GRDC Member News and Kudos

Harter Secrest & Emery Ranked Top Firm among Associates in National Magazine Survey
Editor cites firm's "superior" work environment

Law firm Harter, Secrest & Emery LLP, is named the number one firm to work for in a survey of "mid-level" associates (attorneys in their third and fourth years of practice at a firm) by the field's premier publication, The American Lawyer. Approximately 180 firms participated in the survey, which asks associates questions related to workplace satisfaction: interest and satisfaction levels in work, relations with co-workers, family friendliness, billable hours policy, and benefits and compensation, among others.

"Our number one ranking will be a significant boost to Harter's ability to attract top legal talent," said Maureen Alston, managing partner, Harter, Secrest & Emery. "Equally important, this ranking demonstrates to companies considering Rochester as a place to do business that they'll have access to top-notch legal counsel in our city." Indeed, an article accompanying the rankings, featuring interviews with Harter associates, is titled "Redefining Rochester."

"Attracting and retaining the best young associates, in the face of long hours and often invisible achievements, is one of the biggest challenges facing law firms," said Aric Press, editor in chief of The American Lawyer. "Our annual Associate Survey gives firms a clear report on how well they're doing both in their firm and compared to their peers. The firms that top this year's list have created superior work environments, as evaluated by those that matter most, the lawyers who work in them."

Full survey results appear in the magazine's current issue and on its Website, americanlawyer.com.

About Harter, Secrest & Emery LLP
Founded in 1893, Harter, Secrest & Emery LLP is a full-service law firm providing legal services to a wide variety of clients including publicly traded companies, privately owned businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and individuals. The firm has more than 100 lawyers and 30 paralegals in offices in Rochester, Buffalo, Albany and New York, N.Y., and in Naples, Fla.

10/04