 Pine Street
PO Box 1166
Harrisburg, PA 17108-1166
klipinsky@mcneeslaw.com
©2024 McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC. All rights reserved.