D.C.’s Finnegan Henderson: “we will reimburse non-lawyer staff members who seek to better themselves by pursuing a law degree. And the better your grades, the more we pay”

25 April 2013 – Interesting story in the Washington Post a few days ago in case you missed it:  the law firm Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner will reimburse non-lawyer staff members who seek to better themselves by pursuing a law degree.

From the article:

For many prospective students, the decision to go to law school means taking on a hefty burden of debt. But not for future attorneys at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, a law firm that specializes in patent and trademark work. Finnegan has a generous reimbursement program that covers 100 percent of staffers’ law school tuition.

To qualify for the reimbursement, employees must work as “student associates” while they attend law school. These positions are typically part time, and the firm bills clients at a lower rate for the work.

“I signed some checks for Harvard and Stanford in the past year that nearly made me choke,” joked Barbara McCurdy, managing partner. But “the benefit for us is that we attract really excellent talent.”

Erin Sommers is an associate at Finnegan’s Washington office who got her law degree from Georgetown University. She started at the firm as a technical specialist with no legal experience, but she eventually wanted to go back to school. The reimbursement program, she said, helped make that possible.

For the full article click here.