Other Compensation:

Judicial clerks who join our firm receive a $5000 bonus within 90 days of their start date.

Notes:

RBH does not have a tiered partnership system or a fixed time to partnership. In recent years, we have been making most associates partners after 6 1/2 years of practice.

Campus Interviews

Job Fair/Consortia Attended:  Southeastern Minority Job Fair

Benefits:

Our benefits package is significant. We have a qualified profit-sharing retirement plan, and a comprehensive health plan that covers lawyers and their dependents at no cost. We also provide group life insurance, group disability coverage (long and short term), dental coverage, a sabbatical program, parking, medical flex account, CLE, local, state and national bar assn membership dues. For new associates we pay all expenses for bar review courses and registration for the bar exam. In addition, we pay up to $2000 in relocation expenses.

Pro Bono:

Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson was the first firm in the nation to receive the ABA's Pro Bono Publico National Service Award, for successfully litigating a case a ffecting the termination of social security benefits to thousands of disabled North Carolinians. The Mecklenburg County Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program also recognized RBH for exemplary service.

Minority Recruitment Efforts:

RBH values and is committed to hiring and retaining attorneys of diverse backgrounds. We welcome and encourage minorities to participate fully in our recruiting process. Our outreach efforts include hosting minority bar events, annual recruiting at the Southeastern Minority Job Fair, on-campus interviewing at school(s) with a large minority enrollment, and participation in the Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship (a clerkship opportunity for first-year minority students offering both corporate and legal summer experience).

Non-discrimination Policy:

Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson follows a policy against discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or national origin in all areas of employment.

Narrative:

We believe our firm's most distinctive characteristic is the quality of our lawyers. Our compensation is not based on objective measurements of individual lawyers' "billable hours" or "origination credits." Because no lawyer has a direct financial incentive to retain a particular project, matters are assigned to the lawyer with the expertise and experience best suited to handling them. This contributes significantly to our success in building long-term relationships with our clients, and creates a supportive and cooperative environment in which to practice law. We were one of only 115 firms included in "America's Greatest Places To Work With A Law Degree," which described us as having "an amazing management philosophy, one of a kind."

In evaluating potential new associates, we seek individuals with strong academic records and professional potential who are prepared to deal directly with clients early in their careers. New associates are encouraged to work in different areas of the firm's practice and gradually move into specific practice areas, based on our firm's needs and the capabilities and interests of the associates. Typically, associates become members of a department after one year to eighteen months with the firm. We hire associates with the expectation that each will become a partner of the firm. We do not hire a large group of summer or permanent associates with the expectation that many will leave or be "weeded out" before becoming partners with the firm.

The work experience of a summer associate is similar in diversity and responsibility to that of a new associate. The summer program affords a broad exposure to and participation in our practice, as well as significant interaction with clients and other attorneys on challenging matters. Summer associates are encouraged to participate in practice area meetings and training lunches held throughout the summer. These meetings offer an informal setting in which summer associates can become better acquainted with our practice and our attorneys. Summer associates are also encouraged to participate in pro bono matters during their stay. To provide an additional element of advice and planning, each of our summer associates is assigned two mentors (usually one partner and one associate).

RBH lawyers have long recognized the growing severity of the unmet legal needs of the indigent and disadvantaged in the Mecklenburg County area and beyond. Our lawyers undertake significant representation of clients who otherwise would not be able to afford legal services. The firm's unique de-emphasis of billable hours and origination credits encourages this participation. Among its other pro bono commitments, the firm has served as lead counsel in a major class action lawsuit challenging the termination and denial of Social Security benefits to thousands of disabled North Carolinians, prosecuting this litigation through the Supreme Court of the United States. The firm received the American Bar Association's first Pro Bono Publico National Award for work in this representation. We are also dedicated to providing pro bono services to those in need in the Mecklenburg County area. The firm received the 2004 North Carolina Bar Large Firm Pro Bono Award for our activities involving domestic violence, landlord-tenant, consumer, Chapter 7 bankruptcy and real estate matters for the elderly and the indigent, as well as our involvement in the creation of a Children & Family Services Center located in Charlotte.

RBH was recognized in 2005 for "creating an environment that fosters and encourages balanced lives in an increasingly diverse and competitive legal market" when we received the first Balanced Life Award from the NC Assn. of Women Attorneys. Finally, we are committed to diversity, and participate in the Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship, a fellowship opportunity offering both corporate and legal summer experience to first-year minority students.