Tokyo Electron is now a major client and has referred, among others, none other than Sony Corp. to Wood, Herron. Frei and his team also point out that there is an upside to having one office. Yes, there is the cost of travel and the time lost doing so, but those negatives have been outweighed by the benefit of having an entire staff within four staircases of each other, a plus that helps build the firm's tight-knit culture. While it might be tempting to open an office near an emerging hot spot, Frei said not doing so also squashes the potential for damaging defections from newly opened offices. John Norwine, executive director of the Cincinnati Bar Association, said hiring and keeping staff is becoming as important an issue in law as it is in other sectors of the economy.
Every firm has to deal with that issue.
Norwine can speak to the issue from first-hand experience. Much of that is due to the fact that the firm is extremely picky about hiring new staff. Five senior lawyers spend time on Wood, Herron's recruiting committee, and they will only hire those they think have the potential to become partners. Similarly, the firm rarely hires senior attorneys from other firms, preferring instead to bring in young associates and let them gain experience within the firm. Six attorneys have spent more than 30 years with the firm and a total of 14 have 10 years or more experience.