Responsibility Early: A Miles & Stockbridge Advantage
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Posted By: Miles & Stockbridge
Category: M&S Stories
Giving new lawyers meaningful responsibility early in their careers is one of the many things Miles & Stockbridge does quite well. As a member of the recruitment and professional development team since the spring of 1998, I have been in a unique position to watch with pride as former summer associates and new lawyers progress in their careers.
Chris Davis, for example, a Class of 2007 tax lawyer, had quite a steep learning curve. But with a stellar work ethic, a head for business tax, and a hands-on mentor (tax lawyer extraordinaire, Jeff Markowitz) Chris has become another "go-to tax lawyer" in just 2 ½ years. He recently wrote an article that was posted on Tax-Miles, Miles & Stockbridge’s new tax blog. It’s a real client story that, in my opinion, embodies the client-centric focus deeply woven in the fabric of our law firm. Check out Chris’ blog entry for yourself: A Tax Emergency.
During his first year of practice, Class of 2007 business litigator Scott Wilson handled four bench trials – all on his own. He represented clients at mediations and settlement conferences. He briefed and argued in court several motions to dismiss. He took two depositions and attended many others. The list goes on, including the drafting of an appellate brief with one of our senior lawyers. And that was just in his first year with Miles & Stockbridge.
Since Labor & Employment lawyer Darah Okeke began practicing in the fall of 2007, she has represented one client in a mediation and another client at multiple administrative hearings. Darah has developed workplace and anti-harassment training workshops and has presented them to hundreds of our clients’ employees. But that’s not all. She has drafted and counseled clients on employee handbooks and company policies, plus the terms of employment, non-competition/non-solicitation, consulting, and severance agreements. The list of substantive motions Darah has drafted include motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment in matters involving wrongful discharge, discrimination and harassment, breach of contract, trade secret/non-compete, defamation and other employment-related torts.
What’s more, Chris, Scott, and Darah were members of Miles & Stockbridge’s Summer Associate Class of 2006. Not surprisingly, they were selected to participate as mentors in our 2010 Summer Associate Program. Our team is very proud of their accomplishments.
Randi S. Lewis
Director of Diversity & Professional Development
Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
