January 24, 2011 8:10 PM

Wilmer Is Hiring...in Dayton

Posted by Irene Plagianos

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr opened its business services center in Dayton, Ohio, last September and, as expected, the office has been growing at a steady pace. Hiring continues on various fronts--the newest positions advertised include many lawyer spots, according to the Dayton Daily News and a "Look Who's Hiring" item from Saturday.

We decided to call Harold Gibson, Jr., managing director of the center, to learn more about the reported 40 attorney job openings. First thing, Gibson set us straight on one fact. "We're actually looking for twenty more [attorneys]," he says. "We already hired twenty, so the total will be forty."

As previously reported here and by our sibling publication, The National Law Journal, Wilmer's center handles back-office functions for the firm, including tech support, billings and collections, and other administrative matters. And, as Wilmer co-managing partner William Perlstein told the NLJ last April, while no lawyers would be on site initially,  "down the road" the firm would bring on attorneys for document review.

Sticking with that plan, the lawyer openings carry the title of "discovery attorney," according to Gibson. Those hired will handle document review on a variety of cases and earn somehwere in the range of $55,000 to $60,000 a year; their employment status will be full-time, with benefits.

The first twenty lawyers hired at the center came straight out of law school, says Gibson--and all from schools in Ohio, including the University of Dayton School of Law. The firm spread the word about the jobs at the schools and quickly filled the slots.

In addition to the 20 discovery positions now open, Wilmer has 40 more nonlegal openings--including 15 spots in billings and collections--at the center, whose total employee count stands at 150.

As of early Monday, Gibson says, the firm received five phone calls from job-seeking attorneys, in response to the article in the Dayton Daily News. Wilmer hopes to have at least ten new attorneys on board at the center by the end of February. And, once again, it plans to let the law schools in the area know that it's hiring.

"There are 32 accredited law schools within 250 miles of Dayton," says Gibson. "So, I'd say we're in a good market."

 

•RELATED ARTICLES

Polish Up the Resume: Hiring Looks to Pick Up in 2011
The Am Law Daily, 12/15/2010

Law School Deception
The Am Law Daily, 1/14/2011

Make a comment

Comments (0)
Save & Share: Facebook | Del.ic.ious | | Email |

Reprints & Permissions

The comments to this entry are closed.