Careers
As a premier litigation firm in Alabama, Gaines Wolter Kinney recognizes that the future success of our firm depends on hiring extremely bright, energetic, and dynamic people to work with us, in all areas and at all levels of our practice. Although the firm has grown to some 50 employees since our founding in 1996, we have worked hard to maintain the type of cooperative, family-oriented environment that we think sets us apart from other firms.
Lateral Attorneys
While we hire most of our attorneys from our Summer Associate program, occasionally, Gaines Wolter Kinney will have a need for an experienced attorney to assist with a certain area of our practice. When those needs arise, we do make lateral hires. As with our Summer Associate program, we look for attorneys who have a desire to litigate, a strong record of success both in and out of the courtroom, and a dedication towards practicing law in a cooperative, fast-paced environment. To inquire about available positions, please contact our hiring partner.
Summer Associate Program
At Gaines Wolter Kinney, practical experience is the cornerstone of our summer associate program. From the beginning of their tenure with the firm, we strive to provide our summer associates with the type of work assignments that will enable them to learn litigation from the inside out. We also understand that much of learning takes place outside of the classroom, so we place great importance on the benefit of observing the day-to-day practice of law. Our summer associates have the opportunity to observe our attorneys in trials, hearings, depositions, and in a variety of other settings.
Our attorneys are approachable, knowledgeable, and eager to lend an ear or give advice to our summer associates. We also place a premium on teaching our summer associates the way we practice law at Gaines Wolter Kinney. This begins with the formal orientation we conduct on their first day with the firm and continues with the constructive feedback and mentoring we provide throughout their time with us, even as they transition into new associates. We are committed to hiring the very best law students who have a keen interest in litigation, a desire to be in the courtroom, and the strong work ethic necessary to succeed in the fast-paced world of a litigator. While a permanent job offer is never a guarantee, we hire each summer associate with the expectation that he or she will be considered for full-time employment with the firm.
Because our summer associate program is our primary means of recruiting new attorneys, we want to get to know our summer associates well, both professionally and personally. We also want each of our summer associates to get to know our attorneys, our staff, and our firm culture. Summer associates are not assigned to a specific practice area or to a certain attorney; rather, we encourage them to work with a variety of attorneys in multiple practice areas. Our summer social events provide a fun, casual way for us to get to know one another. In the past, we’ve enjoyed baseball games, golf outings, white water rafting trips, and an occasional celebration to toast a good result at trial.
We actively recruit first and second year law students for our summer program via on-campus interviews at the University of Alabama and Cumberland School of Law, and we solicit resumes from other regional law schools as well. We typically hire students to work a six-week “split” summer session, and we do offer part-time employment during the academic year for qualified students. Please contact your school’s Career Services Director for more information about our upcoming on-campus recruitment dates.
For more information, or to apply for a position in our summer associate program, please contact our hiring partner.
Support Staff
At Gaines Wolter Kinney, we recognize that our support staff is an integral component of our success, and we value the role each staff member plays in contributing to that success. We’re proud to have several staff members who have been with our firm almost since our founding in 1996. Our firm environment is very much a cooperative one, and our entire Gaines Wolter Kinney family works together to meet our clients’ needs in a timely, efficient, and through manner.
Gaines Wolter Kinney strives to maintain an engaging, satisfying work environment for all of our employees. We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits, including health and dental insurance, 401(k), profit share retirement plan, and a flexible cafeteria plan that allows our employees to save on healthcare and childcare expenses. Our employees enjoy annual firm-sponsored outings with our families, and the Gaines Wolter Kinney Halloween Chili Cook-off, now in its 8th year, has turned into quite a competition for bragging rights. If you are looking for a fast-paced career with a dynamic firm, Gaines Wolter Kinney may be an ideal place for you. To learn more, or to inquire about available positions, please contact our Firm Administrator.
