associate

litigation associate

legal secretary

paralegal

litigation paralegal

Ballard Spahr LLP

I chose to work at Ballard for its reputation for diversity and I was drawn to its pro-bono work. I bought into the dream that Ballard was this great place to work, but I was painfully mislead.

As a support analyst, I have worked for larger law firms, but by far, Ballard houses some of the most ornery, crass, disrespectful group of Partners for whom I have ever worked. It's disgusting how the partners drive the professional climate of the IT department. For such a small IT department, there is a comical number of managers and supervisors, so expect to be tragically micro-managed. If you sign up to be employed by the IT department, understand that it is a very cliquey environment and if they hire you but later decided they don't like you, regardless of if you do a good job or not, they will get rid of you. The directors (except for 1) are not supportive of the IT team at all. They don't advocate training or career growth. They are no more than puppets for a handful of partners who charge $$$$$$/hourly to clients but don't know how to check voicemail on a telephone or turn on a computer.

And if all of that is still appealing, you will also have to brave doing your work in an environment that is so loud and distracting it's like your desk is in the middle of an arena during a playoff game. No privacy. No quiet work environment.

I worked for 4 attorneys at all times while employed at Ballard Spahr.  My attorneys were all busy but their work always was completed within the time frame specified.  With each deal I worked on, I made it a point to learn about the clients I was dealing with and the purpose of their engaging in a specific deal.  I had a wonderful relationship with all our clients and was as helpful as I could be in answering their questions.  In some instances, they never had to speak with my attorneys since I readily had answers for them that did not require an attorney response.  The LAAs (legal administrative assistants) were set up in teams at Ballard so that you could call upon a team member if you were really in a bind, which worked out very well.  The administration at Ballard was exceptional since they really cared about the employees, both LAAs and staff and were always willing to help if need be.  The hardest part of the job for ME was the travel to and from Center City, Philadelphia, which put me in transit three hours a day.  The most enjoyable part of my job was working for my attorneys and working along with all of my team members.

I had decent hopes when I joined Ballard (Denver, July 2024) but unfortunately my experience fell short. Despite meeting all my responsibilities and deadlines I encountered a lack of professionalism and respect from management and co-workers. Communication from attorney was deeply lacking and there were instances where my concerns about training were dismissed outright. Repeated requests of the specified training pieces required for success in the position were met with delay after delay, until I was ultimately terminated exactly one week before the conclusion of the 90-day end of probation period. And I was given zero explanation, simply that I was not a good fit. (Note: I am over 60.) Toward the end it was toxically silent due to the unanswered requests for the specific training I needed. The weirdness spun up by management's lack of management (too busy planning office parties to train new employees well) is the bad fit and I hope the company can take appropriate steps to improve its management practices and foster a more respectful workplace for new employees. 

Although the overtime pay was good, I had absolutely no work/life balance at all. Long hours everyday, including weekends left me tired all of the time. The office is unorganized, many of the people were unprofessional, and management was the WORST. Never have I been so overworked and unappreciated in my entire career until I started working there. I truly enjoyed my line of work until I started at Ballard. Needless to say, I left and have never been happier. I would not recommend this job to my worst enemy. If you start working there, prepare to not have a life outside of work and to be gossiped about constantly by the no-life employees there. Have a nice day! :)

The finance department experienced an overwhelming workload. We didn't have enough people to work comfortably and the overtime hours were insane. We were not allowed to listen to music to make our work easier to deal with and responsibly was not evenly distributed. We had to beg for help and received multiple temporary employees months later that in the long term still burdened the full-time employees because temps are not allowed to see all accounts. The AP department were separated because the manager didn't not ever along with everyone so there was always tension. The money was decent but I would not recommend working there if you care about your sanity.

Would be make my rounds, making sure everything is going smoothly. Helping others if needed. 

I have learned an immense amount since ive joined this great company in 2007. I have learned how to act in a business-like work place. How to prepare for meeting, and when and when not to speak up. 

Its funny because my favorite co-worker used to sit next to me. We share all types of storys about anything in general. Since I was so young when I started he basically taught me how everything went. I'd say he took me under his wing. Now that I have my degree and he had moved on to a better more fufiling job, I think its my time. 

Not the best position to be in if you are a paralegal. There was a lack of training and attorney/partners had very expectations to have 100% knowledge. There was a lack of support and I felt very much left in the dark, especially by the partner who hired me. There was a lack of team morale, team building, organization. I was left to feel lower level when the work I provided did not receive any credit and at meetings the attorney claimed all of the efforts in cases. The attorneys reaped the benefits and had the best position. Even the interns were treated better and welcomed with open arms. On a positive, there were a great amount of PTO, benefits, 401k and HR was amazing.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There was a wealth of knowledge and information behind every desk and door.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Billable hours, but it's the nature of the beast.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The overall work environment was warm and respectful

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I worked in affordable housing and community development so, I found my days to be busy, yet fulfilling.

During interview was informed overtime would be imminent but not to the extent of working overtime daily. Manager was mean, sarcastic, unsupportive of job advancement. Not willing to teach advanced skills necessary to advance. No additional training or learning opportunities. 0 Work/Life balance. Benefits were good, however some were expensive (Ex: family medical Insurance insanely expensive). Paid time off was good, but was unable to take a decent amount of vacation due to immediate manager.

This is a big  Philadelphia law firm where people work hard and are deadline driven to meet the needs of the firm. Most people I have encountered are professional and appreciate your hard work and getting the job done right and on-time. My only complaint is sometimes the noise level makes it difficult to concentrate or if you have to speak on the phone. The open floor plan looks nice but does not always lead to a beneficial working environment.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Associate 5 salaries reported	$200,000 per year
Litigation associate 1 salary reported	$235,000 per year
Legal secretary 1 salary reported	$65,000 per year
Paralegal 1 salary reported	$75,000 per year
Litigation paralegal 1 salary reported	$72,500 per year

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