legal assistant

paralegal

attorney

recruiter

document reviewer

Perkins Coie

I worked in 2 departments as an assistant, and I never met anyone who didn't look like they wanted to just go home and go to bed. The attorneys were more stressed than at other companies, which led to confusion and difficulty in maintaining efficient process flow for their assistants. Legal secretaries were excellent in knowledge and about 80% were very difficult individuals, but worth learning to work with because if you watched you could learn a lot. The hardest part of the job was the same as with any law firm; attorneys not realizing that as a non-attorney, I have to leave the building prior to a certain time in order to make a ferry boat to go home for the evening, and would keep me there doing banal things like filling out their personal Christmas cards (on Christmas Eve until 9pm.)  That's the rapidity in changing to which issue is the most urgent to attend to...I never knew when I was going home, but I knew it wouldn't be on time, and I knew that when I got to work I had no idea when I'd be able to leave.  

I created an invoice tracking system to reduce paper waste and eradicate errors in transcribing information from paper to digital data.  This system became a full time position and I was not permitted to apply for the position because I didn't have an accounting degree, yet had designed and used the process for 2 years.

Management just seemed overwhelmed and ineffective for the most part.

I will say that Perkins spared no expense when it came to giving out odd gifts.  $5 Starbucks cards were thrown around like they were nothing.  There were/are "happiness committees" in each department at the Seattle HQ that actually do nice things for everyone, like drop off a Payday candy bar on your desk on payday.  Just small things like that which made you feel like you were a part of something WITH the rest of the department.

The most enjoyable part of my job was learning from brilliant people.  There were no people lacking intelligence at Perkins Coie, in any department, and so much to learn from people who honestly wanted to see their coworkers excel.

I had four interviews for a patent paralegal job for which I highly qualified.  The first three interviews seem to have gone well, all of which were by phone.  The initial one is a basic screening, the second one was with the paralegal supervisor and the third one was in person at the office with the regional manager of the department.  I thought it all went well.  Finally I was asked to come in for a fourth interview to meet the rest of the group.  The first half of the interview was a conference call that went bonkers.  First the computer tech was unavailable, it took a long time to get the video to function.  Calls were made and finally it was somewhat functional.  When the video finally began to work, the camera was lopsided so it was difficult to see the others I was meeting on the monitor and sometimes the camera would show a blank wall for a few seconds.  It was disorganized and very distracting.  After four interviews, I did not get the job nor do they offer reasons why.  I think they should offer a reason for denying you a job that you highly qualify for. Despite the firm website advertising the firm as being a great place to work, I was very unimpressed with them.  It's all talk to look good on paper.

No place is perfect. That’s a fact. A big firm operates like a big firm. There’s lots of red tape and regulation which slows down all processes. The billing requirements are quite high which does not allow for a work life balance. But of all the places I’ve worked, Perkins Coie is my favorite. However, I KNOW that I am lucky at my office. My office tends to be much more healthy of a work environment than some of the other offices. I don’t doubt the truth in the reviews for the other office locations. My office is great. Very collaborative. People don’t seem stressed to the max. I feel that I have space to work and do my job. I like the training that is required of all employees (such as diversity training). There is a huge emphasis within the firm on culture. I do recognize that not all of the offices do as good of a job as mine does at practicing what they preach.

Benefits and work-life balance are exceptional.  There are opportunities for non-attorneys to grow, as the firm is somewhat advanced in exploring new law firm management practices and moving into the 21st century in terms of technology, business, and practice management.  There are a significant number of management personnel and attorneys, however, that are lackluster and inexperienced with no desire to improve the quality of their management or leadership.  There is generally a good rapport between attorneys and staff.  The firm prides itself on its perceived intolerance of "jerks," but in reality, anyone who brings in business can treat staff any way they want -- a circumstance common in most professional practices.

Once a great place to work with a family/community attitude and a purpose.  Changes made on the corporate level over the past 2 years standardizing all 14 offices under one system (regardless of difference in size and department operations), have wiped away the individual qualities of and contributions of staff.  Although, published on many lists, it is NOT one of the best places to work in the US.  This is PR spin.  It is drastically understaffed and morale is low with mid-and long-term employees leaving, many not ever wanting to work in a law firm again. Management does not care about its success on a human level but in how much money the firm can bring in.

Working at Perkins Coie was an amazing experience!  I learned so much about accounting systems that are used today and I was finally able to use my Finance degree to the fullest capacity!  I felt like royalty working there, even though I was a temporary.  I was allowed to participate in the holiday parties and some free lunches provided by the company.  I also had access to the company cafeteria on the 48th floor, which gave me a wonderful perspective of Seattle on my lunch hour!

Days to day work life can become monotonous if you let it. Days are created by your self motivation as projects may only come in waves. The company has been around for 100 years and will probably be here for the next 100. Overall they do take care of their employees(great benefits and 401k packages). The IT department does try and look for the latest in technologies to keep up with the modern world as well as be able to support their current User Staff. the HR staff treated me like one of the family since my first day there. They also have an in-house cafeteria with whole quality foods as well as Starbucks machines through-out each of the floors.

time is spent most of the time in a climate-controlled environment. Typically, the environments are normally clean, well-lit and well-ventilated. However, one must occasionally work in conference rooms, other offices or from home, including travel to other locations to complete projects. Conditions at onsite locations vary depending on the nature of the facility visited, its location and current weather conditions.  There are tight deadlines and fast-paced demands as is the nature of the work.  Interaction with other legal staff in and outside the office, including legal providers, is part of the responsibilities of the position.

I've worked at numerous law firms over 25 years, and this is the best one ever. They keep staff updated with monthly staff town halls and gave big raises (many over 7% this year) as well as increasing PTO and paid family and medical leave. They also gave attorneys big raises too, so they did this to be fair to staff. The hardest part of the job is the time spent in meetings--it is very collaborative to a fault as it makes people less efficient. That said, the people are nice; the food is plentiful; and the work is extremely busy and challenging. There are lots of training opportunities. I would come here again and plan to stay awhile.

Perkins Coie treats their staff very well. Recognition is a top priority. They have monthly breakfast for everyone to welcome new people at the firm. It is a friendly atmosphere where the attorneys treat the staff like their equal. There aren't people looking down on anyone who isn't an attorney. Where I'm working now, some attorneys won't even give you the courtesy of returning a friendly hello in passing. They will look you right in the face & not say a word. This doesn't happen at Perkins Coie. I miss that! 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Legal assistant 7 salaries reported	$61,571 per year
Paralegal 3 salaries reported	$84,667 per year
Attorney 3 salaries reported	$277,000 per year
Recruiter 4 salaries reported	$104,750 per year
Document reviewer 3 salaries reported	$35.00 per hour

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