Our Talent

Each one of our attorneys is accomplished, but open-minded, and approachable.

That's why clients feel comfortable repeatedly turning to us to handle their most sensitive and financially important employment, employee benefits, and labor matters.

Jules L. Smith - Partner

Hear from Our People

Brian LaClair   vCard

Brian LaClair

As a lateral, I have a unique perspective on Blitman & King. I joined the firm after a federal clerkship and a stint working in the litigation department of a large New York City firm. Blitman & King brought me on as a litigator and promised me interesting and challenging work. After one year, I can honestly say they’ve more than delivered. In my time here, I’ve worked on, managed, and helped develop strategies for major federal court litigations. I also meet with clients and deal with opposing counsel on a regular basis. In other words,

I’ve learned how to be a lawyer. The highlight of my experience, however, has been the people. The attorneys at Blitman & King have been nothing but supportive and encouraging. I’ve received guidance but also been given significant responsibility. As a young attorney, that is very important to me.

Daniel Kornfeld   vCard

Daniel Kornfeld

My move to Blitman & King was vital for me and my family. For five years after law school, I worked for two prominent law firms in Washington, D.C. I handled complicated litigation as well as challenging employee benefit plan design projects. But, something was missing: I found there’s more to practicing law than drafting documents.

Without sacrificing high quality legal services, joining Blitman & King gave me more time to become a complete lawyer while still working on engaging cases with leaders in the labor law and employee benefits fields. In addition, I enjoy a good work-life balance whereby my career enables and compliments – not eclipses – the rest of my life.

Bryan Arnault   vCard

Bryan Arnault

I accepted an offer to join Blitman & King following the two summers I spent with the firm as a summer associate. My expectations of the firm and caliber of the attorneys have exceeded my memory, with each day making me more confident in my decision.

The summer associate experience truly prepares you for life as an associate at Blitman & King (or any firm for that matter), with no recognizable difference in assignments as a summer associate or associate. In both capacities, involvement in all aspects of client representation is very common, from the initial client meeting and researching an issue to the final hearing stages and drafting of briefs. The firm’s emphasis on involving associates in the matter creates a very real understanding of the legal issues and implications, rather than dealing with the legal world from behind a desk and speaking in hypotheticals. After each of my summers at the firm, I returned to law school with a far more diverse and practical experience than any of my classmates.

Just as impressive has been the quality of the Blitman & King attorneys and staff in their ability to assist my development as a lawyer. Partners and associates alike are willing to go above and beyond to share their wealth of knowledge and ensure that you not only understand the law, but understand the impact of, and reasoning behind, each decision you make as an attorney. The firm’s mentality shows their commitment to develop their next generation of attorneys and a desire to see each summer associate or associate become part of the firm’s future. The collegial nature and interaction with associates and partners, even as a summer, fosters an atmosphere conducive for growth as a lawyer and the best ultimate work product. The guidance of the attorneys and their understanding of the time and effort it takes to become a great lawyer has been reflected in every encounter since my first day as a summer associate.

Nathaniel Lambright   vCard

Nathaniel Lambright

I began working at Blitman & King after spending one year working as a judicial law clerk and one year working in house for a large union. As an associate, I happily adjusted to the tremendous diversity of work and clients that our law firm services. I enhanced my research and writing skills; in my opinion, abilities necessary for all successful lawyers. It was not long into my career at Blitman & King LLP that I was able to engage in real lawyering, which included regular contact with clients, potential clients, opposing lawyers of the bar and neutral decision makers.

After many years of hard, enjoyable work, I was elevated to the position of a partner at Blitman & King. I now enjoy significant autonomy while working on complex and interesting legal issues. At the same time, my partners and associates continue to assist me, as I assist them in providing the best legal results for our clients.

Daniel Brice   vCard

Daniel Brice

At Blitman & King, we represent people who work hard for their living and they expect the same from us. I started at the Firm as a summer associate without knowing what I wanted to do or if I even wanted to be a practicing attorney after school. Upon graduation, I returned to the Firm as an associate. I quickly learned that being a lawyer at Blitman & King is hard work and it needs to be that way. You want your vacation tour guide to be laid back, not your attorney. I have stayed here to realize partner status because of the clients, the men and women that work here and the environment.

What I appreciate most about the Firm is the drive to do things the “right way.” I have never heard a colleague here say “that’s good enough.” Instead the expectation is that one will grind and dig below the surface of the matter to find a solution for the client’s issue. That is what a lawyer does, at least one that works here.

Our Values

Upward Momentum

Backed by generations of skilled professionals and institutional knowledge, Blitman & King is a law firm marching forward. We respect our past and are excited about our future. We have a niche, law practice and we strive to do it well. Our lawyers work hard, juggle multiple responsibilities and are exposed to a broad range of challenges. We attract enthusiastic, ambitious and bright practitioners.

Our upward momentum creates great opportunity for lawyers. At Blitman & King, there is an opportunity for associates to become partners earlier than associates at many large firms. The firm does not adhere to a rigid class system. We generally consider associates for partnership after six years with the firm. In addition, credit may be granted for clerkships, practice in other firms, or other relevant experience or education. Associates are individually evaluated based on their own performance. Our evaluation criteria include legal ability, productivity, client development, training and development, management and supervisory skills, internal relations with other lawyers and staff, and community activities.

Solid, Exceptional Lawyers

At Blitman & King, you'll find open doors leading to intelligent, unique and down-to-earth professionals that endorse the challenge of practicing law in a sophisticated way. We aim to provide clients with practical advice in specific complex areas of law. No more, no less. Our attorneys are accomplished, but approachable. We recognize that a successful career will require continued education and learning, expanded horizons and an unending commitment to achieve excellence.

Career Development

Lawyers learn by doing, but you will receive feedback from experienced partners and have open-door access to ask questions. To supplement your hands on experience, training and education will play a key part. We conduct in-house educational meetings where presentations are made and written materials are distributed. At the firm's expense, lawyers are also encouraged to participate in advanced or continuing education.

In addition, associates present at educational and client seminars. For decades our firm has held two annual seminars for clients and friends of the firm: a Labor Law Seminar and an ERISA and Employee Benefits Seminar. Our associates regularly present at these seminars, which includes an oral presentation as well as the preparation of a written memorandum. At these seminars we expose associates to firm clients and introduce all associates at the plenary session. We also encourage associates to develop topics and seminars for the firm to sponsor. We provide billable hour credit for all hours spent preparing for and presenting at seminars.

We encourage and fund our lawyers’ involvement in local, state and national bar association activities, including leadership positions.

Meaningful Impact

Your work will have meaningful impact on the success of the firm. You will be brought into matters early, and expected to work on all aspects of that matter through its conclusion. Here, associates are not cogs in a wheel and you will not be the third associate in line to review a document that you did not draft. You will have significant responsibility and client contact at all stages of your career. Our firm's partners have confidence in associates and treat them accordingly.

The upside of your opportunity is that the firm's clients will quickly become your clients. This means that when several projects are coming to a head at the same time, you won't be able to bow out of any of them because the client is relying on you. But it also means that clients think of you as their attorney, so it won't be long before they start coming to you directly for help.

Coordination

We operate and function as one firm and, while we enjoy the resources of a much larger firm, we are able to foster unity and camaraderie between our people across offices. Each Monday morning, for example, we have an attorney meeting to discuss pending matters including new business. In December, the firm hosts two annual holiday parties: a party for attorneys and staff, and a Saturday evening dinner party for attorneys and their spouses or significant others. In addition, each summer, we hold a firm picnic for all attorneys, staff and their family members.

We generally staff our matters in teams consisting of one or two partners and an associate. Our associates have direct contact with partners and work through complex issues with their guidance. It is normal business for associates to have face-to-face meetings with partners, even the most senior, to discuss legal problems and propose solutions. Partners provide invaluable feedback and freely share their experience and wisdom based on years of industry experience.

Business Development

hus•tler ˈhʌs lər [huhs-ler]noun 1. an enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter.

Mentoring a lawyer includes recognizing the importance of fostering the social and entrepreneurial aspects of the law. At a certain point in your career, you will have developed the technical skills and proficiency necessary to be a legal practitioner. Associates who are able to use these qualities to develop new client business, as opposed to simply completing work assigned by partners, are much more likely to become partners and feel fulfillment in their career.

There is no single right way or magic formula for making this transition and we recognize that there are several paths that may be fostered based on an individual’s personality. Some associates have made this transition by developing a highly specialized, hard-to-find expertise or a record of success in a unique area while others have focused on developing interpersonal relationships. We will support you and help you to identify and capitalize on your own unique skills and assets.

Compensation

The compensation and benefits we provide are competitive with peer firms in each geographical location of our offices. However, we strive for a pure merit-based system and do not adhere to a rigid class system. Associates from the same law school class will not necessarily be treated identically in terms of compensation or advancement in the firm.

Our benefits include participation in retirement plans, a comprehensive health and dental plan, bar membership expenses and continuing legal education courses.

We have a reasonable annual billable hour requirement of 1800 and hours spent on seminars, articles, and pro bono work fully count towards this requirement. Exceeding this hourly billable requirement makes you eligible for a year-end bonus. The dollar amount of the bonus increases with the satisfaction of additional billing hours and merit-based achievements.

Leadership

We want our associates to be leaders and learn to manage both the practice and the business of law. Law schools do not train or develop managers, nor does doing excellent and complicated work for clients. A litmus test is how well the associate relates and gets along with his or her secretary, younger lawyers and partners. We recognize leadership and we reward it both financially and with public "pats on the back."

Associates generally welcome the opportunity to take on management activities such as: committee participation, associate recruitment, managing administrative staff organization, task forces to address a specific issue, creating and presenting a firm seminar, strategic business development ideas, and client relations. In addition, associates generally feel comfortable to approach partners and to discuss their ideas for the firm and its future and, our partners welcome it.

Technology

Blitman & King is a technology leader. We embrace technology and use it to: communicate, manage information, improve efficiency, and to make our professional lives easier.

All of our offices are connected and have access to the same document management system through which all attorney work product is accessible by search. In addition, upon arrival at the firm, each associate is provided with a smartphone as well as remote-access to enable them to access the Blitman & King network from home.

Pro Bono

Our commitment to pro bono is as diverse as the interests of our lawyers and our obligation, as we see it, to serve the public. The stakes are high because we often represent individuals without resources or support to adequately defend their rights. We also have our share of media grabbing high impact cases such as our representation of a mentally ill prisoner seeking appropriate relief from physical abuse and our work on behalf of inner-city youth after a tragic shooting.

We count all hours spent on approved pro bono work as billable hours.

Balance

Our associates work hard, but they also have a life outside the firm. They have the ability to adjust their schedules (subject to client demands) as well as the flexibility to duck out of the office during the day.

The complexity of our practice areas generally prevents the brain from consistently working 11 or 12 hours a day. Associates generally come in, do their work, leave at a relatively reasonable hour and then go home.