U.S. Supreme Court clerks joining Jones Day in 2018, from left to right: Stephen J. Petrany, Donald L.R. Goodson, David R. Fox, Cynthia Barmore, Mary H. Schnoor, Carlton Forbes, Elizabeth G. Bentley, Carmen G. Iguina Gonzalez, Eric Tung and James R. Saywell. Not pictured: Brittney Lane Kubisch. Photo courtesy of Jones Day.

Besting its own past hiring record, the Jones Day law firm has hired 11 of last term's 38 U.S. Supreme Court law clerks for its issues and appellate practice as associates, the firm said Tuesday.

Jones Day recruited 10 former Supreme Court clerks in 2015, and has hired a total of 47 since 2012.

“We reached out to the clerks in exactly the same way we have done in past years, so there was nothing different,” said Beth Heifetz, leader of the firm's issues and appellate practice. “But we were pleased to get such a nice reception from so many clerks.”

Given that the market-wide hiring bonus for Supreme Court law clerks has reached the lofty mark of $400,000, the hiring spree likely means a $4.4 million investment by the firm, not including the salaries of the 11 people joining the firm. Jones Day does not disclose compensation information, but in the past has kept up with the prevailing bonus for Supreme Court clerks, which hovered around $300,000 in 2015. The American Lawyer in April reported profits per partner at Jones Day in 2017 were about $1 million.

Five of the 11 clerks the firm hired from last term's class are female, and one of the male hires, Carlton Forbes, was the only African-American clerk at the court last term. Forbes clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer. Another Jones Day hire, Carmen Iguina Gonzalez, who clerked for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, was one of only two Hispanic law clerks last term.

The 11 clerks were drawn from across the ideological spectrum of the court: three (Forbes, Cynthia Barmore and David Fox) worked for Breyer; two (Iguina Gonzalez and Elizabeth Bentley) for Sotomayor; two (Stephen Petrany and James Saywell) for Samuel Alito Jr.; and one each for Clarence Thomas (Brittney Lane Kubisch); Anthony Kennedy (Donald Goodson); Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Mary Schnoor); and Neil Gorsuch (Eric Tung). Goodson also worked with retired Justice John Paul Stevens.

Heifetz said she was also “especially proud” of the fact the 11 new associates are deployed in seven different Jones Day offices, reflecting the firm's goal of building a national practice outside the beltway. Four are based in Washington, two in Los Angeles, and one each is at the firm's offices in Minneapolis, Boston, New York, Cleveland and Chicago.

Jones Day offices in Washington, D.C. Credit: Mike Scarcella

“Many of the clerks want to return to their hometowns, or they want to live close to where their spouses live, and so for many people staying in Washington really isn't what they're looking to do,” Heifetz said. “The fact that we are able to integrate people into our issues and appeals practice from any office, I think is a big draw for them.” We're especially proud of the geographic diversity this year. We have 11 clerks in seven different Jones Day offices.”

In an interview Iguina Gonzalez, the Sotomayor clerk, said Jones Day appealed to her because of its people—not only her fellow clerks but the partners and associates she met during the hiring process—and “the quality of the work” she is handling. She lauded Jones Day's “very firm commitment to public service and pro bono work. It's not just some sort of side project.”

Jones Day has sent more than a dozen lawyers to top posts throughout the Trump administration, including U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco and Gregory Katsas, now a D.C. Circuit judge, a fact that doesn't weigh on Iguina Gonzalez, a former lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.

“Not at all. If you actually look at the people here, it is a wide range, and not just the clerks. The people here come from all sides,” Iguina Gonzalez said.

Heifetz also pointed to the wide range of justices whose clerks have joined Jones Day. “Including this year, we have consistently attracted clerks from across all justices,” she said. “We're proud of that fact. We find that clerks from justices across the political spectrum continue to be very interested in Jones Day.”

 

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