Rodger Smith Unplugged

“I used to worry that I would be walking off the face of the earth if I left New York,” says Rodger Smith, Morris Nichols’ Hiring Partner.  At the time, Rodger was an associate at one of the world’s premier law firms.  “Slowly it began to sink in that I was just a small fish in a very big pond.”

Rodger examined his options:  stay and pay the price at a mega firm; go to another New York law firm; or leave New York and begin anew elsewhere.  “Frankly, Delaware had not been on my radar screen,” he says.  “But some of my colleagues had been involved in big cases in Delaware opposite Morris Nichols attorneys.  Cases like US West versus Time Warner, and Data General versus IBM.  It gave me something to think about.”

The opportunity to continue working on important cases and the improved odds of making partner finally tipped the balance, and Rodger decided to take up residence in Wilmington at Morris Nichols.  “I got a chance to show what I could do on my first day on the job,” Rodger relates.  “I was assigned to draft a motion for summary judgment in a major patent infringement case – since then, I’ve never looked back.”

Now the firm’s Hiring Partner, Rodger believes his experience gives him a unique understanding of why young lawyers at the top of their law school class are drawn to major cities like New York and Washington.  His mission is to raise the awareness of young lawyers to the high standards, premier practice and affordable lifestyle that can be had in Delaware.  “The reality of practicing law at Morris Nichols is that we invest in our associates and we have an interest in their success.  We hire the cream of the crop; with our one-to-one partner/associate ratio, our young attorneys get interesting, substantive work at a level of practice that rivals the practice of law anywhere."