Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on Seyfarth Shaw LLP
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
Seyfarth Shaw
- Designation: National
- Head Count: 753
- Gross Revenues: $520,000,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $690,000
- Profits Per Partner: $910,000
- Year Over Year Change: 1
While Seyfarth Shaw has a broad scope of practice areas—from business law to environmental and tax matters—its bread and butter has always been employment and labor law. The Chicago–based firm, ranked sixty–second on the 2011 Am Law 100 with just over $450 million in revenue, handles virtually all aspects of workplace law from defending employers in discrimination, ERISA, and employee benefits litigation, to advising on executive compensation and pension funding. The firm has also created specialty teams to defend corporations against whistle–blower lawsuits and to guide clients on health care reform and compliance.
Founded in 1945, Seyfarth has some 700 lawyers (including 213 equity partners) spread out among ten offices within the United States and one in London. By many key measures it ranks far outside the industry’s leaders: At $735,000 the firm’s profits per partner placed 127th for 2010, and the firm is no chart–topper on diversity (123rd of 194 firms on The American Lawyer’s 2011 Diversity Scorecard, with less than 5 percent of the U.S. partnership consisting of minorities) or pro bono work (ranked 129th of 200 firms in the magazine’s 2011 survey).
But where Seyfarth has stood out is in its efforts to boost efficiency. It claims to be the only large law firm to build a client service model, which it calls SeyfarthLean based on Six Sigma, a business–process improvement methodology made famous by manufacturers like General Electric Company and Motorola Inc. The approach puts a heavy emphasis on data–driven decision making and process mapping, and Seyfarth says it has helped the firm get a better understanding of client needs and desired outcomes while improving staffing, efficiency, and collaboration, while reducing the overall cost of services by 15 to 50 percent.
—Updated as of 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 60 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 60 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 50 | no change | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | NR | N/A | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 129 | 32 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | 130 | 7 | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | NR | N/A | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | NR | N/A | Summer programs |
In the News
Newsmakers
: Texas Lawyer : May 20, 2013
Wage-and-Hour Suits Up For Fifth Straight Year
Catherine Dunn : Corporate Counsel : May 15, 2013
For the fifth year in a row, U.S. employers have seen an increase in the number of wage-and-hour lawsuits filed against them in federal court, according to calculations by the Federal Judicial Center
Wage-and-Hour Suits Reported to Be Up for Fifth Straight Year
Catherine Dunn : Corporate Counsel : May 14, 2013
For the fifth year in a row, U.S. employers have seen an increase in the number of wage-and-hour lawsuits filed against them in federal court, according to calculations by the Federal Judicial Center.
Wage-and-Hour Suits Up for Fifth Straight Year
Catherine Dunn : Corporate Counsel : May 13, 2013
For the fifth year in a row, U.S. employers have seen an increase in the number of wage-and-hour lawsuits filed against them in federal court, according to calculations by the Federal Judicial Center.
Most GLBT Americans don't have legal workplace protection
Shannon Green : Corporate Counsel : May 8, 2013
Jason Collins' decision to come out as the first gay male athlete who is active in a major-league sport generated mostly cheers from league executives, players, and fans this week.
Novak Druce
: The National Law Journal : May 6, 2013
Pepper Hamilton Links Pricing Analysis and Project Management
Gina Passarella : The Legal Intelligencer : May 6, 2013
When Pepper Hamilton hired a businessman to serve as its CEO, it set the tone for how the firm would approach the delivery of legal services. Since Scott Green took over in February 2012, he has created two new positions for the firm to apply project management and profit analysis to firm matters.
Pepper Hamilton Links Pricing Analysis and Project Management
Gina Passarella : The Legal Intelligencer : May 3, 2013
When Pepper Hamilton hired a businessman to serve as its CEO, it set the tone for how the firm would approach the delivery of legal services.
Does Jason Collins Have Workplace Protections?
Shannon Green : Corporate Counsel : May 3, 2013
When Jason Collins announced he was a gay NBA player, he essentially came out at the office—and there aren't as many rules protecting homosexual workers as you might think.
Tech Circuit: Bay Bridge Edition
Monica Bay : Law Technology News : May 1, 2013
After LegalTech New York, two perfect tech days in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
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