Those at Bingham McCutchen LLP in Costa Mesa like to say they have the “best of both worlds.”
The Boston-based law firm has a tight-knit local office with the security of a big national company.
“It’s probably the best of both worlds from an institutional point of view,” said Jim Loss, managing partner of the Costa Mesa office.
The firm offers an extensive benefits package that includes health, dental and vision insurance and a 401(k) matching program.
The office also has a well-stocked pantry with snacks, sodas and candies, though Loss admitted he’s trying to get some healthier options.
“I’ve been trying to eat healthier and realized how many calories are in our office pantry,” he said. “I’ve been a big proponent for better snacks.”
Bingham 15’
The pantry is responsible for what the firm calls the “Bingham 15,” coined after the “freshman 15” that college freshmen often pack on in their first year.
“You would be hard pressed to find anyone who hadn’t put on 10 to 15 pounds,” said Craig Taggart, a Bingham associate.
There also are some pretty in-shape employees. They help motivate their colleagues outside the office.
“Last summer, there were a bunch of us who started training for triathlons,” Taggart said. “The whole event was led by Jim Loss, who drove us to push ourselves as hard as he was.”
From triathlon teams to morning swims at Laguna Beach, the partners and staff do a lot of sports activities together.
“We have kind of a sports connection for a lot of people in the office one way or another,” Loss said.
Bingham ranked No. 1 in the large company category—250 or more employees—in the Business Journal’s second annual Best Places to Work list.
The firm employs about 25 people in Costa Mesa but falls into the large company category for its nearly 2,000 employees firmwide and the big-employer benefits it offers.
The list was compiled for the Business Journal by Harrisburg, Pa.-based Best Companies Group, an independent workplace researcher that managed the registration process, conducted the surveys, evaluated the data and selected companies for the list based on overall scores from surveys of management and employees.
Open Doors
Bingham’s team mentality extends into the office, where there is little division between associates and partners.
Partners “always have their offices open and everyone is encouraged to chat with them about anything,” Taggart said. “I know from being in the legal field and having friends at other firms that such access to the partners isn’t that common.”
Like at most law firms, the job sometimes demands long hours.
“We have some staggered hours with a lot of overtime available, but pretty much we don’t get many go-to-the-mattress situations requiring them to stay long hours,” Loss said.
Charity
Donating extra time to pro bono cases or charity work has its own rewards for Bingham’s lawyers.
The firm started a program that allows employees to accrue time off by working with charitable events.
Taggart and Michael Mortenson, an associate, took on a pro bono case for Foster Care Group Homes in which the associates sued the state of California in a dispute over foster care funding.
“It was a big case, but we got nothing but support from the management of the entire firm and management from this office,” Taggart said.
The firm sponsors a luncheon benefiting the Orange County Community Foundation’s Invest in Children Fund. The fund supports early childhood health and educational services for low income children.
At the fund’s yearly backpack project to give homeless kids backpacks filled with school supplies, Bingham employees packed about 150 backpacks.
The firm itself hosts a couple of staff lunches every year, including a diversity lunch where people can celebrate their heritage and bring food from their native countries.
“We do things as an office, like when we’ll go to the OC fair and watch the pig races,” Mortenson said.
