Testimonials
I was immediately surprised by the number of attorneys who have been at Herrick for almost their entire careers. I also quickly came to understand why. Herrick is a special place with a warm and collegial culture and attorneys who care about each other’s successes and clients. There is definitely an understanding that we are all better off by collaborating on news, knowledge, and experiences, which in turn, benefits our clients tremendously.
I spent much of my career at a large, global litigation firm, and I was seeking new challenges in my next chapter. In particular, I was seeking a firm that enabled me to continue to work with sophisticated clients to resolve complex disputes while further developing my commercial, employment and real estate litigation practices. Fortunately, Herrick checked all of these boxes. In addition, I was impressed with Herrick’s support services, including top-flight marketing, recruiting, paralegal and administrative resources. The firm also maintains an incredibly collaborative culture where lawyers do not hesitate to help each other across multiple practice areas. I routinely find myself bouncing ideas off my colleagues and joining forces to pursue new business opportunities or service clients.
As a young professional, mentors have always been the most important draw to a firm. At Herrick, I would say the entire Land Use & Zoning Group, led by the incredible Mitchell Korbey, have been extraordinarily helpful in fostering my professional and personal growth (zoning jokes galore). They’ve shown me that this field works best when things are done collaboratively and as a group, we’ve acted as a brain trust when it comes to all zoning questions, big or small. You’d be surprised at the diversity of Herrick’s Land Use team; we’re filled with lawyers, planners, architects, and, at times, zoning comedians (a very helpful skillset when dealing with challenging deals, connecting with clients and explaining complex ideas)! Such diversity has enriched my experiences here at Herrick and allowed for me to bring a unique perspective to the table when working with real estate development clients.
Everyone is truly great to work with and very welcoming. Even when I first joined, during continued remote work due to COVID, attorneys and staff took my calls and assisted with any questions. The firm has an excellent work environment and culture, which you aren’t able to accurately assess until you are embedded with the team. It’s been an excellent move for me and existing team – we are thrilled to be part of the Condo and Co-Op Group at Herrick.
As co-chair of the Diversity Committee, I feel a sense of community with all of the leaders in this space. We all recognize that a diverse working environment is good for innovative problem solving, good for business, good for our clients and ultimately good for the communities we inhabit. The firm is committed to moving forward in this way, and what is really exciting is that the lawyers rising in the firm are focused on keeping the firm moving in the right direction.
The most surprising thing about joining Herrick has been the level of support given to attorneys at all levels. The firm provides resources which allow attorneys to focus 100% on their clients. It may sound routine for a mid-size firm to have this level of support, however I previously did not experience what it meant to have dedicated teams within the firm to resolve matters quickly.
Herrick has a “team first” culture. You can tell that Herrick prides itself not just on recruiting talented attorneys but attorneys with friendly dispositions as my colleagues have embraced my work and practice area. We have attorneys who specialize in all aspects of the real estate deal cycle and can service any real estate related need from a client and therefore I no longer need to refer out ancillary client needs including transactions, zoning, no-action condominiums and litigation. This is a tremendous advantage for my clients.
Herrick welcomed me and our whole team from Anderson Kill with open arms nearly a year ago. When we joined, Herrick was ready to integrate us into the firm and see us shine. Coming to work is a pleasure – everyone here is fully committed to the team, to client service and to creative thinking and strategy. Whether it is the fantastic people in litigation support, the copy room and marketing departments, or the support staff, everyone at Herrick always brings their “A” game making being here a real joy. What I find most impressive about Herrick is the skill and experience of the lawyers are equally matched by our flexibility in servicing clients. Because we are an independent, mid-sized firm, we are able to meet client needs quickly and provide fee structures that add value.
I started my career as an associate in the real estate department of a mid-sized NJ general practice firm, and while I look back fondly at my experience and the connections I made there, I am still grateful to the recruiter who called me and told me about the opening for a mid-level real estate associate at Herrick.
I knew that Herrick’s real estate department was one of the top real estate groups in the city and that the attorneys handled complex, large real estate deals in NYC and beyond for an impressive and diverse client base. As a junior associate, I wasn’t doing much of that work at my prior firm, so I was excited about the opportunity to be a part of those types of deals at Herrick. I also wanted to be based out of the Newark office, and Herrick made that work, too, with the assurance that being in Newark with few real estate folks would not be an issue in terms of my career development and advancement.
Despite being brand new, when I arrived at Herrick my decision to switch firms was reaffirmed not only by the exciting deals that I was assigned to right from the outset, but also by the people with whom I was able to work with. All outstanding attorneys and practiced in their niches, they took interest in me not only as an attorney but also as a person. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Early on in law school I knew I wanted to go into private practice. However, I was concerned about not finding the right fit and was very careful in selecting a firm where I knew I could grow professionally and build a career. I did my due diligence before joining Herrick and thought Herrick met my criteria. From my first visit to its office in midtown, I knew it was going to be a second home. Even after twelve years, my view of Herrick has not changed. The doors are always open. We see smiling faces while walking through the hallways. Associates are encouraged to ask questions, to challenge the status quo, to find and create solutions and to succeed by thinking outside of the box. Now I am proud to include Herrick as a part of my life story - that I was born to Chinese parents in Venezuela, that I immigrated to the United States without speaking the language, that I was fortunate enough to attend a great college with a full scholarship and that today I serve as a partner at a prestigious law firm.
I was most attracted to Herrick’s litigation practice, particularly the broad range of services representing a very diverse client roster.
While other firms prefer their associates and partners to specialize in one subfield, Herrick provides opportunities to expand your competency in numerous practice areas. For example, my practice covers complex commercial litigation involving financial transactions, employment counseling and litigation, and real estate litigation involving commercial and high-end residential real estate across the country. Associates also have greater responsibilities on cases because Herrick encourages them to handle oral arguments, appeals, and depositions early in their careers. These opportunities are not often afforded to junior associates in other firms, and I benefitted from them tremendously as an associate.
The firm’s reputation for being one of the top real estate groups in the city, combined with its complex real estate work and diverse client base, made it an obvious career move. The supportive culture and dedication to the professional development of the attorneys is exceedingly valuable and continues to be a huge component of my practice. Herrick is a true mid-sized firm with a wealth of experience and history in real estate. We are able to provide high-touch client service as well as the experience to handle complex and hairy transactions. That’s what Herrick does best. Additionally, because of our relationships with so much of the real estate industry, we are able to play matchmaker on deals – introducing our clients to our contacts to solve challenges and make deals happen. Whether it’s joint venture partners, sources of financing, brokers and other real estate services, we add value to these client relationships in ways many firms cannot.
It wasn’t that I was unhappy or unsettled at my prior firm. Quite the opposite, I wasn’t looking to make a change. But in Herrick I just recognized that, if I was going to do more and be more as a lawyer, Herrick was that opportunity. I transitioned from being a senior associate to being a partner, at a new firm, responsible for helping to run the Condominium and Cooperative Law practice group. So there was, and remains, a lot to learn. At Herrick I’ve received the support, the patience, and the room to grow into my profession and be successful.