When employees of the law firm Nixon Peabody LLC explain why their company is a great place to work, their comments sound like a roster of rules for decent living.
People in the firm respect each other, like each other, help each other, rely on each other, they say. Everyone is approachable. Everyone pitches in to get the job done. People applaud others’ home runs and lift colleagues when they are struggling.
“There is a minimum sense of hierarchy,” said Neal McNamara, managing partner of the Providence office. “The attorneys and staff are strong team players. We pitch in to help each other. Even through challenges, people remain positive.”
“People are easy to talk to,” said Paul Gordon, a paralegal. “It is not a stuffy atmosphere.”
These descriptions make the law firm sound like an old-time, Main Street operation, but that is only part of its story. Nixon Peabody is recognized as a Global 100 law firm, one of the largest in the world, with 800 attorneys collaborating across major practice areas in 17 cities. The Providence office has seven partners, 15 lawyers and 25 employees in all, including paralegals, management and support staff.
One of the company’s core values is “One Firm,” meaning that employees in all branches, from San Francisco, to Washington to Shanghai are encouraged to think of themselves as part of a global operation and to tap into the resources and expertise of the whole organization.
“If you stay in your corner, you are not going to be successful,” McNamara said. “If you are not thinking of the organization as one firm, but as a collection of offices, you are not taking advantage of the rest of the firm and you are not contributing to the rest of the firm.”
Apart from the grand, overarching values, employees of Nixon Peabody returned again and again to the message that they really like the people they work with.
“I have terrific colleagues,” Nelson said. “They are hard-working, professional, active in the community. People have good ideas and they try to make improvements to the company. They are people I am proud to say I work with.”
Gordon, the paralegal, added, “We have good camaraderie. The partners make us want to do a good job; they care about the employees. People here are caring. If someone is having problems at home, people at the office are sympathetic. You don’t feel like you are one person against the world.”
McNamara, the managing partner, added, “People here know their input is valued. I have worked in other places where the staff will not go beyond their job description. It is not like that here. Everyone helps get the job done.” •
