Your future starts here
Are you ready for a new chapter in your legal career? Whatever your level of experience, we know that making a move is a significant decision. At Reed Smith, we’re committed to helping you assess whether Reed Smith is the right fit and making your transition seamless and rewarding – for you and your clients.
Join a firm with a dynamic international platform, a collaborative practice group structure, and a proven record of strategic growth through the addition of exceptional lateral talent. We believe that delivering outstanding client service starts with attracting lawyers who take pride in their work, have a record of excellence, are focused on delivering high-quality client service, and enjoy a collegial and forward-looking environment.
We welcome talented lawyers with varied backgrounds and experiences. Your unique strengths will help shape our future.
If you are seeking to expand your opportunities in a vibrant and supportive workplace and with the chance to be part of something extraordinary, we invite you to explore what Reed Smith can offer. Let’s build the next stage of your career together.
Spotlight on career development
Our clients tell us how important it is for them to be able to work with well-rounded lawyers – those who not only possess excellent legal skills and knowledge, but also understand the business world and the client’s unique business and industry, and who focus their efforts on solutions that meet the client’s legal and business objectives. Internally, the generation of associates entering and coming up through the law firm ranks today is looking for greater development, more transparency, alternative paths, and a better sense of where they stand on the development spectrum.
Our Careers program is Reed Smith’s competency-based career development program. It is designed to provide our lawyers with the transparency, development opportunities, and support needed to achieve career satisfaction and success at Reed Smith and enables the firm to provide the best legal representation to its clients.
Learning & Development
Find out about our extensive learning and development programme to support you on your path to career success at Reed Smith.
Learn moreCompensation and benefits
Reed Smith’s goal is to attract, retain, develop, motivate, and reward high-quality attorneys in each of its offices. To this end, Reed Smith maintains a compensation program that emphasizes “total compensation” within a merit-based system.
The compensation program is integrated with Careers, Reed Smith’s professional development program. The Careers program provides a competency-based approach to development that identifies what is expected of Reed Smith associates at various career stages and what it takes to advance from junior to mid-level to senior associate, and from there to partnership.
Associate compensation
Our New Associates receive a starting salary of $225,000 per year. After your first year, our market-competitive salaries are adjusted annually based on performance against published competencies. Adjustments take effect January 1.
Bonus program
- Eligibility: Associates hired on or before October 1 are eligible for bonuses that calendar year.
- Non-discretionary bonus: Reach 2,000 total hours (chargeable + credited: pro bono, firm legal, innovation, development in action, culture and engagement, sustainability).
- Discretionary bonus: Based on performance and contributions, as recommended by your practice group leader. No minimum billable hours.
Benefits and wellness
We are committed to taking care of our people, offering benefits that support every stage of life and helping make both work and home feel more manageable. Reed Smith’s health and wellness program, Wellness Works, strives to promote the overall well-being of our attorneys and professional staff at the firm. The focus is on taking a proactive approach to promoting a healthy lifestyle by providing helpful programs and resources and making them available on an ongoing basis for all. This program encompasses the following pillars of wellness: Mental, Physical, Financial, and Social. Our goal is simple: to help you feel healthy, grounded, and able to bring your best to every part of your life.
Alumni Network
A key benefit of joining Reed Smith is that current and former members of the firm are able to join the Reed Smith Alumni Network. Through this program, you can get access to an extensive international network of current and former members of the firm, along with support, coaching, and future career opportunities that you can access throughout your career.
Learn more about our offices
Discover the locations of our offices in the United States and internationally.
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