Excerpted from the Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms, 2017
Edition. Reprinted with permission. © Copyright 2016 Vault.com,
Inc. Photocopying is illegal and expressly forbidden.®
Exciting Expansion Quarles & Brady’s Chicago office has
grown in size to over 100 attorneys, up from 40 attorneys in 2006.
In 2014, Quarles & Brady opened two new offices—in Indianapolis
and Scottsdale. This comes directly on the heels of the firm’s
expansion into the Washington, D.C. market in 2013. With practice
areas in business law, energy and environmental law, intellectual
property, labor & employment, litigation & dispute
resolution, real estate and others, the firm has landed
recognizable clients such as the Harley-Davidson Motor Company,
MillerCoors, and Wells Fargo Bank. The firm is strong in
litigation—it has acted as defense counsel in massive class action
and product liability suits involving asbestos, tobacco, tires,
vaccines and forklifts. Quarles & Brady also has a thriving
bankruptcy practice, which has handled airlines, casinos, resorts
and dot-com companies.
Leader in DiversityRecognized nationally and locally for its
diversity initiatives, Quarles & Brady sponsors diversity
scholarships and internships and maintains a “Women in Leadership”
program. The Firm has been named the “Best Big Law Firm for Female
Attorneys” by Law360. For several years, including 2015, the firm
has been named a “Best Law Firm for Women” by Working Mother
magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers. In 2016 Quarles & Brady was
named a top law firm by Equity Illinois, and obtained a Women in
Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) Gold Standard recertification for the
sixth straight year.
Vault’s Verdict: Strong academic credentials are essential for
candidates vying for a spot at Quarles & Brady, but a friendly
personality is key to make it into the collegial firm. New
associates and laterals can expect a sense of comradery and plenty
of mentoring to get acclimated to the Midwest mentality firm.
Hiring Process• “The firm actively participates in on-campus
interviewing, especially in states where our offices are located.
Grades are an extremely
important criteria, as are extracurricular activities (the more
substantive, the better, e.g., journal, moot court, clerkships,
clinics, etc.). Prior work experience can be important depending on
the practice group (e.g., health law). Diversity and personality
are taken into consideration.”
• “Looking for solid grades and a demonstrated interest in the
location and the firm itself.”
Quarles & Brady LLP
Firm inFo
ContaCt inFo411 East Wisconsin AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53202(414)
277-5000www.quarles.com
LoCationsMilwaukee, WI • Chicago, IL • Indianapolis, IN •
Madison, WI • Naples, FL • Phoenix, AZ • Scottsdale, AZ • Tampa, FL
• Tucson, AZ • Washington, DC
PraCtiCE arEasCommercial Restructuring, Bank-ruptcy &
Creditors’ Rights • Business Law • Energy & Environmental •
Health Law • Intellectual Property • Labor & Employment •
Litigation & Dispute Resolution • Product Liability • Public
Finance • Real Estate & Land Use • Tax Exempt Organizations •
Trusts & Estates
tHE statsNo. of attorneys: 496No. of offices: 10Summer associate
offers (2015): 21 out of 21 (2Ls only)Chair: Kimberly Leach
JohnsonHiring Partners: Tony Steinike (Chicago); Lucy Dollens
(Indianapolis); Emily Feinstein (Madison); Mike Aldana (Milwaukee);
Otto Immel (Naples); Craig O’Loughlin (Phoenix); Kelli Edson
(Tampa); Gavin Milczarek-Desai (Tucson)
EmPLoymEnt ContaCtMarguerite DurstonSenior Manager, Attorney
Recruitment(312) [email protected]
2017 Top 100 Law Firm HiGHLiGHTS
tHE sCooP
Quality of life
#7 Informal Training, Mentoring & Sponsorship#21 Career
Outlook#24 Formal Training#24 Substantive Work#25 Integration of
Laterals/ Clerks
DiverSity
#19 Diversity for Women#24 Diversity for Minorities
regioNal
#19 Midwest
gEtting HirED
Excerpted from the Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms, 2017
Edition. Reprinted with permission. © Copyright 2016 Vault.com,
Inc. Photocopying is illegal and expressly forbidden.®
assoCiatE LiFE
satisfaction• “This is a great place to work. I have the
opportunity to work on
wide variety of very interesting projects and get involved in a
meaningful way early on.”
• “Although I am a recent lateral, I’ve been given high levels
of responsibility and the partners seem to trust in my abilities
and judgment. The group has been very welcoming, with a good flow
of work since I started.”
Firm Culture• “Lawyers can socialize if they want but don’t have
to. During the
work day, I have extremely positive, pleasant interactions with
my co-workers and feel they take a genuine interest in my life
outside of work. At the same time, the office is very professional,
which I appreciate.”
associate/Partner relations• “There is a tremendous amount of
associate and partner
interaction. Our partners seem to value the associates and
recognize their importance in getting work done. Firm management
does a very nice job of updating associates on policy changes
(what, why, how and when), breaking down the financial health of
the firm and orchestrating a formal evaluation process for
associates to obtain feedback on their performance and professional
development.”
• “Partners and associates interact daily. Most partners are
very appreciative of the assistance provided by associates. Many
partners gladly take the time to get to know associates and help
them with their career. The firm’s performance and financials are
provided regularly. However, the firm does not provide a good sense
of strategic direction and other ‘soft’ information.”
ProFEssionaL DEvELoPmEnt
Work assignments• “My work is entirely substantive. I’m often
doing ‘partner-level’
work on my own (taking depositions, arguing motions, and
conducting internal investigations) with little or no partner
oversight. The partners train and empower the associates to handle
such activities, so associates are not merely conducting research,
writing, or doing document review.”
• “Entirely assigned substantive legal work, such as
patentability and infringement searches, cease and desist
investigations, and legal drafting associated with IP
litigation.”
training & mentoring• “Quarles has specific trainings for
associates, based on their
levels—junior, mid-level, or senior—during which particular
skills are taught. For example, the mid-level retreat provided
negotiation and business development training. New associates and
laterals are assigned a mentor and given a budget for mentor-mentee
activities, as well as ‘assignments’ to complete together.”
• “The firm runs a formal mentoring program in which all
associates are assigned a mentor to help support the associate.
Mentors are given a budget and encouraged to go for coffee and
lunch outside of the office with their mentees to encourage open
discussion.”
Career outlook• “Promotion to partnership seems very realistic
here, and seems
to be a primary reason many laterals came here.”
soCiaL rEsPonsiBiLity
• “I am very proud of the firm’s role in the community and its
commitment to pro bono work as reflected in allowing associates to
include pro bono work in their base hours and in making numerous
opportunities available, as well as offering support for associates
to pursue independent pro bono opportunities.”
• “Our firm is an excellent place to work for women—and we’re
currently led by a female firm chair. There are opportunities for
flex time that still keep you on the partnership track when and if
you decide to have a family. The firm also offers paternity leave
for new fathers. We have a number of minority and LGBT employees,
both attorneys and staff.”
ovEraLL BusinEss outLook
• “Quarles seems to be growing its number of attorneys and
expanding its satellite offices.”
• “Our firm is recognized as top-notch in the area and as having
happy, smart attorneys. I think the biggest businesses in the area
want to work with us and recognize our value. Clients keep calling
me back to work on new projects so I take that as our firm being
proficient at delivering valuable legal services, which is what
clients ultimately want (value).”
summEr Program
• “Great summer program, fun social events, but also good work
assignments. Really good group of summer associates with similar
values which resulted in great camaraderie among the summers.”
• “I was able to choose my practice area; in fact, I believe all
summer associates were placed in their practice area of choice. So
far, the firm has the same familiarity I felt as a summer associate
and no surprises. I find that to be a great testimonial to the
summer program.”
2017 Top 100 Law Firm HiGHLiGHTSQuarles & Brady llP
our survEy says
