At Finnegan, a Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program

In this article, The Washington Post highlights Finnegan’s “generous reimbursement program that covers 100 percent of staffers’ law school tuition.” To qualify, employees must work at the firm as student associates while attending law school. “The benefit for us is that we attract really excellent talent,” explains Finnegan managing partner Barbara C. McCurdy.

“For me, it was a great way to start my career in the legal field,” said Finnegan associate Erin M. Sommers, Ph.D. She started at the firm as a technical specialist and went on to earn her law degree from Georgetown University. The reimbursement program “certainly provided the financial benefits to me that made it possible for me to have a family and do things like that outside of work,” she said.

Finnegan also has a tuition reimbursement program for non-attorney staffers. “To receive full reimbursement, the employee must get an A in the class. A B is eligible for 80 percent reimbursement, and a C is eligible for 60 percent. This setup is ‘an incentive for the employee to do as well as possible with their course work,’ said Dawn Ibbott, director of human resources and administration.”