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From left: Legal secretary Sarah Bock Waggenspack and receptionists Lisa Irizarry and Glenda Bartley respectively don a pink hat, wig and Snuggie for the Susan G. Komen Pink Day staff luncheon at
Adams and Reese to raise money for breast cancer.
Photo by Frank Aymami
Adams and Reese
Office small talk has taken on new relevance
for Linda Soileau.
When the human resources director started
at Adams and Reese in 2001, her son was diagnosed
with an eye disease. While having a
casual conversation with her boss, Soileau told
him she needed to buy her son a special
machine. Not long after, right around the holidays,
Soileau’s boss called her into his office
and handed her a check for $1,000 to help with
the expenses.
The generous gesture eventually morphed
into a program Soileau now manages called
Hugs for Us, which helps Adams and Reese
employees with anything from money to pay for
a surgery to assistance during a financial crisis.
With lives and lots of money at risk, the legal
industry is a high-stakes profession where
competition is stiff and winning can sometimes
come at any cost. But Adams and Reese has
built its business on making not only its clients
happy, but also its employees.
Paralegal and administrator Jean Stevens
has been with the company for 29 years and
said the firm’s genuine concern for its staff is
the main reason she’s stayed at Adams and
Reese for so long. She said she was deeply
moved by how firm officials were understanding
when she took time off to care for her sick
father in 1996 before he passed away.
“It still touches me. I got a note that said
‘Don’t work, just take care of your father.’ I’ll
never forget that. They’re just good people,”
said Stevens.
Soileau said the firm offers excellent compensation
and benefits packages for all of its
employees, not just attorneys. Employees
receive salary increases every July 1 and can
carry over up to 15 vacation days per year.
“The benefits are fabulous, and we believe in
people having money in their paychecks every
two weeks. Some companies have recently
stopped raises, but we haven’t done away with
them here,” said Soileau.
Nature of business: law firm
Employees: 516 in entire firm, with 196 in New Orleans office
Average starting salary: $43,000 for staff, $100,000 for
attorneys
Median salary: $47,500 for staff, $175,000 for attorneys
Average amount of time employees stay with company:
11 years
Benefits: health care with 75 percent coverage, dental and prescription
plans, unmarried partner benefits, paid maternity and
paternity leave, 401(k) with a 1 percent match and 7.5 percent for
profit sharing, flexible hours, employee recognition program, fitness
program
Wait time for benefits: one month
Paid days off: 34
Web site: www.adamsandreese.com
Employees are treated to occasional free
lunches and take part in fundraisers, she said.
And to help the staff keep up with increased
downtown parking costs, the firm added a $100
monthly parking allowance for all employees.
Kirk Gasperecz, partner in charge of the New
Orleans office, said the firm takes pride in giving
its employees a chance to thrive and succeed.
“We just like to try to create the type of environment
where people enjoy what they are
doing and are happy here,” he said. “It’s just the
right thing to do.”•
— Craig Guillot
10 2009 Best Places to Work