NEWS
Cooper Ashley Quoted in Minnesota Lawyer on 2013 Hiring Outlook for Minneapolis Law Firms
January 9, 2013
Cooper Ashley, partner in Maslon's Litigation Group and member of Maslon's Governance Committee, is quoted in the December 17, 2012, edition of Minnesota Lawyer on the 2013 hiring outlook for Minneapolis area law firms. The article, titled "Better times ahead in 2013? Check the hires," reports that "Maslon has had a net increase in its associate ranks for the past two years," stating that "larger classes of new associates is a solid indicator law firms either have or expect to have enough work to keep the new lawyers busy." The article also recognizes that predicting how many associates to hire is a big investment for a law firm and its decision makers, and is "far from an exact science."
"It's experienced lawyers trying to keep the finger on the pulse of the economy, the market they are practicing [in] and their clients' needs, trying to figure out how many people we will need and when we will need them," said Cooper Ashley. "You are trying to strike a balance where everyone is working hard on interesting work but not working so hard that their hours become unsustainable or unhealthy."
Acknowledging the increase in work in the areas of business and securities, financial services and litigation at the firm, Cooper shared, "When interviewing new hires, the firm tries to find the best candidates it can, not hire to a quota. If we find three good candidates, we will hire all three. Some years we have had four or five. If we find out we need someone sooner, we will go out into the lateral market to find good people."
Cooper Ashley has served on the firm's Governance Committee since 2003 and served as Chair from 2007 - 2011. His practice is focused primarily on products liability matters on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants and complex class action and tort cases, including environmental toxic tort and fire/explosion cases.
"It's experienced lawyers trying to keep the finger on the pulse of the economy, the market they are practicing [in] and their clients' needs, trying to figure out how many people we will need and when we will need them," said Cooper Ashley. "You are trying to strike a balance where everyone is working hard on interesting work but not working so hard that their hours become unsustainable or unhealthy."
Acknowledging the increase in work in the areas of business and securities, financial services and litigation at the firm, Cooper shared, "When interviewing new hires, the firm tries to find the best candidates it can, not hire to a quota. If we find three good candidates, we will hire all three. Some years we have had four or five. If we find out we need someone sooner, we will go out into the lateral market to find good people."
Cooper Ashley has served on the firm's Governance Committee since 2003 and served as Chair from 2007 - 2011. His practice is focused primarily on products liability matters on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants and complex class action and tort cases, including environmental toxic tort and fire/explosion cases.