Technology

Biglaw Firm Blows Competition Out Of The Water With Tech Spending Stipend For Associates

Keeping up with the times just got a little easier.

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The age of the cyborg lawyer is upon us and, as we all know, maintaining the level of productivity required to efficiently produce results for high-end clients requires increasingly complex technological solutions. You can continue to defend DUI’s with your briefcase and guile, but to perform at the highest level requires an up-to-date computer, an internet-capable mobile phone to stay connected to the office, software solutions that streamline legal tasks, and some sort of cloud storage system to provide document security for you and your clients. And those are the minimums.

Beyond that, attorneys need the technology to serve their personal work habits. Out of the office more than others? Time for an enhanced data plan! Prefer more visual real estate? Time for a second or even third monitor! This can even have an impact on the less technologically savvy. For example, if you simply can’t stomach marking up a digital copy, maybe you need to purchase a printer for your home.

From time to time, Biglaw firms offer associates a “technology stipend,” a bit of extra cash that young lawyers can use to customize their tech setup without dipping into their personal funds. It’s usually a couple hundred bucks here or there — which can disappear quickly when it comes to technology — or a few thousand limited to first-years — which ignores the constantly changing needs of lawyers throughout their lifecycle at the firm.

Simpson Thacher has decided to up the stakes, raising their tech stiped from $500 to $2000, renewable every three years. This outpaces almost everyone else in the game and matching the stipend offered by Paul Weiss.

The renewability is a critical feature, allowing associates some flexibility in how they spend their accounts. A law school graduate may not be in the market for a new tablet today and may prefer to spend their funds on smaller tech purchases, with an eye toward getting the cutting edge tablet released three to four years down the road.

Perhaps more exciting is Simpson pledging a $50/month phone bill reimbursement for data independent of the tech stipend. With more attorneys relying on their phones as hotspots to provide work access while commuting or traveling, monthly data limits get blown through easily and phone bills can push well over $100 every month. Some recompense for this employment necessity is a nice gesture.

Congrats to Simpson associates (and Paul Weiss associates of course). Maybe this can offset that hit to the employee health plan Simpson dealt out last year. And if your firm is offering something better than Simpson and Paul Weiss on the tech front, be sure to let us know at tips@abovethelaw.com!

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HeadshotJoe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.

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