Why Work At Woods Oviatt Gilman?

Working here isn’t just a job

At Woods Oviatt Gilman, you’ll find a dynamic, welcoming, and inclusive work environment. Our culture promotes a team approach to client service. It’s an entrepreneurial firm with a talented, diverse group of lawyers, law students, and staff members committed to each other, our clients, and the communities we serve.  

A career at Woods Oviatt Gilman provides lawyers and professional staff members with the room to grow and the resources to develop within a system that fosters collaboration and meritocracy. At Woods Oviatt Gilman, you’ll find opportunity and experience at every turn.

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Attorneys

Our attorneys come together to form one of the most powerful teams in the industry. However, any good team is always looking to add greater depth, more experience, and fresh energy. Learn more about what working at Woods Oviatt Gilman offers.

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Professional Staff

Our staff is the heartbeat of our firm and the backbone of everything we do for our clients. We know that our reputation for outstanding service is a result of our staff’s dedication and excellence, and we’re always looking to add to our team with people who share these principles.

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Summer Associates

The Summer Associates Program provides the opportunity for you to gain experience and for us to get to know your unique skillset and personality. Read more to see if our program is right for you.

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Ben­e­fits & Perks

As the gen­er­al work­place and the legal indus­try have changed, so have we, re-imag­in­ing what a law firm can be with remote work options, the lat­est tech­nol­o­gy, and a ded­i­ca­tion to fam­i­ly and com­mu­ni­ty. It’s a mod­ern way of work­ing that is right at home in a firm that has been rec­og­nized for excel­lence for 170 years.

Well­ness Programming

At Woods Ovi­att employ­ees health & well-being come first. We offer a vari­ety of activ­i­ties which include men­tal, phys­i­cal, emo­tion­al, and finan­cial sup­port from var­i­ous pro­grams and offer­ings. Includ­ing firm-spon­sored runs and walks, and com­mu­ni­ty engage­ment activities.

Learn­ing and Development

Pro­vid­ing career advance­ment is a pri­ma­ry focus of Woods Ovi­att. We pro­vide Lunch & Learns, pro­fes­sion­al devel­op­ment, and net­work­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties, along with men­tor­ing programs.

Time Off

Woods Ovi­att pro­vides per­son­al time off, des­ig­nat­ed hol­i­days, and sum­mer hours.

Health Insur­ance

We pro­vide gen­er­ous health­care ben­e­fits, includ­ing med­ical, den­tal, and vision cov­er­age to firm employ­ees and their families.

Parental Leave

The firm pro­vides a leave of absence to eli­gi­ble employ­ees for the birth or adop­tion of a child.

Depen­dent Care Assistance

This plan pro­vides for a tax-free method of pay­ing for child care and oth­er qual­i­fy­ing depen­dent care expenses.

Retire­ment Savings

The Woods Ovi­att 401K plan enables par­tic­i­pants to pro­vide for their future retire­ment secu­ri­ty through vol­un­tary pre-tax and/​or Roth con­tri­bu­tions. The firm also pro­vides a gen­er­ous 401K contribution.

Oth­er Perks

· Busi­ness casu­al work attire

· Ergonom­ic work stations

· Free onsite fit­ness center

· Sports leagues

· Spe­cial events and cel­e­bra­tions through­out the year.

A lega­cy of com­mit­ment to the community

Woods Oviatt Gilman started in the mid-19th century when William H. Bowman and Soloman Wile each began practicing law in Rochester. Their legacies were combined in 1965, when the offspring of these two pioneer law firms merged. Woods Oviatt Gilman celebrated our 150th anniversary in 2002, and we continue to carry on the legacy of our founders while embracing new, forward-thinking ideas and continued growth so that we are best equipped to serve the needs of businesses and make a difference in the lives of individuals in our communities.

Com­mit­ted to the com­mu­ni­ties we serve

Working in the Rochester, Buffalo, and Albany offices puts us at the heart of the community. Not just geographically, but in terms of what these communities stand for. The firm and our attorneys proudly support local charities and not-for-profit organizations by serving on boards and sponsoring a growing list of events each year, such as golf tournaments, charity auctions and balls, arts and entertainment events, races, and corporate campaigns, to help build healthier communities. 

Organizations with which we partner:  

  • Gary Amendola Fun Fund at Camp Good Days and Special Times
  • Gary was a partner at Woods Oviatt Gilman. After he passed away, we created a fund with the goal of raising $10K per year in donations from attorneys and staff. 
  • Monroe County Library Reading Contest
  • We’ve had more than 90,000 kids enter the reading contest and have sent more than 600 children and their families to Rochester Red Wings baseball games. 
  • SBC Cares Thanksgiving Appeal
  • We’re a top contributor to this charity. We put together food baskets for struggling families and deliver them to various local organizations in Rochester. 
  • SBC Backpack Give Back Program
  • We fill backpacks with school supplies for local students who can’t afford to do so on their own. 
  • United Way of Rochester
  • We raise approximately $45K annually during our United Way campaign. 
  • Lawyers for Learning
  • Every year, our attorneys donate time to mentor students and assist in classrooms at Adlai E. Stevenson School 29, a Rochester elementary school for students in Pre-K through sixth grades.  

Woods Oviatt Gilman started in the mid-19th century when William H. Bowman and Soloman Wile each began practicing law in Rochester. Their legacies were combined in 1965, when the offspring of these two pioneer law firms merged. Woods Oviatt Gilman celebrated our 150th anniversary in 2002, and we continue to carry on the legacy of our founders while embracing new, forward-thinking ideas and continued growth so that we are best equipped to serve the needs of businesses and make a difference in the lives of individuals in our communities.

Working in the Rochester, Buffalo, and Albany offices puts us at the heart of the community. Not just geographically, but in terms of what these communities stand for. The firm and our attorneys proudly support local charities and not-for-profit organizations by serving on boards and sponsoring a growing list of events each year, such as golf tournaments, charity auctions and balls, arts and entertainment events, races, and corporate campaigns, to help build healthier communities. 

Organizations with which we partner:  

  • Gary Amendola Fun Fund at Camp Good Days and Special Times
  • Gary was a partner at Woods Oviatt Gilman. After he passed away, we created a fund with the goal of raising $10K per year in donations from attorneys and staff. 
  • Monroe County Library Reading Contest
  • We’ve had more than 90,000 kids enter the reading contest and have sent more than 600 children and their families to Rochester Red Wings baseball games. 
  • SBC Cares Thanksgiving Appeal
  • We’re a top contributor to this charity. We put together food baskets for struggling families and deliver them to various local organizations in Rochester. 
  • SBC Backpack Give Back Program
  • We fill backpacks with school supplies for local students who can’t afford to do so on their own. 
  • United Way of Rochester
  • We raise approximately $45K annually during our United Way campaign. 
  • Lawyers for Learning
  • Every year, our attorneys donate time to mentor students and assist in classrooms at Adlai E. Stevenson School 29, a Rochester elementary school for students in Pre-K through sixth grades.  

Diver­si­ty, Equi­ty & Inclusion

Woods Ovi­att Gilman has always rec­og­nized that a diverse work­force rep­re­sents who we are as a soci­ety — and, in turn, will help our firm bet­ter serve its clien­tele, no mat­ter their back­grounds or life expe­ri­ences. What’s more, Woods Ovi­att Gilman rec­og­nizes that cul­ti­vat­ing and main­tain­ing a diverse work­force is an impor­tant social goal in and of itself. Build­ing such a work­force rep­re­sents an impor­tant goal, sep­a­rate and apart from the pos­i­tive effects that a diverse work­force has on the firm’s abil­i­ty to serve its clients. 

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