All nighters are pretty frequent twice to three times a month, depending on the department. In 1979, the firm began its domestic expansion with a San Francisco office, in 1987, it established a Washington, DC branch, and in 1998, it opened its Menlo Park office. The firm has more than 150 lawyers in Europe, approximately one-half of which are locals who practice U.K., French, or German law. In the summer of 1998, Daimler-Benz came to Shearman to handle its merger with Chrysler, based on Shearman s strong reputation in Germany and its 30 experienced lawyers in that country. Shearman is one of the few firms in England to which Citibank sends legal work.
Young lawyers flock to New York jobs, and then they leave.
In late January 1999, the firm announced a program to provide associates with long term incentives to stay such as access to a bonus pool, mandatory leaves of absence, flexible schedules, and partnership bonuses. Shearman has made the sabbaticals mandatory to keep partners from finding ways to deny associates the opportunity. However, as an alternative to the sabbatical, associates can choose to spend three months in another office. Third, the firm has pledged to give all senior associates a comprehensive review and appraisal of her or his partnership prospects. After two years, anyone may either work part time or flex time, meaning up to 13 weeks off per year.