Program Structure

Summer associates are offered assignments from all disciplines throughout the Firm. Because of its non-departmentalized structure, this allows summer associates to perform a variety of substantive work on current projects. Each summer associate is assigned a supervising attorney who helps in the transition from law school to summer associate as well as monitors the work level of the summer associate and discusses his or her performance on specific projects. Our summer associates are not restricted to library research; instead, summer associates are encouraged to become involved with projects on which they work by attending negotiations, depositions, trials, etc. Several planned social functions assure that summer associates interact with the Firm's attorneys in relaxed settings, allowing a more unstructured opportunity to get to know the Firm's attorneys on a more personal level.

Summer Associate Evaluations

Each assignment is evaluated by the requesting attorney, in writing. Those evaluations, together with the mentor's overall review of the summer associate's performance, form the basis by which a summer associate is judged with respect to an offer for future employment. An exit interview with the Hiring Attorney is held at the conclusion of each summer associate's time with the Firm to discuss both the student's and Firm's aspirations and expectations with respect to future employment.

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ASSOCIATE DEVELOPMENT

Orientation

New associates are generally assigned to a specific department in which they have expressed an interest upon their arrival. We firmly believe that concentration in particular practice areas is crucial to competent representation of clients in a complex legal and business environment.

Development

Our greatest resource is our attorneys. Our goal is for every lawyer to be able to handle competently the most complex work in his or her area of expertise with full client satisfaction. Associates are encouraged to attend continuing legal education seminars offered by bar associations and other accredited organizations as well as those seminars presented in-house. All departments schedule informal lunch meetings, whose topics range from recent legal developments to current matters within that department. Each department chair monitors new associates and their work load. Additionally, an associate is assigned a mentor from within the department for day-to-day guidance.

Junior associates are evaluated semi-annually. While the evaluations are considered when determining bonuses and raises, they also serve as a progress report to the new associate in order to gauge one's own progress.

All associates are encouraged to become active in professional and community affairs. The Firm places a high regard on teaching and publication of articles in professional venues.

Work Assignments

From the start, an associate deals with important matters and is given substantial responsibility. The associate's work is reviewed by an experienced attorney until the desired level of competence is achieved. Each associate progresses at his/her own pace. Associates are encouraged to develop a good working relationship with clients as quickly as possible. The Firm encourages associates to bill 1800 hours annually; however, in addition to effort, quality of work product weighs heavily in determining annual bonuses and compensation.

Membership

Associates are considered for membership at the end of seven and a half years, based upon individual merit. Principal criteria in membership decisions are overall performance and professional competence. Advancement to membership does not depend upon development of new business and there is no fixed ratio of members to associates.

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THE COMMUNITY

Kansas City, Missouri, ranked 24th in population, is the most centrally located principal U.S. city. Founded as a river landing at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers, Kansas City is now a bistate community of 1.6 million residents, according to recent Chamber of Commerce statistics. The metropolitan area encompasses 4,777 plus square miles and 144 municipalities in seven counties of Missouri and four counties of Kansas. Often referred to as among the most livable of cities, Kansas City continues to enjoy a low cost of living, a major component of which is affordable housing, roughly 5% less than the national average. The city was named the country's No. 1 most affordable housing market by Ernst & Young and the National Real Estate Index in the 1993 Study of Housing Costs. Greater Kansas City was the first major city to have earned a clean air status from the E.P.A. Greater Kansas City is a center for financial services, communications, health care, law, education and government. Warehousing, manufacturing and distribution are also major industries due to the city's central location and abundant means of transportation. Agribusiness remains strong, particularly in management and research.

Kansas City enjoys being the home of such nationally recognized Fortune 500 giants as Sprint, who is joined by locally grown companies such as American Multi-Cinema, Inc., Hallmark Cards, Hoechst Marion Roussell, H&R Block, Twentieth Century Services and Kansas City Southern Industries to name a few.

In addition to the Kansas City Chiefs football team and Royals baseball team, Kansas City boasts Blades hockey, Attack indoor soccer, Wizards outdoor soccer  Explorers tennis, and NASCAR track. River boat gaming was also introduced in the mid-1990's. Kansas City has more professional theater than any U.S. city of its size, a repertory theater, symphony orchestra, lyric opera and state ballet. The Jazz Hall of Fame at 18th & Vine pays homage to the city's reputation as a great jazz center. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is home to one of the most impressive collections of Oriental, European and American works in the nation.

The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, with a membership of greater than 4,000 attorneys, joins the Lawyers Association of Kansas City in offering attorneys forums for meetings, seminars and socializing. The area is home to the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law known for its LL.M. program and is within commuting distance of both the University of Kansas School of Law and the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. The Charles Evan Whittaker Courthouse, home of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, was opened in 1998 and will form the north end of an area encompassing the City Hall, Missouri Court of Appeals-Western District and Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri. The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District is also located in Kansas City.

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RECRUITING SCHEDULE

The Kansas City office schedules on-campus interviews at these near-by schools: University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Columbia and University of Missouri-Kansas City. Students on other campuses (visited by recruiters from the St. Louis office) who are interested in locating in Kansas City, may interview and request their resumes be forwarded to the Kansas City office. Students attending other law schools who are interested in locating in Kansas City should apply by sending a resume to the Hiring Attorney. An interview at the Firm's office can then be arranged.

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HIRING INFORMATION

Hiring Policy

We do not adhere to rigid standards with respect to grade point average or class rank; however, consistent with the core value of the Firm to provide the best attorneys possible to serve our clients, we are attracted to those students ranking in the upper 25% of their class. We evaluate candidates on an individual basis, factoring in a number of elements including relevant experience, maturity and leadership to name a few.

Compensation

Compensation in the Kansas City offices of Lewis, Rice & Fingersh is commensurate with that of other metropolitan area firms of our size. There is an on-going review process to assure that graduates who select the Firm receive competitive compensation. Benefits provided for associates include 401(k) savings plan; a "cafeteria benefits" plan; health, disability and life insurance; two weeks paid vacation per year; professional dues and parking. We provide new associates a stipend and the time necessary to prepare for and take the Missouri Bar Examination. Because of our proximity to the Kansas state line, our associates are encouraged to also take the Kansas Bar Examination.

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INTERVIEWS AND INQUIRIES

While naturally a number of our attorneys come from regional law schools, a substantial number graduated from national law schools, including Berkeley, Chicago, Duke, Harvard, Michigan, Stanford and Washington University. Accordingly, we encourage judicial clerks as well as students at schools other than those at which we, or our St. Louis recruiters, interview, to contact our Hiring Attorney directly. Office interviews normally consist of short, individual sessions with five to six attorneys from the various departments within the Firm, including members and associates.

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STAFF OPENINGS

Occasionally, Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, L.C. has openings for staff positions including legal assistant, legal secretary, word processing, receptionist, information systems and accounting.

If you would like to apply for a staff position, send your resume to:

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CONTACTS

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