Dress Code Csar
Record heat in parts of the country this summer have caused many firms to allow a loosening of dress codes. This causes a lot of concerns for law firm administrators and HR Directors who are faced with trying to enforce a completely subjective standard. As one Executive Director said to us, “If I hear one more partner tell me that I should know inappropriate dress when I see it – I’ll strangle him with his tie.”

A Brussels firm has a solution which might not work in the politically correct law offices of the United States. The firm has published a booklet showing appropriate and inappropriate dress including a picture of Ally McBeal in a short skirt with a red X through it. It also includes pictures from GQ and Vogue as examples of appropriate business dress. To handle questions of interpretation, the firm’s managing partner has declared himself the “Dress Code Csar” with the ultimate (and unappealable) right to decide what dress is appropriate and what is not.

On the topic of dress codes, we took an informal survey of law firms on their plans for extending summer casual into the fall. Two years ago, 45% of law firms who adopted casual dress for the summer were planning to return to regular business dress in the fall. This year. our informal survey of mid-sized and large law firms seems to indicate that there is a strong movement back to more formal dress, with 60% planning to go back to suits and ties in September. Please note that we only talked to firms that had not adopted a permanent casual policy but we did hear that a number of those firms are reconsidering a more formal standard.

Associate Compensation
For benchmarking purposes, a lot of firms ask us what associate compensation is for the East and West Coasts – sort of a test of how high the market goes. So here is our best intelligence on the New York / California associate salary levels.

California Firms

Firm	Base Salary	Bonus	Hours
Cooley Godward	1st year $125,000 4th year $150,000 7th year $205,000	Discretionary	1900
Fenwick & West	1st year $125,000 4th year $160,000 7th year $195,000	Discretionary + equity pool	1800/1950 (Two tiered system)
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher	1st year $125,000 4th year $165,000 7th year $205,000	Discretionary	None
Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich	1st year $125,000 4th year $165,000 7th year $205,000	Up to $36,000 Up to $60,000 Up to $60,000	1950
Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe	1st year $125,000 4th year $150,000 7th year $185,000	Up to $49,375 Up to $89,500 Up to $103,000	1900
Latham & Watkins	1st year $125,000 4th year $165,000 7th year $205,000	Discretionary	1900
Morrison & Foerster	1st year $125,000 4th year $165,000 7th year $205,000	Up to $12,000 Up to $22,000 Up to $22,000	1950
O’Melveny & Myers	1st year $125,000 4th year $150,000 7th year $195,000	Discretionary	1950
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe	1st year $125,000 4th year $165,000 7th year $205,000	Up to $50,000 Up to $65,000 Up to $75,000	1950
Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker	1st year $125,000 4th year $165,000 7th year $205,000	$5,000 to $40,000	None
Pillsbury Winthrop	1st year $125,000 4th year $165,000 7th year $195,000	$7,500 to $22,500 $12,500 to $37,500 $15,000 to $45,000	1950

New York Firms

Davis Polk & Wardwell	1st year $125,000 4th year $165,000 7th year $215,000	$17,500 $24,000 $40,000	None
Shearman & Sterling	1st year $125,000 4th year $170,000 7th year $220,000	$17,500 $25,000 $35,000	None
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett	1st year $125,000 4th year $170,000 7th year $220,000	$17,500 $24,000 $40,000	None
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom	1st year $140,000 4th year $185,000 7th year $220,000	$2,500 $4,000 $10,000	None
Sullivan & Cromwell	1st year $125,000 4th year $170,000 7th year $220,000	$17,500 $24,000 $40,000	None
Weil Gotshal & Manges	1st year $125,000 4th year $165,000 7th year $215,000	$15,000 Up to $40,000 Up to $40,000	None

Recruiting Web Pages
Law firm HR Directors and recruiters continually debate as to how detailed and aggressive a web site should be in attempting to attract new lawyers and staff members. Does sharing a site with the business development needs of the firm decrease its recruiting value? A new software package permits the firm to view web site visitors’ behavior in real time and create and test multiple versions of key pages until visitors respond appropriately. Details at www.optimost.com.

Unique Benefit of the Month
A law firm in Palo Alto is offering Tae Kwon Do lessons for its employees. The firm, in conjunction with a client, offers before-and after-work classes for attorneys and staff. Martial arts are credited with giving people confidence, relieving stress and adding to physical fitness at a much lower cost than an internal workout facility.