ay Quinney & Nebeker is one of the oldest and largest law firms in Utah and the Intermountain West. The Firm has expanded in recent years, and now has close to 90 attorneys working in its principal office in Salt Lake City, Utah and its branch office in Provo. Ray Quinney & Nebeker has a diverse practice, representing clients on international, national, regional, and local levels. Its strength results from its responsiveness to client concerns, its unwavering commitment to excellence, and the expertise and experience of its lawyers.

Employment Opportunities

The Firm is committed to maintaining the quality of services rendered to clients. As these clients continue to grow and as new clients seek our services, the Firm steadily hires new associates. As part of that growth, the Firm actively recruits law students for its summer clerkship program and to eventually join the Firm as entry-level associates.

Our objective is to bring to the Firm those individuals who show promise of professional distinction and who will maintain the Firm's standard of professional excellence. In addition, the Firm prizes its warm and stimulating work environment, and seeks new lawyers who will contribute to the strong internal relationship of the Firm. The Firm's Recruiting Committee seeks applicants (both law students and practicing attorneys) who have strong academic records, and who demonstrate exceptional personal skills and practical abilities. Our attorneys have attended undergraduate institutions and law schools in every region of the United States. Ray Quinney & Nebeker supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants. It does not discriminate against applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, or disability.

The Firm primarily hires its members directly after graduation from law school or upon completion of judicial clerkships. Thus, the primary emphasis of recruiting is placed on second-year students who are hired as law clerks for the summer between their second and third year of law school. The Firm also hires first-year summer clerks and many of them have gone on to join us as associates. It is our practice to hire only as many summer clerks as we anticipate will be needed as associates in a particular class year. Our hope is that all summer clerks will be offered permanent positions with the Firm.

Second-year law students applying for consideration with regard to a summer clerkship are requested to submit their letter of inquiry after August 1st. First-year students may submit letters of inquiry following December 1st.

Ray Quinney & Nebeker also hires qualified lateral attorneys from inside and outside of Utah. All interested student or lateral attorney candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and law school transcript to our recruiting coordinator Kimberly A. Blackburn. Applications can be mailed or faxed to the attention of Ms. Blackburn, or emailed to: kblackburn@rqn.com. Ms. Blackburn can be reached at (801) 323-3432.

The chair of the Firm's Recruiting Committee is Sam Straight. Resumes should not be sent directly to Mr. Straight.

For all other office staff and support positions aside from law student clerk or lateral attorney positions, please send applications to RQ&N's Human Resources & Benefits Manager Nancy Herd via mail, fax or email to: nherd@rqn.com.

Interviewing Process

Law clerk and attorney applicants invited to interview at the Firm's office in Salt Lake City generally interview over a two to three hour schedule including lunch. Candidates meet with four to six attorneys, including both shareholders and associates. Efforts are made to include attorneys from specific practice areas where an applicant has indicated interest in a particular area of law or if the individual has developed a related expertise.

Summer Program

In its summer clerkship program, Ray Quinney seeks to provide in-depth education and experience in a variety of areas to each clerk. Clerks generally work for a number of attorneys in several areas of practice, e.g., litigation, banking, commercial, intellectual property, labor and employment, corporate, and tax. We can also arrange emphasis in a particular practice. Each clerk is assigned to attorney mentors who review the clerk's work to provide constructive critiques throughout the summer. Clerks also receive formal evaluations of their work product at the middle and at the end of the summer. Also as part of the clerkship program, we strive to provide clerks with practical experiences related to their work. We therefore encourage our clerks to attend the oral arguments or hearings of issues they have worked on, and to observe trials, depositions, mediations, client conferences, negotiations, and closings.

During the summer, we conduct weekly seminars on various topics relating to legal practice, which are conducted by Firm members as well as outside guest speakers. We also hold weekly clerk meetings for assignment delegation, clerk discussion of experiences and assignments, and to serve as a feedback forum for the clerks to communicate their comments on improving the summer program. Frequent lunches and other social events allow clerks the opportunity to get to know Firm members in informal settings. In a typical summer, the Firm hosts several social events, and clerks are invited to attend summer concerts and local sporting events with attorneys and their families.

We believe that the summer program experience is of utmost importance both to our Firm and to our summer clerks. The program allows a clerk to decide if the Firm's working environment and practice are the right fit, and it provides the Firm with an opportunity to assess the clerk's analytical and personal skills.

Pledge to Racial and Ethnic Diversity

Ray Quinney & Nebeker has a non-discrimination policy and was one of the first law firms in Utah to sign the Utah Minority Bar Association's Pledge to Racial and Ethnic Diversity for Utah Legal Employers (below), to reflect our commitment to the goals set forth herein:

I. In an effort to pursue full and equal opportunity and participation for all attorneys, including attorneys of color, each participant pledges to:
A. Recruit qualified applicants of color;
B. Provide attorneys of color equal access and opportunity for training, mentoring, guidance, evaluation, and opportunities to grow and succeed;
C. Provide attorneys of color equal opportunity to participate fully in administrative, professional, social, and marketing activities;
D. Invite to partnership or shareholder status attorneys of color who meet the requisite criteria; and
E. Adopt a policy against discrimination at any level within the firm.

II. To increase the numbers of offers of employment extended to law students and attorneys of color by taking the following steps whenever possible:
A. Increase the pool of applicants of color who will meet the hiring criteria by:
1. Identifying and recruiting students of color through law school placement administrators, faculty members, present or former summer clerks, organizations of law students, job fairs, local receptions for law students of color, and other organized law student activities.
2. Identifying and recruiting attorneys of color as lateral hires through referrals of law school placement administrators, faculty and/or other practicing partners, local specialty bar associations, or other resources.
B. Include, when possible, attorneys of color on committees that have responsibility for the recruitment, hiring, training, evaluation, and advancement of attorneys; and;
C. Communicate to each attorney and staff member the firm’s commitment to achieving the objectives stated herein, as well as the firm’s intolerance for discrimination within the workplace.

III. To increase retention and promotion rates for attorneys of color by taking the following steps whenever possible:
A. Assist each newly hired attorney (regardless of race, ethnicity or level) in learning the firm’s culture, history, practices, and procedures;
B. Help ensure that all attorneys, including attorneys of color are afforded, on a consistent basis, opportunities equivalent to those provided to all other attorneys in the quality and quantity of legal work assignments as necessary to develop skills and acquire experience for success and advancement.

The policies and benefits described on this site are subject to change without notice and confer no contractual or other rights.