CAREERS
Work with some of the best in the industry! We pride ourselves in the quality and culture of our firm, and invest extensively in technology to maintain a competitive edge. You will find a commitment to your success, fantastic work environment and a caring and supportive team.
Judge us by the company we keep. Durham Jones & Pinegar has a very prestigious client list, as well as high-caliber attorneys. Our firm is established and stable as well as innovative and fast growing. Each member of our team is valued, and we provide great benefits!
Find out about potential opportunities with Durham Jones & Pinegar!
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ATTORNEYS
At DJP, much of the firm’s growth has come through laterals who were looking for the unique blend of work, professional development, environment, and collegiality that DJP offers.
We are always looking to bring in highly qualified attorneys with strong practices and an interest in a challenging and rewarding professional atmosphere. Although we typically focus on building our existing practice areas, we will also consider complementary practice areas and take into consideration the caliber of the attorney.
Our hiring standards are among the highest in the markets in which we practice. We typically require top 15 percent graduation from a top 50 or better law school, law review experience, and a team-oriented personality. Judicial clerkships are encouraged. In addition, we look for exceptional legal ability, a strong productivity record, and earned respect among peers and clients. A good book of business is highly desirable and/or required, unless we have an existing need in a particular area of practice.
We recognize that diversity is critical to success, and we welcome the unique perspectives that a diverse workforce brings to the firm, our clients and our profession. Diversity plays a key role in the firm’s culture and core values. We value our professionals’ ability to learn from each other and believe that the personalities, life experiences and values of our attorneys set us apart from other law firms. And it enable us to deliver the highest quality of legal services to our clients.
DIVERSITY POLICY
DJP has a non-discrimination policy and is a signatory of and is committed to the goals set forth in the Utah Minority Bar Association’s “Pledge to Racial and Ethnic Diversity for Utah’s Legal Employers,” (2003) including engaging in efforts:
(I) to pursue full and equal opportunity and participation for all attorneys, including attorneys of color;
(II) to increase the pool of applicants of color (law students and lateral hires) who will meet our hiring criteria; and
(III) to increase retention and promotion rates for attorneys of color by taking the following steps whenever possible: assisting each newly hired attorney (regardless of race, ethnicity, or level) in learning the firm’s culture, history, practices, and procedures; helping to ensure that all attorneys, including attorneys of color, are afforded, on a consistent basis, opportunities equivalent to those provided to all other attorneys in the quality and quantity of legal work assignments as necessary to develop skills and acquire experience for success and advancement; and communicating to each attorney and staff member the firm’s commitment to achieving the objectives stated herein, as well as the firm’s intolerance for discrimination within the workplace.
DJP is a supporter of the Utah Minority Bar Association Scholarship Program, which assists law students from the S. J. Quinney College of Law and the J. Reuben Clark Law School who have a demonstrated record of service to racial and ethnic minority communities in completing their legal education. The firm will continue in our diversity efforts and seek to partner with clients, bar associations and community organizations to make our society and our profession fully inclusive.
Durham Jones & Pinegar (DJP) actively recruits summer associates each year. Typically, we hire law students who have completed their second year of law school, and occasionally we will also hire exceptional law students who have completed their first year of law school. We look for talented and energetic law students who are interested in making a long-term professional commitment to the practice of law and to DJP.
We have high hiring standards. Most of our associates have graduated near the top of their class and have had law review experience. We seek to hire individuals who have excellent written and verbal skills and who have demonstrated leadership ability. Associates are hired with the hope and expectation that if they perform well, they will qualify after a prescribed number of years to become shareholders in the firm. New associates are given responsibility early in their tenure with the firm. Associates are assigned to one or two sections of the firm, and they are mentored and supervised by a shareholder. Our associate development committee oversees and coordinates the training of associates.
Summer associates are hired with the possibility that they will become associate employees of the firm following graduation, assuming that their work product and work ethic measure up to our high standards.
Members of the recruiting committee at DJP work closely with university on-campus interview programs and attend recruiting functions throughout the year. Students from schools where the firm is conducting on-campus interviews should submit their resumes in accordance with their school’s guidelines.
ORIENTATION & TRAINING
Our summer associates receive a realistic experience of what it is like to be an attorney working at D|J|P. Students work on actual client matters. We endeavor to have summer associates, where appropriate, attend depositions, hearings, trials, and client meetings. Summer associates work with a variety of attorneys from different sections of the firm to obtain a broad overview of the firm and its practice areas.
The work of the summer associates is directed by the summer associate committee chair, who has the primary responsibility to coordinate summer associate work and social activities. The coordinator meets at least weekly with the summer associates to coordinate such matters and to exchange pertinent information. In addition, each summer associate is assigned a junior and a senior mentor, who serve as a resource for support and questions throughout the summer.
Summer associates receive both formal and informal feedback from the attorneys who assign them work. In addition, summer associates have periodic reviews with the summer associate chair during the summer and a final review at the end of the summer with the managing partner or a member of the board of directors regarding the overall performance of the summer associate.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Our summer associates usually begin work within two weeks of the last day of school and finish their clerkship sometime in August. We are flexible with these dates as long as the summer associate works a minimum of eight to ten weeks.
We discourage split summers but will consider requests on a case-by-case basis. We do, however, require a minimum of eight weeks, either at the beginning of the summer or commencing in the middle of the summer. In our experience, it is generally preferable for the summer associate to participate in the entire summer program.
Yes. We view our summer program as the primary source of new hires for associate positions. The program allows the summer associates and our attorneys to get to know one another on both a professional and personal basis.
We limit the size of the summer program intentionally so that each participant who meets the firm’s expectations has a realistic opportunity to receive an offer. Offers are extended to second-year summer associates based on the firm’s assessment of their work performance, initiative, judgment, interpersonal skills, and the firm’s needs.
Offers for continued employment are typically extended in late August or September after all summer associates have concluded their work at the end of the summer program.
We strive to give summer associates exposure to a wide variety of legal matters with a cross-section of attorneys at D|J|P. Of course, assignments are based on the firm’s needs at the time. We try to accommodate individual interests, while at the same time encouraging summer associates to expand their horizons by experiencing new areas of law. Typical assignments may involve researching issues of the law and writing a memorandum that applies the law to the particular facts of a case. Other assignments may include drafting contract terms or reviewing and summarizing documents.
When appropriate, summer associates are invited to attend depositions and court proceedings, transaction negotiations, and closings. This is especially meaningful to the summer associate where he or she has worked on the particular matter that is the subject of such proceedings. In these settings a summer associate is able to see our attorneys at work as they represent our clients.
Our summer associate salaries are competitive with those of other large Salt Lake City law firms. Paid parking is also included. Our Summer Associates are also eligible to participate in the Firm’s 401(K) plan.
Attorneys and summer associates are expected to wear appropriate business attire to court and when meeting with clients. Otherwise, attire is business casual.
We provide a number of opportunities for the summer associates to socialize with each other and with the attorneys in the firm in settings other than the law office. Summer associates have the opportunity to have lunch with our attorneys during the summer, enjoying casual conversations and gaining valuable insight into life as an attorney. They also attend informal parties and gatherings during the summer. In the past, summer associates have also attended sporting and cultural events with members of the firm.
At DJP, much of the firm’s growth has come through laterals who were looking for the unique blend of work, professional development, environment, and collegiality that DJP offers.
We are always looking to bring in highly qualified attorneys with strong practices and an interest in a challenging and rewarding professional atmosphere. Although we typically focus on building our existing practice areas, we will also consider complementary practice areas and take into consideration the caliber of the attorney.
Our hiring standards are among the highest in the markets in which we practice. We typically require top 15 percent graduation from a top 50 or better law school, law review experience, and a team-oriented personality. Judicial clerkships are encouraged. In addition, we look for exceptional legal ability, a strong productivity record, and earned respect among peers and clients. A good book of business is highly desirable and/or required, unless we have an existing need in a particular area of practice.
To apply, please e-mail your resume to resumes@djplaw.com
TRANSACTION ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
Durham Jones & Pinegar, P.C. seeks a corporate and transaction associate attorney for our Salt Lake City office. The ideal candidate will have 2-4 years of sophisticated experience in the areas of corporate, securities, financing, governance, M&A, and general business transactions.
Candidates should have specific and meaningful experience representing clients in negotiating and closing equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, as well as advising clients on compliance and general business matters. Additionally, candidates should have substantial experience related to:
- entity formation and the structuring of transactions,
- negotiating and drafting complex transaction documents,
- managing transaction due diligence processes;
- managing transaction closings and checklists, and
- federal and state securities laws and filings.
Ideal applicants should have strong prior experience with a major law firm, superior academic credentials and excellent verbal, interpersonal, and communication skills.
Qualified candidates should e-mail their resume, including salary history, to Lorie E. Springer, HR Director, Durham Jones & Pinegar, resumes@djplaw.com.
D|J|P offers an outstanding work environment including competitive compensation and a robust benefits package.
Employees are eligible to participate in D|J|P’s 401(k) plan from their date of hire, and for the following benefits on the first day of the month following one month of employment:
- Medical and Dental Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Long-term Disability Insurance
We’re Here For You
With more than 90 attorneys, Durham Jones & Pinegar is a leading law firm in Utah offering a spectrum of services in various practice areas. These include Business & Finance, Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property, Estate Planning, Real Estate, Bankruptcy, Employment, Family Law and more. The firm was named No.1 in Utah for its business and transactions law practice by Super Lawyers.