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Recently interviewed for a lateral position there. I did some research and saw that it mostly hires senior level partners near retirement age at “better” firms.

The team I interviewed with is heavily dominated by partners (only a few associates). Is this model normal? Is it sustainable? Are they just banking on these partners leaving their clients with the firm when they retire?

I was and still am a little confused as to how an associate would get promoted/progress if they just keep adding more and more lateral partners. I didn’t speak with a single person who started their career there (the earliest someone joined the firm was as a 5th year associate).

I’m just a little concerned that I’ll get shitty work at the firm since most of these partners seem to be nearing retirement and not doing g much, not really gain any skills, and get pushed out once i’m no longer a junior associate.

Anyone work here or a firm with a similar model?

Bump, also a recent interviewee who is curious

Akerman associate here.

The firm seems to be doing really well. I think it’s an eat what you kill firm (a nonequity partner told me some of the equity partners make in the $2-3m range while others are in the 400k-500k range), but it isn’t too cut throat.

The people are generally friendly and like to distribute work if possible. A lot of our partners who lateraled in from more prestigious firms (we recently had a Sidley and McDermott partner lateral) are more senior and I do think part of it is to generate more business from succession plans (partner retires, Akerman retains client).

We end up getting more work from some of these “mega clients” because, when the partner laterals, the relationship partner can charge less than competitors (we have a lower billable), provide similar quality of work and convince the client to move other departments (employment/labor/etc.) to our firm.

It’s a smart sustainable business model. I really do think we need way more associates though. Some departments have 3 partners for every associate (our “sexier” departments - tax, corporate, real estate).

Overall, it’s a great firm and I wouldn’t be surprised if we pass 1000 attorneys in the next few years.

It's crazy to me that Akerman doesn't have a summer program for a firm of their size.

Anonymous User wrote:It's crazy to me that Akerman doesn't have a summer program for a firm of their size.

No official program but I think we do have summers in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. So, it should be a firm people mass mail.