Law Firms to Stay Away From Forum

[SmokeytheBear]

I wouldn't be shocked if many of these anons don't work in biglaw.

They also probably don't do cross fit bro.

[QContinuum]

• V1-20's have lucrative clients and cases, so their associates are busy. The good firms will let you do work at home, and dress business casual/ casual. The not-so-great ones will force you to do the work in the office and on weekends. The really bad ones have partners who yell at you for not doing the above fast enough.
  
  V21-50's that aren't few-offices elite boutiques have okay clients, but their work tends to dry up faster and there's a bigger chance of layoffs. The good firms will keep a steady flow of work and not eat up their associates' lives. The not-so-great ones will try to gun (and fail to gun) for higher rankings and clients out of their range by eating up their associates' lives. The really bad ones go bankrupt and merge/dissolve.
  
  V50-100's that aren't new struggle for clients, though they have some partners willing to float the firm. (The newer ones are still rising through the ranks) The good firms don't overhire, pay salaries they can afford and give plenty of vacation time to promote their "work-life balance." The mediocre ones stick you with nothing but marketing and the occasional doc review. The really bad ones that aren't dead are usually midlaw firms glad to be in the vault rankings and got there with high hours and low paychecks for their associates.

You realize V21-50 includes MoFo, Ropes, Proskauer, Akin Gump, Munger...? Yes you have firms called out in this thread (PH, Cadwalader, K&L Gates) in V21-50 but that hardly translates to the entire category being layoff-prone.

Many good firms in V50-100 that hardly "struggle for clients", notably Cahill, Irell, Susman. Sure you have Kasowitz but again that's not representative at all.

[los blancos]

Why do idiots keep generalizing about firms based on a ranking of NYC corporate practices?

[SmokeytheBear]

Why do idiots keep generalizing about firms based on a ranking of NYC corporate practices?

Idiots be idiots.

[Pokemon]

This thread was good but became stupid. Law firms to stay away from should mean law firms where I am hearing about stealth layoffs and no offers, not law firms that do not abide with 9 to 5. None of the biglaw gives a shit about your worklife balance if there is work to be done

[Anonymous User]

Anyone with opinions on goodwin versus ropes

[oblig.lawl.ref]

Anyone with opinions on goodwin versus ropes

Brother, you're on your own.

[Anonymous User]

This thread was good but became stupid. Law firms to stay away from should mean law firms where I am hearing about stealth layoffs and no offers, not law firms that do not abide with 9 to 5. None of the biglaw gives a shit about your worklife balance if there is work to be done

Dechert. I was stealth laid off as a first year, and told there was losing significant money, that I wasn't as popular as other first years and was given one month of website time. I was further told I told anyone (incl. anyone at Dechet) I was stealth laid off, it would be hard for me to find work anywhere. My experience was not unique - this happened to dozens of first and second years firm wide.

[Anonymous User]

• V1-20's have lucrative clients and cases, so their associates are busy. The good firms will let you do work at home, and dress business casual/ casual. The not-so-great ones will force you to do the work in the office and on weekends. The really bad ones have partners who yell at you for not doing the above fast enough.
  
  V21-50's that aren't few-offices elite boutiques have okay clients, but their work tends to dry up faster and there's a bigger chance of layoffs. The good firms will keep a steady flow of work and not eat up their associates' lives. The not-so-great ones will try to gun (and fail to gun) for higher rankings and clients out of their range by eating up their associates' lives. The really bad ones go bankrupt and merge/dissolve.
  
  V50-100's that aren't new struggle for clients, though they have some partners willing to float the firm. (The newer ones are still rising through the ranks) The good firms don't overhire, pay salaries they can afford and give plenty of vacation time to promote their "work-life balance." The mediocre ones stick you with nothing but marketing and the occasional doc review. The really bad ones that aren't dead are usually midlaw firms glad to be in the vault rankings and got there with high hours and low paychecks for their associates.

You realize V21-50 includes MoFo, Ropes, Proskauer, Akin Gump, Munger...? Yes you have firms called out in this thread (PH, Cadwalader, K&L Gates) in V21-50 but that hardly translates to the entire category being layoff-prone.

Many good firms in V50-100 that hardly "struggle for clients", notably Cahill, Irell, Susman. Sure you have Kasowitz but again that's not representative at all.

I'm assuming his caveat for "few-offices elite boutiques" was meant to exclude firms like Munger from these sweeping generalizations. But still, this anon clearly knows nothing about what the vault list is or what it measures.

[sublime]

This thread was good but became stupid. Law firms to stay away from should mean law firms where I am hearing about stealth layoffs and no offers, not law firms that do not abide with 9 to 5. None of the biglaw gives a shit about your worklife balance if there is work to be done

Dechert. I was stealth laid off as a first year, and told there was losing significant money, that I wasn't as popular as other first years and was given one month of website time. I was further told I told anyone (incl. anyone at Dechet) I was stealth laid off, it would be hard for me to find work anywhere. My experience was not unique - this happened to dozens of first and second years firm wide.

I'm sorry anon. That's shitty. I hope you land/landed on your feet.

[Anonymous User]

This thread was good but became stupid. Law firms to stay away from should mean law firms where I am hearing about stealth layoffs and no offers, not law firms that do not abide with 9 to 5. None of the biglaw gives a shit about your worklife balance if there is work to be done

Dechert. I was stealth laid off as a first year, and told there was losing significant money, that I wasn't as popular as other first years and was given one month of website time. I was further told I told anyone (incl. anyone at Dechet) I was stealth laid off, it would be hard for me to find work anywhere. My experience was not unique - this happened to dozens of first and second years firm wide.

That last part about '"if you told anyone..." sounds like a scare tactic. At least at our firm, if you can show quality work product, you'd be on the same footing as someone who wasn't a stealth-layoff.

Are you at a new firm now?

[Anonymous User]

This thread was good but became stupid. Law firms to stay away from should mean law firms where I am hearing about stealth layoffs and no offers, not law firms that do not abide with 9 to 5. None of the biglaw gives a shit about your worklife balance if there is work to be done

Dechert. I was stealth laid off as a first year, and told there was losing significant money, that I wasn't as popular as other first years and was given one month of website time. I was further told I told anyone (incl. anyone at Dechet) I was stealth laid off, it would be hard for me to find work anywhere. My experience was not unique - this happened to dozens of first and second years firm wide.

That last part about '"if you told anyone..." sounds like a scare tactic. At least at our firm, if you can show quality work product, you'd be on the same footing as someone who wasn't a stealth-layoff.

Are you at a new firm now?

It sounds less like "if you tell anyone, they will judge you for being stealth laid off and will decline to hire you" and more like a pretty obvious implied threat: "if you tell anyone, we will make sure you get blacklisted everywhere!!!"

[RaceJudicata]

This thread was good but became stupid. Law firms to stay away from should mean law firms where I am hearing about stealth layoffs and no offers, not law firms that do not abide with 9 to 5. None of the biglaw gives a shit about your worklife balance if there is work to be done

Dechert. I was stealth laid off as a first year, and told there was losing significant money, that I wasn't as popular as other first years and was given one month of website time. I was further told I told anyone (incl. anyone at Dechet) I was stealth laid off, it would be hard for me to find work anywhere. My experience was not unique - this happened to dozens of first and second years firm wide.

That last part about '"if you told anyone..." sounds like a scare tactic. At least at our firm, if you can show quality work product, you'd be on the same footing as someone who wasn't a stealth-layoff.

Are you at a new firm now?

It sounds less like "if you tell anyone, they will judge you for being stealth laid off and will decline to hire you" and more like a pretty obvious implied threat: "if you tell anyone, we will make sure you get blacklisted everywhere!!!"

Can we not get Dechert guy/gal started again. Please.

[sublime]

Different poster, I believe.

[Anonymous User]

could be useful to revive for 2018?

[Anonymous User]

Is it a red flag if a firm no offered their summers?

[SFSpartan]

Is it a red flag if a firm no offered their summers?

Not necessarily - some summers are just bad, do egregious shit, and deserve to be no-offered. However, I'd avoid firms that show a pretty consistent pattern of no offering summers. This is particularly true if said firm has more than 1 no offer per year, as that suggests that the firm purposely over hires summer.

[Anonymous User]

I noticed Milbank no offers ~2 people

[Anonymous User]

Cadwalader
Dechert
DLA Piper
Baker McKenzie
Paul Hastings

[Anonymous User]

Cadwalader
Dechert
DLA Piper
Baker McKenzie
Paul Hastings

Why dla piper and Baker McKenzie?

[Anonymous User]

I only have offers from Paul Hastings, Milbank, and SRZ. Going through this thread, none seems to be a great place to be. Which is the least terrible option for someone who isn't sure what type of work they want to do?

[Anonymous User]

K&L Gates. They’re not well organized and not transparent.

[Anonymous User]

K&L Gates. They’re not well organized and not transparent.

Which office?

[Anonymous User]

Opinions on Pepper Hamilton?

[Anonymous User]

Cadwalader
Dechert
DLA Piper
Baker McKenzie
Paul Hastings

why baker? I've been being recruited by one of their international offices for a bit