CenterCity law firm hires 27 new attorneys, more jobs to come

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Warner Norcross & Judd LLP is filling their four office locations with new law grads and experienced attorneys. In the past 16 months they’ve hired 27 lawyers, ten more will come on board this fall, and they’re actively searching for more. But that shouldn’t be surprising; the firm has had a tradition of growth since it was founded in 1931, the heart of the Great Depression.

Established in Grand Rapids, the firm now has offices in Muskegon, Holland, and Southfield, and nearly 400 employees; 190 are attorneys, the rest are divided among paralegals, accountants, librarians, IT personnel, human resources representatives, and others.

“We’re very strategic in how we think here,” said Cathleen Dubault, director of lawyer recruitment. “We try very hard to identify emerging trends and our client needs, such as, the bio tech trends or the international trends. We’re very proactive in getting the people here so when our clients have the need we already have the people in place.”

Warner Norcross & Judd is committed to building careers, Dubault said. The firm hires recent law graduates and helps them learn the business from the ground up. The firm also places experienced attorneys in booming practice areas, such as litigation or patent law, or as part of a strategic growth plan to support emerging practice areas like international law or biotech law. And as older attorneys approach retirement, the firm transitions experienced attorneys into those positions.

“Traditionally, about 99 percent of our attorney hiring were new graduates,” Dubault said. “We’d hire eight to twelve a year. Last year was the first year we had an equal number of new attorneys and experienced attorneys, ten and ten. This year we expect the number of experienced attorneys to be higher.”

Source: Cathleen Dubault, Warner Norcross & Judd LLP

Deborah Johnson Wood is Development News Editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].